Idea 1of 5Builds onHow oftenHow tallAcross or along
High, or loud
A note goes higher. A note goes louder. Same dial?
Today you'll discover
- which number of a sound wave makes a note higher
- which makes it louder
- the two names, and why either can change alone
Think firstOne speaker plays a note, then a higher one
The note sounds higher. Which thing about the sound wave changed?
Decide first, then press Next. Watch which bracket changes for higher, and which for louder.
A sound drawn as a wave on a rope. After a prediction, the wave is redrawn with crests closer together for a higher note, then taller for a louder one, and the two changes are named. The last step asks what changes when a drum is hit harder.
See the whole ideathe big idea and the key word, in one place
The big idea
Pitch is the frequency; loudness is the amplitude. Two dials.
Compare themTurn up the volume: taller waves, same spacing. Play a higher key: closer waves, same height. Neither one changes how fast the sound travels.
Key words
- pitch
- how high or low a note sounds; it follows the frequency
- loudness
- how loud a sound is; it follows the amplitude, the energy the wave carries
About this modelThe pattern travels; the particle only bobs. One square of the drawing is 0.5 m.
The pattern travels; the particle only bobs. One square of the drawing is 0.5 m.
Ready to use it?
- Say which of pitch and loudness changes for a described change in a sound wave.