Vibrations & sound · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Vibrations make sound

Science · Waves, Light & Sound · ages 6-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which of these is vibrating to make a sound?

    • A plucked guitar string
    • A closed book on a shelf
    • A still rock on the ground

  2. What makes a sound happen?

    • Something staying very still
    • Something vibrating back and forth
    • Something turning a bright colour

  3. A fast back-and-forth movement is a vibration.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Why does your throat feel buzzy when you sing?

    • Your voice box is vibrating
    • Your throat is getting colder
    • Your throat is growing bigger

  5. A speaker makes a bowl cover vibrate and rice move. An adult turns the speaker off. What happens as the cover's movement fades?

    • The rice jumps more as the vibrations fade
    • The rice keeps jumping without ever settling after the cover stops
    • The rice settles as the cover becomes still

  6. Rice moves on a thin bowl cover while a speaker plays nearby. The speaker does not touch the bowl. What can this show?

    • Sound moves the rice while the cover stays still
    • Sound can make the cover vibrate without contact
    • Sound needs the speaker to touch the bowl first

  7. A speaker is off. Jo taps a bowl cover and rice on it moves. Does this show that sound from the speaker moved the rice?

    • Yes, rice can move only when sound reaches it
    • Yes, a switched-off speaker still supplies music
    • No, Jo's tap moved the cover and the rice

  8. Jax says, "Only drums vibrate to make sound." Which statement helps him check that claim?

    • Only drum skins can move back and forth
    • Guitar strings and voice boxes vibrate too
    • Drums make sounds without any movement
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Answer key

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

Vibrations make sound W1-mt_VBl1T1sFCM-s1

  1. A plucked guitar string · The guitar string moves back and forth so fast it looks blurry. That vibration is what makes the sound.
  2. Something vibrating back and forth · Sound is made when something moves back and forth fast. That fast movement is called a vibration.
  3. True · A vibration is a back-and-forth movement. Fast back-and-forth movement is one example.
  4. Your voice box is vibrating · When you sing, your voice box vibrates inside your throat, and you can feel that buzz with your fingers.
  5. The rice settles as the cover becomes still · The sound stops supplying the vibration. As the cover's remaining movement fades, the rice settles.
  6. Sound can make the cover vibrate without contact · Sound can make the cover vibrate without the speaker touching it. The moving cover moves the rice.
  7. No, Jo's tap moved the cover and the rice · The speaker is off, and Jo touches the cover. The tap explains the movement, so this observation does not show sound from the speaker moving it.
  8. Guitar strings and voice boxes vibrate too · Lots of things vibrate to make sound, like guitar strings and voice boxes, not just drums.
Worksheet · LightMySky