Acoustics

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/acoustics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the human hearing range?Typically 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, though this can diminish with age
2. What is the key application?Ultrasound technology uses sound waves for medical imaging and therapeutic purposes
3. What makes a sound?Sound starts when something vibrates, like a string, a vocal cord, or a speaker diaphragm. The vibrations shake the air around them, creating waves that travel outward.
4. How fast does sound travel in air at room temperature?In air at 20°C (68°F), sound moves at about 343 meters per second. That means it can go from one side of a room to the other in a fraction of a second.

Acoustics: The scientific study of sound, encompassing its generation, propagation, perception, and effects.
Mechanical Waves: Waves that require a medium (like air, water, or solids) to propagate, such as sound waves.
Resonance: The phenomenon where an object vibrates with increased amplitude at its natural frequency when subjected to external vibrations.
Psychoacoustics: The study of how humans perceive sound and its subjective qualities.