Volume & Vibrations
Find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe the pattern: stronger vibrations (larger movements) produce louder sounds
- Demonstrate volume changes by varying the force applied to a sound-making object
- Explain volume as how loud or quiet a sound is, determined by the size of vibrations
1 · Read
You already know that every sound starts with something vibrating, moving back and forth very fast. Today you'll find out what decides if that sound comes out loud or quiet. It comes down to size: how far the vibration swings.
Maya has a small drum. When she taps it gently, the drum skin moves just a little and makes a soft sound. When she hits it hard, the drum skin swings much further before it settles down, and the sound comes out loud.
Try it yourself. Hold a ruler flat on a table with one end hanging off the edge. Flick it gently, then flick it hard. Watch how far the end moves each time, and listen to how the sound changes.
Bigger vibrations make louder sounds; smaller vibrations make quieter sounds.
More to read
Sound Words to Know
Amplitude is a word for how big a vibration is. When something shakes back and forth with big movements, it has a large amplitude. When it shakes with tiny movements, it has a small amplitude. The bigger the amplitude, the louder the sound. A drum hit hard makes a large amplitude and a loud boom. A drum tapped gently makes a small amplitude and a quiet tap.
A sound wave is the way sound travels. When something vibrates, it pushes the air around it, and that push moves outward like ripples in a pond until it reaches your ears.
A decibel is a unit for measuring how loud a sound is. A whisper has a low number of decibels, and a jet engine has a very high number.
Damping is when a vibration gets smaller and smaller over time, so the sound fades away. Think of a bell that rings loudly at first and then gets quieter and quieter until it stops.
2 · Watch
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Where it sits
Learn first
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Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.