SOUND Exploration
Overview:
Today we're doing an open investigation with different materials, instruments, and any other materials that involves sound.
We're using stethoscopes as our instrument of choice in our examination, then writing about what we learned as a result of our investigation(s).
To start out, I asked the question, in respects to sound, what are you wondering about?
Exploratory Question:
Things to Explore:
Terms that Describes Sound:
Exploratory Experiments (3)
Today we're doing an open investigation with different materials, instruments, and any other materials that involves sound.
We're using stethoscopes as our instrument of choice in our examination, then writing about what we learned as a result of our investigation(s).
To start out, I asked the question, in respects to sound, what are you wondering about?
Exploratory Question:
- What are you curious about concerning sound?
Things to Explore:
- How well sound travels through different materials.
- Which materials transmits sound through long distances?
- Which materials transmits sound clearly v. muffled?
- Which phase (solid, liquid, gas) of materials transmits sound better?
- How do the lengths of materials affect sound?
- How does hitting a material hard v. soft affect sound?
- Any other question you may have.
Terms that Describes Sound:
- Pitch: (High / Low)
- Volume: (Loud, Soft, Quiet, Ear-splitting)
- Tone: (pure, clear, noise, echo, muffled, squeaky, pitchy, rough, distortion, deep, audible, dissonant, hollow, resonant, tinny, hollow, full, hissy, and many more.)
Exploratory Experiments (3)
- Materials & Tools Available:
- Tools: Stethoscopes, Ear Muffs,
- Materials: Different balls, Tubs of Water, Slinkies, Boom Whackers, Xylophone, Tuning Forks, Foam Pads, Metal Pipes, Thin Boards, Electric & Acustic Guitar, Tile Floor, Carpeted Floor, Brick Walls, Metal Lockers, Metal Rails, Windows, Wooden Doors,
- Tools: Stethoscopes, Ear Muffs,
- Tasks:
- Describe 3 experiments you did.
- Describe the results of your experiments.
- Reflect on what you learned from your results.
Resources:
https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Sound/speedinmaterials.htm
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/biomusic/6517
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/sound.html
https://www.nde-ed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Sound/speedinmaterials.htm
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/biomusic/6517
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/sound.html
SUMMARY 1
Student observations
- KE turns into vibrations, which turns into sound
- Vibrations and sound are the same thing.
- Sound is therefore energy.
- Vibrations make things move, and movement is energy.
- Sound travels very well in solids & liquids
- Sound travels okay through gasses.
- Travels = Transmits (or goes) through
- Sound does not travel well through super dense materials such as lead.
- Sound is emitted best with a hollow / thin surface.
- Emission: begins and goes out from.
- Soft materials absorb sound.
- Sound bounces off of a surface.
- This is called an Echo.
- Hard surfaces reflect sound very well. Soft surfaces do not.
- Soft surfaces absorb sound.
- Sound bends around the corner (diffraction).
- It is louder near the source of the sound generator and softer the further you go out.
- The height the object is dropped is louder than when it is dropped lower to the surface.
- The more mass the object has when dropped the louder it is too.