Name : ___________________ Section: __________ Date: ________ Worksheet: Properties and

characteristics of sound

Lesson 1.1 Critical Reading

Read this passage from the text and answer the questions that follow.

Properties and Characteristics of sound

Characteristics of Sound
Sound is the transfer of energy from a vibrating object in waves that travel through matter. Most people commonly use the
term sound to mean what they hear when sound waves enter their ears. SOUND is produced when a vibration causes pressure
variations in the medium.

How Sounds Begin

All sounds begin with vibrating matter. It could be the ground vibrating when a tree comes crashing down. Or it could be guitar
strings vibrating when they are plucked. The vibrating string repeatedly pushes against the air particles next to it. The pressure
of the vibrating string causes these air particles to vibrate. The air particles alternately push together and spread apart. This
starts waves of vibrations that travel through the air in all directions away from the strings. The vibrations pass through the air as
longitudinal waves, with individual air particles vibrating back and forth in the same direction that the waves travel.

Properties of Sound
Sound has certain characteristic properties because of the way sound energy travels in waves. Properties of sound include
speed, loudness, and pitch.

Speed of Sound

The speed of sound is the distance that sound waves travel in a given amount of time. You probably already know that sound
travels more slowly than light. That’s why you usually see the flash of lightning before you hear the boom of thunder. However,
the speed of sound isn’t constant. It varies depending on the medium of the sound waves.

1. Loudness refers to how loud or soft a sound seems to a listener. The loudness of sound is determined, in turn, by the
intensity of sound. Intensity is a measure of the amount of energy in sound waves. LOUDNESS OR intensity –
description of how high or low the sound seems to a person.
_ determined mainly by the amplitude of the sound wave.
a. Decibel (dB) – unit used to measure sound intensity or loudness.

2.PITCH – highness or lowness of a sound

a. FREQUENCY – number of sound waves that possess through a point in a certain amount of time, such as one
second. The greater the frequency, the higher the pitch.

HERTZ (Hz) - unit to measure frequency and pitch.

AUDIO FREQUENCY RANGE

– Frequency ranging 20 HZ to 20 000 HZ

- Sounds that human ear can hear is an example.INFRASONICS – frequency below 20 Hz

 - How high or low a sound seems to a listener is its pitch. Pitch, in turn, depends on the frequency of sound
waves. Recall that the frequency of waves is the number of waves that pass a fixed point in a given amount of
time. High-pitched sounds, like the sounds of a piccolo, have high-frequency waves. Low-pitched sounds, like the
sounds of a tuba, have low-frequency waves.
3. TIMBRE - tone color or tone quality. Used to distinguished between two different sounds that have the same pitch
and loudness.

Activity. Multiple choice. Choose the letter of the best answer

1. The loudness of a sound is called

a. the sound wave. b. the volume c. the amplitude d. the pitch
2.What happens to a sound if the frequency of the vibrations increases?
a. The pitch increases. b. the volume decreases c. the sound echos d. the sound gets louder
3. A is the sound your hear when something is moving faster than the speed of sound.
a.vibration b. pitcth wave c. high pitch d. sonic boom
4. If a sound's pitch is high, its source is
a. an echo b. vibrating quickly c. nearby d. a sonic boom
5.The harder you strike a drum, the greater the sound's .
a. pitch b. medium c. volume d. frequency
6. When you make sounds by plucking a rubber band, you make the rubber band move back and forth very quickly. This
movement is called
a. loudness. b. amplitude c. pitch d. vibration
7. All sounds are made by _____________ objects.
a. still b. vibrating c. medium d. echo
8. The quality of being high or low is a sound’s _____________
a. loudness b. amplitude c. frequency d. pitch
9. Sound travels best through __________
a. water b. air c. solids
10. _________ is the highness or lowness of a sound.
a. volume b. tension c. pitch
11. A movement back and forth that produces sound is called __________
a. vibration b. sound c. air
12. __________ is an organized pattern of sound.
a. pitch b. rhythm c. noise
13. The loudness or softness of a sound is __________
a. pitch b. volume c. sound
14. Loudness measures the sound energy reaching the ear per second and depends on the amplitude of the sound wave. What is the
unit used to measure the loudness of sound?
a. Hertz b. Decibel c. meter/second d. second
15. The sound can travel in air when:
a. Particles of medium travel from one place to another b. There is no moisture in the atmosphere
c. disturbance move d. Both particles as well as disturbance travel form one place to another

Part 2. Matching questions. Match column A with column B.

1._____ pitch A. the transfer of energy from a vibrating object in waves that travel through matter
2 ._____ loudness B. number of sound waves that possess through a point in a certain amount of time.
3. _____ Hertz C. unit to measure frequency and pitch
4._____ frequency D. highness or lowness of a sound
5._____ sound E. unit used to measure intensity or loudness
F.refers to how loud or soft a sound seems to a listener