Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.11.3
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________
Term 1 Class 6

Sound waves can travel in a gas, a liquid, or a solid because they all contain particles. When an object
vibrates, it makes the particles next to it in the gas, liquid or solid vibrate too. For example, when an object
vibrates in air it pushes on the air particles around it.
As the vibrating object moves towards the air particles it squashes them together. The particles themselves
are not compressed, they just come closer together.
As the object moves away from the air particles next to it, it gives the particles more space, so they spread
out. This movement of air particles from a vibrating object can be modelled by using a long spring, as shown
in the figure given below one end is held firmly by the hand on the right and the other end is pushed and
pulled by the hand on the left.

Sound and particle model of matter

The movement of sound through the air can be explained using the particle model of
matter. Figure 13.6 shows how the side of a vibrating object pushes on the air around
it. Figure 13.7 shows that the particles move apart when the side of the vibrating
object moves
away from
them, but you
can also see
that the
particles have
pushed
together a
little further
away.
If we could see the air particles at a greater distance from the vibrating object, we should see the particles
squashing together and spreading out and making a wave of sound as shown in figure 13.8

Sound waves are generated and travel in liquids and

solids in the same way as they do in gases. The particles
in liquids and solids are held close together by forces of
attraction. In a liquid, however, the particles are further
apart than in a solid and can move around one another.
Sound travels very well through a liquid. It moves faster
and further than it does in a gas. The humpback whale
emits a series of sounds, called songs, which travel
Figure 1 These whales communicate by sound waves.
thousands of kilometres through the ocean. It uses its
songs to communicate with other whales.
Term 1 Class 6
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.12.4
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________
Reflection of sound
When light strikes a shiny surface, it is reflected. You may even see an image of yourself reflected on a
surface. You can find what happens when sound strikes a surface through the following simple
experiment.

Scientists like to check their discoveries by performing different investigations. The simple investigation
using the ears to detect the reflection of sound can be developed into a second investigation using a
sound detection meter which measures the energy in a sound wave. A cell phone can be converted into a
sound meter by downloading a decibel meter app. A decibel is a measure of sound energy and its symbol
is dB.
Term 1 Class 6
Term 1 Class 6

If you want to catch someone's attention in the

distance, you may shout at them. If they do not
hear, you might cup your hands and shout again.
This time they may hear you. If someone whispers
to you in class, you might cup your hand around
your ear to hear better.
Recording bird-song
Scientists use the reflection of sound to help them
record bird-song. To do this, they use a parabolic
reflector. Sound from the singing bird strikes the
inside of the reflector and, because of its curved shape, the reflected sound- waves are directed to a point
in front of the reflector where the sound appears to be amplified. A microphone is placed at that point to
record the bird-song.
Echoes
The human ear can only hear two sounds
separately if they reach the ear more than
one-tenth of a second apart. If they arrive in
a shorter time than this you may hear a
reverberation but, in certain circumstances,
if they arrive more than one-tenth of a
second apart you may hear an echo.
Sound travels at about 340 metres per
second, or 34 metres in one-tenth of a
second. To make a sound that produces an
echo, you need it to travel at least 34
metres from you and back again.
A crash of thunder, called a thunderclap, is
made when a streak of lightning flashes
through the air. The heat of the lightning
makes the air expand so fast that it makes
the noise. During a thunderstorm, you sometimes hear a few claps of thunder close together. This is
called a roll of thunder and is caused by the sound of one thunderclap being reflected off the clouds.
making a multiple echo.

Bats and dolphins also use

echolocation to find their
prey. Both types of
animals send out
ultrasounds which reflect
off their prey and return
to the animals’ ears. In a
bat, the brain compares
the ultrasounds released
with those that return (the
echo) and uses them to
swoop down on an insect such as a moth. A dolphin compares the ultrasounds released and echoed back
to find shoals of fish.
Term 1 Class 6

Science in Context:
 Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.10.1
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________

Complete the table given below about energy stores.

