Name____________________________________________________________Period__________Date__________
Sound Waves Notes
1. What type of wave are sound waves?
2. How do you hear? Sound waves _______________ the _______________ in your ears.
a. How does hearing work? (Refer to the diagram to answer the following questions.)
b. OUTER EAR: Sound waves are _______________ by the outer ear
and are funneled through the ear canal to the _______________.
c. MIDDLE EAR: Sound waves cause the eardrum to
_______________. The three bones of the middle ear transmit
and amplify the _______________ to the oval window of the
inner ear.
d. INNER EAR: Fluid in the inner ear stimulates _______________
endings called hair cells.
e. COCHLEA
f. AUDITORY NERVE: Electrical _______________ are sent from the
hair cells along the auditory nerve to the ________________.
g. The tiny hair cells in the inner ear are easily _______________ by _______________ noises. Once you lose
them, they _______________ grow back.
3. How speech works:
a) You have 2 tubes in your throat. Where do each of them lead?
I.
II.
b) __________ from lungs is forced between the vocal cords.
c) Vocal cords ________________.
d) Sound _______________ are generated.
e) Sound waves are shaped to form specific sounds.
I.
The _______________ of the vocal cords affects the pitch of the sound
produces.
II.
When the vocal cords contract and shorten you speak in a
_______________ voice.
III.
When the vocal cords are longer and in a relaxed position, you speak in
_______________ voice.
f) The sound waves travel through the air and are interpreted as speech
4.
5.
6.
7.
_______________ refers to how high or how low a sound is.
The ____________________ of a sound wave determines the pitch you hear!
High pitches have _______________ frequencies.
Low pitches have _______________ frequencies.
8. Draw a low pitch sound wave.
9. Draw a high pitch sound wave.
wave
a
10. The ___________________ of a sound wave determines the loudness of the sound you hear.
11. Loud sounds have _______________ amplitudes.
12. Soft sounds have _______________ amplitudes.
13. Draw a loud sound wave.
14. Draw a soft sound wave.
15. Fill in the following Speed of Sound chart:
Substance or Medium
Air at 0 degrees Celsius
Air at 25 degrees Celsius
Water at 25 degrees Celsius
Steel
16.
17.
18.
19.
Speed of Sound
What happens to the speed of sound as the air gets warmer? _________________________
Sound waves travel _______________ through more dense mediums.
Sound waves (need; do not need) a medium to travel through.
Would you be able to hear someone yelling at you in outer space? Why or why not?
20. Why can I see the light waves from the sun but not hear the roar of the nuclear reactions on the sun?
21. Which material will sound travel faster through: heated steel or an ice cube? __________
22. Does sound travel faster through water or through air? _______________ Why?