Describing Sound Waves

Why can't sound travel through outer space?

• There is almost no matter in outer space, so the vibrations have no way to travel through the atmosphere. There is nothing to carry the sound waves through space.

• Sound actually travels very quickly through outer space because there is no matter to slow down the sound waves.

• There are too many planets and stars in outer space that absorb all of the sound waves, so they cannot travel to the human ear.

• Because outer space is a "vacuum," the vibrations are irregular and travel in too many directions for us to detect the sound.

A wave in which the vibration is in the same direction as that in which the wave is traveling; sound waves

• longitudinal wave

• ocean wave

• transverse wave

• mechanical wave

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

The part of a longitudinal wave where the particles of the medium are close together.

• rarefaction

• compression

• crest

• trough

Which of the following would you hear as a low pitched sound? 

• sound wave with a frequency of 50 Hz

• sound wave with frequency of 10,000 Hz

• sound wave with an intensity of 10 dB

• sound wave with an intensity of 100 dB

Petra is measuring sound waves as they travel through different materials. Which of the following will Petra find to be true about sound waves?

• They travel the fastest through solids.

• They travel the fastest in very dense solids

• They travel more slowly in solids than in liquids

• They will speed up as they travel from a solid to the air

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Which of the following do sound waves travel the slowest through?

• cold air

• frozen ice

• liquid water

• hot air

Which state of matter do sound waves travel the fastest through?

• the vacuum of space

• solid

• gas

• liquid

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

What is a wave?

• A disturbance that transfers matter

• A disturbance that transfers energy

• Any type of energy that makes particles move

• Any type of matter that vibrates back and forth

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-1

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Through which of these media do sound waves travel most slowly?

• iron

• wood

• water

• cold air

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

The medium through which a mechanical wave passes can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Properties of wave might change when it moves from one medium to another. What happens to the speed of a wave when it moves from a gas to a solid.

• it speeds up

• it slows down

• it remains the same

• it speeds up then slows down

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2