Sound

Understanding how sound is made by vibrations, how it travels, and how pitch and volume work

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Try each question. If you're stuck, leave it and come back. The answer key is on the last page.

1
How are sounds made? A) By objects vibrating B) By objects changing colour C) By objects getting heavier D) By objects staying still
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2
True or false? Sound can travel through solids, liquids and gases. A) True B) False
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3
Complete the sentence about volume. A louder sound is made when an object vibrates with a bigger ___.
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4
What does 'pitch' mean in science? A) How high or low a sound is B) How loud or quiet a sound is C) How far a sound travels D) How long a sound lasts
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5
True or false? Sound cannot travel through a vacuum (empty space). A) True B) False
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6
Explain what affects pitch. A shorter guitar string vibrates ___ and makes a higher pitched sound.
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7
Put these instruments in order from the lowest pitched to the highest pitched. Put these in order: Bass drum, Flute, Cello, Triangle
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8
Why does sound get quieter as you move further from the source? A) The vibrations spread out and lose energy over distance B) Your ears stop working as well C) Sound only travels a few metres D) The sound turns into light
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9
A teacher cups their hands around their mouth when calling across a playground. Why does this help? A) It directs the sound vibrations forward instead of letting them spread in all directions B) It makes the teacher's voice vibrate faster C) It changes the pitch of the sound D) It makes the sound travel faster
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10
Order the speed of sound through these materials, from fastest to slowest. Put these in order: Steel (solid), Water (liquid), Air (gas)
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Answer key

Sound · for parents and teachers

1
By objects vibrating
All sounds are made by vibrations. When an object vibrates (moves back and forth quickly), it makes the air around it vibrate too, and these vibrations reach our ears as sound.
2
True
True. Sound vibrations can travel through all states of matter. You can hear underwater (liquid), through walls (solid), and through air (gas).
3
amplitude
Louder sounds are produced by bigger vibrations (greater amplitude). When you hit a drum harder, the drumhead moves further back and forth, making a louder sound.
4
How high or low a sound is
Pitch describes how high or low a sound is. A whistle has a high pitch; a bass drum has a low pitch. This depends on how fast the object vibrates (frequency).
5
True
True. Sound needs particles (matter) to travel through. A vacuum has no particles, so sound cannot travel. This is why there is no sound in outer space.
6
faster
Shorter or thinner strings vibrate faster, producing a higher pitch. Longer or thicker strings vibrate more slowly, producing a lower pitch.
7
Bass drum, Cello, Flute, Triangle
The bass drum produces the lowest pitch (large, slow vibrations). The cello is low but higher than a drum. The flute is high pitched. The triangle produces very high-pitched sounds.
8
The vibrations spread out and lose energy over distance
Sound vibrations spread outward in all directions from the source. As they spread, the energy is distributed over a larger area, making the vibrations smaller (quieter) with distance.
9
It directs the sound vibrations forward instead of letting them spread in all directions
Cupping hands acts like a megaphone - it prevents sound from spreading sideways and directs more of the vibrations in one direction, so more sound energy reaches the listener.
10
Steel (solid), Water (liquid), Air (gas)
Sound travels fastest through solids (particles are packed tightly and pass vibrations quickly), then liquids, and slowest through gases (particles are far apart).