Describing a Sound Wave

Name: Describing a Sound Wave
Author: StemPy Lab

A drum and a flute can play at the same loudness, but we never confuse them. A whistle is high and a bass drum is low. In this course we describe a sound with its wavelength, frequency and amplitude, and we use the wave equation to connect them with the speed.

3 lessons, about 1 h 5 min3 simulations10 problems6 practice questionsPython in every lesson

Created by StemPy Lab

Course outline (3 lessons)

Lesson 1about 20 min
Wavelength, frequency, amplitude and time period
A sound wave is described by its wavelength, frequency, time period and amplitude. The time period is one over the frequency, and the amplitude is the size of the pressure change.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program3 problems
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Lesson 2about 20 min
The wave equation: v = fλ
The speed of a wave is its frequency times its wavelength, $v = f\lambda$ . The medium sets the speed and the source sets the frequency, so the wavelength changes when a sound enters a new medium.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program4 problems1 Python lab
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Lesson 3about 25 min
Loudness, pitch and quality
The loudness of a sound depends on its amplitude, the pitch on its frequency, and the quality (timbre) on the mixture of frequencies, which lets us tell two instruments apart on the same note.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program3 problems1 Python lab1 question set1 note
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Test Your Learning

Frequency and Pitch: Challenge Paper

10 questions · 20 min

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Describing a Sound Wave

Course outline (3 lessons)

Wavelength, frequency, amplitude and time period

The wave equation: v = fλ

Loudness, pitch and quality

Test Your Learning

Your teacher

Discussion (0)