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Teaching  Guide

Lightning

Speed of Sound

Evaluation

Lightning and the Speed of Sound:
Sound Activities

Activity #1: Sound Waves and Sonic Booms

Overview of Sound Waves

• Sound is a series of longitudinal or compression waves that move through air or other materials.
• Sound does not travel in a vacuum.
• Like any waveform, sound has the characteristics of wavelength, frequency, amplitude and speed or velocity.
• Sound waves are created by the vibration of some object, like the cone in a radio loudspeaker.
• The waves are detected when they cause a detector to vibrate.
• Sound is a mechanical vibrationSound is a regular mechanical vibration that travels through matter as a waveform. It consists of longitudinal or compression waves in matter.Travels through matter although it is commonly associated in air, sound will readily travel through many materials, such as water and steel.
• Some insulating materials absorb much of the sound waves, preventing the waves from penetrating the material.
• Because sound is the vibration of matter, it does not travel through a vacuum or in outer space.

When you see movies or TV shows about battles in outer space, you should only be able to see an explosion but not hear it. The sounds are added for dramatic effect. However, note that in outer space, there are actually some widely-spaced atoms and molecules floating around. But since they are so far apart, regular wave motion would not be great enough to detect.

In summary, sound consists of longitudinal or compression waves that move through air or other materials. It does not travel in a vacuum. Sound has the characteristics of wavelength, frequency, speed and amplitude. Sound waves are created by the vibration of some object and are detected when they cause a detector to vibrate such as your ear or a microphone.

 

What is a Sonic Boom? Click here for more information.

Now go find three pictures of a jet breaking the sound barrier.

Did I "hear" you were ready to move on to Sound Activity #2 ?

thanks to Ron Kurtus' School of Champions for scentific information about sound.