Sound Energy — Reading Comprehension

Have you ever wondered what makes a sound? When you pluck a guitar string, it makes a sound. When you speak, your vocal cords make a sound. When a drum is hit, it makes a sound. In all of these cases, something is moving back and forth very quickly. This fast, back-and-forth movement is called a vibration. Everything that makes a sound is vibrating!

Sound is a special kind of energy. 

Energy is the ability to do work or cause change. Sound energy is caused by these vibrations. When an object vibrates, it pushes on the air around it. This push creates a wave that travels through the air to your ears. You can think of a sound wave like the ripples that spread out when you drop a pebble into a pond. The wave carries the sound energy from the vibrating object to your ear.

Sound can travel through many different things, not just air. It can also travel through liquids, like water, and solids, like a wall or a desk. Sound travels at different speeds through these materials. In fact, sound travels fastest through solids and slowest through gases like the air.

Fun Fact: A cricket's chirping sound is made by rubbing its wings together! The faster the wings rub, the higher the pitch of the sound.

What is the name for a quick, back-and-forth movement?

What is the name for the ability to do work or cause change?

What do all objects that make a sound have in common?

If a sound is very quiet, what can you infer about its vibration?

A sound can travel through which of these materials?

Your friend whispers in your ear. To make the sound louder, what must happen?

Imagine you are underwater. If you tap two rocks together, the sound would travel to your ear...

You see a drummer hit a drum, but you are too far away to hear it. What is the most likely reason for this?