Energy Store Description Examples

Potential

Kinetic The energy of a moving object. Runners, buses, comets.

Gravitational
potential

Elastic potential

Chemical

Sound

Electrical

Internal/ Thermal

Nuclear fusion
 Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.10.1.a
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________

Q1. Look at the picture below and answer the question that follows.

a. Which type of energy will be maximum and which

will be minimum at point A?
_________________________________________
b. Which type of energy will be maximum and which
will be minimum at point B?
_________________________________________
c. ______________ energy is transferred into
______________ energy when the swing moves.
Transfer diagrams
In transfer diagrams, the boxes show the energy stores and the arrows show the energy transfers.
For example, a transfer diagram for a child at the top of a slide may be:
Energy transfer diagram of a child on a slide.

Gravitational energy stored in the child at the top of the slide is transferred as mechanical work is done to
speed up and to do work against friction. The result of this is a shift of energy from gravitational potential
energy to kinetic energy and internal energy (raising the temperature of the child and the slide).
 Term 1 Class 6

Q2. Fill in the blanks on this picture about the energy transfer.

Make an energy transfer diagram for the boat shown above.

Q3. Draw a storyboard to show three stages of a parachute jump:

1 – about to jump out of the plane
2 – out of the plane on the way down
3 – Safely (or otherwise) on the floor
Describe what is happening to the GPE and kinetic energy at each stage. (high/low/increasing/decreasing etc.)

Use the following equation to calculate how much energy is stored in the gravitational potential
energy store:

Energy in the gravitational potential energy store (Ep) = mass (m) x gravitational field
strength (g) x height (h)

𝐸𝑝=𝑚×𝑔×ℎ

The unit of measurement for energy in the gravitational potential energy store is the joule (J).

On Earth, the gravitational field strength (g) is 9.8 N/kg.

 Term 1 Class 6

Q4. A diving platform is 10 m above the ground. When an 80 kg diver climbs to the top of the
platform, how much is the increase in energy in their gravitational potential energy store?

Q5. Choose the best answer.

a. What is the unit of energy?

i. Joule
ii. Watt
iii. Kilogram
iv. Newton
b. A book on a high shelf has energy in its ______________ energy store
i. Kinetic
ii. Elastic potential
iii. Gravitational potential
iv. Thermal
c. On a playground slide, which position has the most energy stored in the gravitational potential energy store?
i. Half way down
ii. At the top
iii. It’s the same everywhere
iv. At the bottom
d. If a ball is thrown up in the air, what transfer takes place?
i. Kinetic energy to gravitational potential energy
ii. Kinetic energy to thermal energy
iii. Gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy

e. What is the gravitational potential energy (GPE) of a 0.5 kg book at the top of a 2 m book shelf on Earth
(g=10N/kg)?

i. 1J
ii. 100 J
iii. 10 J
iv. 12.5 J
 Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.10.1.b
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________

Q1.a. List all the ways that energy is stored in

the picture.
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
b. Explain how energy is transferred from the
child to the slide.
______________________________________
______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Q2. A battery-powered motor is used to lift a small mass off the ground. An energy transfer diagram for the
system is shown below.
Term 1 Class 6

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
6. A pogo stick uses elastic potential energy to send its rider up into the air. Explain how a pogo stick
works.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.10.1.c
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________
Q18. Shahzaib investigates the energy stored in an elastic band.
Here is the method.
Shahzaib:
 stretches the elastic band to a length of 10 cm
 let’s go of the elastic band
 measures the distance the elastic band travels
 repeats this experiment two more times.

Shahzaib then measures the distance travelled when the elastic band is stretched to different
lengths.
He stretched the elastic band to lengths of 12 cm, 14cm and 16 cm.
Look at the results.

a. Energy is stored in the stretched elastic band.

