Sound Fading with Distance · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Why Sound Fades with Distance

Science · Waves, Light & Sound · ages 8-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. True or false: a sound stays exactly as loud no matter how far away you are from it.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. As you walk farther away from a barking dog, what happens to the sound you hear?

    • It gets fainter (quieter)
    • It gets louder
    • It stays exactly the same

  3. Why does a sound get fainter the farther it travels from its source?

    • The sound waves stop and start again
    • The vibrations spread out and get weaker
    • Sound travels backwards after a while

  4. Priya claps 2 metres from you. Omar claps 20 metres from you. Whose clap sounds louder to you?

    • Priya's clap
    • Omar's clap
    • Both sound the same

  5. The bars show how loud a drum sounds when measured at 2, 6, and 12 metres away. At which distance is the drum loudest?

    2 m806 m5012 m20
    • 6 metres away
    • 12 metres away
    • 2 metres away

  6. A shout from across the playground sounds much softer than the same shout up close. What is really happening to the sound?

    • The shout changes into a different sound
    • The vibrations have spread out and weakened on the way to your ears
    • Your ears block sound from far away automatically

  7. In an investigation, a teacher claps once. Students standing 1 m away rate it 'loud', students at 5 m rate it 'medium', and students at 10 m rate it 'soft'. What does this investigation show?

    • Sound gets fainter as distance from the source increases
    • Sound gets louder the farther away you stand
    • Distance makes no difference to how loud a sound seems

  8. Leo says: 'If I stand twice as far from the speaker, the music will sound twice as loud.' What is wrong with Leo's thinking?

    • Distance never changes how loud something sounds
    • Music always sounds the same no matter the distance
    • Standing farther away makes sound fainter, not louder
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Why Sound Fades with Distance W1-mt_Pau0aqLNgp-s1

  1. False · Sound gets fainter with distance. It is loudest near the source and quieter far away.
  2. It gets fainter (quieter) · Sound fades the farther it travels from where it started.
  3. The vibrations spread out and get weaker · As vibrations spread out over a wider area, each part carries less energy, so the sound feels weaker.
  4. Priya's clap · Priya is closer, so her clap's vibrations haven't faded as much by the time they reach you.
  5. 2 metres away · The investigation shows loudness drops as distance from the drum increases, so it's loudest closest, at 2 metres.
  6. The vibrations have spread out and weakened on the way to your ears · The vibrations are the same shout, but spreading out over distance leaves less energy reaching your ears.
  7. Sound gets fainter as distance from the source increases · The ratings get softer as distance grows, showing the pattern that sound fades with distance.
  8. Standing farther away makes sound fainter, not louder · Moving farther from a sound source makes the sound quieter, not louder. Leo has it backwards.
Worksheet · LightMySky