Key Stage 1
We hear
sound with our
ears.
Meaning
Sound is something that we hear with our ears.
- Singular Noun: Sound
- Plural Noun: Sounds
- Verb: Sound
About Sound
- A sound can be loud or quiet.
- A sound can be low or high pitched.
Examples
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The sound of a mouse's squeak is very 'high pitched'.
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A tuba makes a deep or 'low pitched' sound.
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Shouting, screaming and yelling are all loud sounds.
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Whispering is a very quiet sound.
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Key Stage 2
Meaning
Sound is a vibration that passes through the air to our ears.
About Sound
- Sounds are caused by materials vibrating.
- Sound has to travel through a medium. If there is no medium, sound cannot get form one place to another.
- Sound travels through the air because it makes the air vibrate. If there were no air sound could not travel to our ears.
- Sounds can be high or low pitched.
- Sounds can be loud or quiet.
Pitch
Size
The size of an instrument can affect the pitch. Bigger instruments make a lower pitch sound.
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A small 'soprano' saxophone makes a high pitched sound.
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An 'alto' saxophone makes the second highest pitch.
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A tenor saxophone makes the second lowest pitch.
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A large 'bass' saxophone makes a low pitched sound.
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Thickness of Strings
Thicker strings make lower pitched sounds.
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A regular guitar has thin strings and can make high pitched sounds.
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A 'bass' guitar has thick strings and makes low pitched sounds.
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Length of Strings
The shorter the strings, the higher pitched a sound.
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The shorter strings on a harp make a higher pitched sound.
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Tightness of Strings
The tighter the strings the higher pitched the sound.
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The pegs on the end of a stringed instrument can make the strings tighter or looser.
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Volume
The bigger the vibration, the louder the sound.
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When you hit a drum hard, it makes a louder sound because the vibration is bigger.
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When you pluck a guitar string harder, it makes a louder sound because the vibration is bigger.
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Blow harder down a tube it makes a louder sound because the vibration is bigger.
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Key Stage 3
Meaning
Sound is a pressure wave that transfers energy and information through a medium.
About Sound
- Sound is a longitudinal wave.
- Sound is caused by objects vibrating. The vibration is then passed through a medium as a wave of compression.
- Sound is transmitted by particles colliding with one another.
- The speed of sound through air is 340m/s.
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This is animation shows how sound travels along a material by particles colliding with one another.
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Sound Waves
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This animation shows a speaker creating a sound by making a wave of compression (dark grey) that passes through the air.
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Medium
- Sound waves can pass through solids, liquids and gases but sound cannot pass through a vacuum.
- Sound travels fastest through a solid because the particles are already touching so they have little distance to travel to pass on the vibration.
- Sound travels the slowest through a gas because the particles in a gas are spread far apart so they take some time before they collide with the next particle to pass on the vibration.
Sound Volume
- The volume of a sound is how loud or quiet it is.
- Volume is determined by the amplitude of the wave (how much the wave vibrates).
Pitch
- A sound can be a high pitch or low pitch.
- Pitch is determined by the frequency of the wave (how quickly the wave vibrates).
- The frequency of a sound wave is measures in Hertz (Hz).
Absorption
- Some materials can absorb the energy of a sound wave which can block the sound from travelling through the material.
- Sound is absorbed by soft materials.
- Absorbing sounds is useful in ear defenders and sound studios where it is important to reduce the sound that gets past.