Sound Energy

sound-type of Energy caused by vibrations

vibration-repeated back-and-forth motion

medium- solid, liquid, or gas

molecules-the particles in the medium that vibrate

wave-the way vibrations travel 

speed of sound – how fast sound moves through an object  (much slower than light)

vacuum -empty space, no mediums present, no molecules to vibrate, no sounds at all

pitch- the highness or lowness of a sound

frequency-how fast a sound wave travels

volume-how loud or soft a sound is  

amplitude-the strength of a sound wave

absorb-takes in

reflect-bounce back

echo- sound waves bounce off of hard surfaces back to ear

Sound travels in waves that look like the ripple you see when you throw a rock in a pond.

Sound is caused by vibrations which must travel through a medium (a solid, liquid, or gas) in order to create a vibration.

Sound waves travel best through solids, then liquids, and finally air.  

Sound can't travel through a vacuum (empty space), so there is no sound in outer space!

Echos happen when sound waves are reflected from a hard surface and bounced back to the ear.

Pitch is how high or low a sound is and is caused by the speed of the vibration.  This speed is called frequency.

Fast frequency=high pitch  

Slow frequency=low pitch

Volume describes how loud or soft a sound is.  

A loud sound is caused by a large force and a soft sound is caused by a little force.  

This force is called amplitude.

Items such as carpet absorb some of the sound waves and cause it to be quieter.