Sound Waves Through Mediums - Weekly Blog (3/4-3/8)

How Sound Travels by Knowitall.org


Summary

Unlike electromagnetic waves, sound waves require a medium to travel through. Sound waves travel through the vibration of molecules in a medium or matter. This kind of wave can travel through solids, liquids, or gases, but the placement of molecules in each substance affects the speed of travel.

The molecules placed in a solid are very close together, almost touching. The sound waves can travel quickly through solids because the particles are very tight. This allows the sound wave to move from one molecule to another efficiently without losing energy. The molecules placed in a liquid are still close, but slightly farther than that of a solid substance. This means that when sound waves go through a liquid substance, some of the energy is used to push the particles next to each other. This happens because sound does not have the ability to travel through gaps in the molecules. The molecules are far apart in a gas. This means a lot of energy is wasted for the molecules to collide with each other. Sound waves can travel about 13 times faster in a solid than in a gas.

SP3: Planning And Carrying Out Investigations

In class, we planned and conducted investigations in order to learn more about sound waves and how they travel through different mediums. We designed and performed experiments to test our hypotheses. We proved that sound can travel through all three states of matter, solid, liquid, and gas. First, we hit an object on the table (solid.) Next, we hit an object in water (liquid.) Finally, we produced a humming sound (gas.) All three trials created a sound, thus proving the idea that sound can travel through all states of matter. This investigation helped me learn more about how sound travels through mediums.

XCC: Structure and Function

I observed a structure and function relationship between the structure of molecules in matter, and the sound waves traveling through them. The structure is the placement of the molecules. The speed in which the sound waves travel depends on how close the atoms are placed together. Thus, the function is how quickly the sound waves are able to travel through the medium. Learning about this structure and function relationship has helped me learn more about how sound is able to travel and has helped me create connections between structure and function.

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