Sound Flashcards
(26 cards)
What is a wave?
A wave is a vibration that transfers energy.
Matter is not transferred.
What are the two types of waves?
Longitudinal and transverse waves.
Longitudinal waves have oscillations parallel to energy transfer, while transverse waves have oscillations perpendicular to energy transfer.
Define amplitude.
Distance from the middle to the top or bottom of the wave.
What is wavelength?
Distance between a point on the wave to the same point on the next wave.
What is the trough of a wave?
The bottom of the wave.
What is the peak of a wave?
The top of the wave.
Define frequency.
How many waves go past a particular point in a second, measured in hertz (Hz) or kilohertz (kHz).
What happens when waves meet?
They superpose, meaning they can add up or cancel out depending on their alignment.
What type of wave is sound?
Sound is a longitudinal wave.
In which medium does sound travel fastest?
In solids (e.g., steel = 5000 m/s).
What is the speed of sound in air?
Approximately 340 m/s.
What is an incident wave?
The wave hitting a surface.
What is a reflected wave?
The wave bouncing off a surface.
What is an echo?
A reflected sound wave that is heard.
What is ultrasound?
Waves with frequencies greater than 20 kHz.
What is the range of human hearing?
20 Hz to 20 kHz.
What is the decibel scale used for?
Measuring sound volume.
What is the function of the pinna?
Directs sound into the auditory canal.
What does the eardrum do?
Vibrates and passes vibrations to the ossicles.
What are ossicles?
Tiny bones that amplify sound.
What is the cochlea filled with?
Thousands of tiny hairs and liquid.
How does the cochlea send signals to the brain?
Sound makes the hairs move, sending an electrical signal.
What is the role of the semi-circular canals?
Helps you keep your balance.
Name a cause of hearing damage.
A hole in the ear drum, canal blocked with wax, or loud sounds causing damage to cochlea hairs.