There is an energy change when Shahzaib lets go of the elastic band. Complete the diagram to
suggest the types of energy released.
stored energy-> __________________ +______________________
b. One of the results is anomalous. Circle on the table which one is anomalous.
______________________________________________________________________________
c. Calculate the average distance travelled by the elastic band.
d. What conclusion can you draw from the above experiment?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
e. How could you do this experiment differently?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.11.3
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________
Q1. Omer and Pervaiz are using a Slinky (spring) to model a sound wave. Pervaiz attaches the other end of the
Slinky to a piece of card. Omer moves one end of the Slinky backward and forward.

Omer’s

plastic
Omer’s

a. What does Omer’s moving hand model (represent) in the above diagram? [1]
_____________________________________________________________________________
b. The Slinky models the movement of air particles in a sound wave.
What is happening to the particles at regions ‘X’ and ‘Y’?
_____________________________________________________________________________
c. What are the strengths and limitations of using the spring as a model to show how air particles
pass a sound wave through the air?
Strength: ____________________________________________________________________
Limitation: ___________________________________________________________________

Q2. Sound travels through different mediums. Look at the bar chart it shows the speed of sound
through different materials.
Term 1 Class 6

a. Suggest why sound travels quicker through glass than through air.

________________________________________________________________________________
b. Predict the speed of sound through water. Explain the basis on which you made this prediction.
_____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
c. How do snakes detect sound?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Handout Number: Science 1.11.3.a
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________
Q1. The properties of sound can be explained using diagrams.

a. Complete the sentences by choosing words from the word bank.

water air squashing together [3] spreading out

i. The dots on the diagram represents________________ particles.

ii. In area A the dots are __________________
iii. In area B the dots are ___________________
b. Does sound propagate at the same speed and manner in liquids?
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Term 1 Class 6

Q2
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Worksheet Number: Science 1.12.4
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________

Echoes
All waves can be ___________________ at the boundary between two materials. This means that,
at the change in material, the wave ___________________ back towards the place it came from.
When a sound wave is reflected, it produces an ___________________. An echo is heard
separately from the original sound produced by the sound source. Echoes usually occur
___________________, when sounds that have travelled across large, empty areas are reflected
from a ___________________, hard surface, such as a cliff face.

For example, if you shout across an ___________________ playground towards the school
building, the sound waves you produce are reflected back towards you from the wall of the school.
You can hear the echo of your shout as a ___________________ sound from the shout itself.

The substance or material a wave travels through is called a ___________________. Where two
different mediums meet, a ___________________ is created. When a sound wave reaches a
boundary, it can be reflected. In the example above, the medium changes from
___________________to the solid wall of the school. Reflection occurs when the sound waves hit
the wall. The wave heading towards the boundary is known as the ___________________ wave.
The wave which travels back towards the sound ___________________ is called the reflected
wave.
Term 1 Class 6

The City School

Worksheet Number: Science 1.12.4.a
Topic: Sound and Energy
Name: ___________________ Class: ___________

Q1. Sound can be reflected in the same way as light.

a. Safia and Yayha investigate the relationship between the angle of incidence, x, and the angle of
reflection, y.

They use the apparatus in the diagram.

Yayha
 puts the ticking clock next to tube A
 puts the sound meter next to tube B
 uses the same value for angle x
 uses different values of angle y
Safia writes down the sound level shown on the
sound meter.
Complete the table about variables.

b. What do we call the reflection of sound?

__________________________________________________________________________________
Term 1 Class 6

Q2. Two students Maya and Meer investigate the speed of sound.

Meer makes a loud sound by banging two blocks of wood together at once. A short time later, both
students heard the sound reflected from the wall.
a. State the term used for reflection of sound.

___________________________________________________________________________________
b. Which instrument can be used to measure the energy in the sound wave?

___________________________________________________________________________________
c. Which units will they use to measure the sound energy?

___________________________________________________________________________________
d. State two animals that use the reflection of sound.

___________________________________________________________________________________