Learning Paths
Each learning path is one chapter: a guided route through a topic, one small course at a time. Pick a class to see its chapters in order.
Chapter 5
Sound Waves and Hearing, Wave Motion
You hear a drum from far away, and you see the lightning before you hear the thunder. How does a sound reach your ear? In this chapter we find out what sound is, why it needs air or some other material to travel, and how fast it goes. Then we describe a sound by its frequency and amplitude, and we learn why a sound can be loud or soft, and high or low. We end with echoes, the human ear and the uses of ultrasound. Python helps us with the calculations.
3 courses
Chapter 14
Wave Motion, Superposition and Standing Waves, Sound Waves and Hearing
A ripple on a pond, a note on a guitar, a voice across a room. All of them are waves. In this chapter you learn how fast a wave goes and what happens when two waves meet. You learn why a string or a pipe can play only certain notes. You also do an experiment with a tuning fork and a tube of air to measure the speed of sound. Python draws the waves for you.
1 course