Sound
Middle school lesson plans for sound
How does changing the length of an instrument change the pitch?
How does the speed of vibration affect sound?
What do you hear when there are two sounds that have similar, but not identical, pitches?
What do sound vibrations look like?
Answers:
Activity 1: Straw Trombone
Answer: As the length of the vibrating object increases, the pitch drops.
Doubling the length of the resonator doubles the frequency, and lowers the pitch by an octave.
Activity 2: Talking Tape
Answer: The sound waves don't spread out as much before reaching your ear, when your ear is closer to the cup.
Activity 3: Beat Frequency
Answer: The volume changes when sound waves add together or cancel out. Pitches that are similar, but not quite the same, alternate once every second per Hz of difference between the two.
Activity 4: Laser Dance Party
Answer: Using full volume on the speaker vibrates the rubber glove the most, and having a large distance between the cup and the wall creates a large pattern.
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