Year 8 Physics Lesson Plan

Module title: Sound

Lesson title: How is sound produced?
Time allocated: 1 week [1 double, 1 prep]

Learning outcomes for ALL students (“MUST” and “SHOULD”):

*Understanding how sound is produced

*Being able to explain propagation in terms of particles

*That propagation speeds depend on the material

Learning outcomes for ALL students (“COULD”):

*There is no time for looking at glasses and resonance. Leave to the spare lesson

Book References:
Physics NOW!

Experiments/Demonstrations:
*Experiment 1: Tuning forks and rulers. Half the class have one of each. They need to determine what causes the sound
and how the pitch and intensity can be changed.
*Demo 1: Slinky Spring. Demonstrates the longitudinal nature of a sound wave. You need to get 2 students two hold the
ends and then place 6 pieces of blue-tac or knots of string on consecutive loops – really see the compression/rarefactions.
*Demo 2: Wine glass: Fill half with water and rub the rim. As you tip the glass, the pitch will change and the harder you
press on the rim, the louder the sound produced will be. Students always find it hard to consider what is vibrating. Video
helps to reinforce.
*Demo 3: Massive Tuning Fork. We used to have one of these. Need to buy a new one. Vibrates vey slowly!
*Demo 4: (Optional) Plastic Snake thing. You whirl it over your head and the faster you go the higher the pitch.
*Demo 5: Speaker. Turn on side and place polystyrene balls on face of speaker. Set to loud but low frequency. Really
see the compression by the fact that the balls are periodically thrown into the air.
*Demo 6: Tuning forks and water. Vibrating tuning forks when placed into a beaker of water (without touching the beaker
as it will cause the glass to break) will betray the vibrations – spurts of water.
*Demo 8: Bell Jar. To demonstrate how alarm ringing inside bell jar becomes quiet as the air is removed. Unless good
bell jar, this doesn’t work.

Other resources:

1. Media: Purple and Brown Whistling Video

Lesson notes: (brief, relevant description of lesson where Class Practicals (CP), Class Demos (CD), Worksheets
(WS) etc can be referred to by the initials and the numbers assigned in boxes above)

Be very careful with the timings. Need to keep fast pace:

 Starter:
1. Media: Purple and Brown. Show once. Ask the question: so what CAUSES sound and what IS
sound? Repeat video. Focus on the lips - how they are moving. How might you change your own lips to
change the pitch as the little whistlers do?

Main:
1. PPT What is sound. Show animation and start to make the connection between the regions of
compression with higher pressure and how this relates to the original vibrator and also the receiving unit
e.g. speaker. Reinforce animation demo 5 (speaker) and demo 1 (slinky).
2. Make notes by using sheet: WS Vibrations generating sound waves in air. At the bottom of the sheet, do a
comparison plot of (1) pressure V distance and (2) molecular position V distance (static shot of simulation).
This will take some time.
3. Experiment 1 needs CP WS Tuning Fork. Get half the class to do 1 of the 2 experiments and then let
them explain using a volunteer from each set. Caution. They are not good at listening and recording the
info – need to write it on the board. Prove to them that tuning fork is vibrating by placing it in the
water. Ask why the ruler would not be as successful? (Less energy).
4. PPT images of other objects – quick fire questions to the class – can they identify what causes the
vibration.

Plenary:
1. How does the material change how the speed of propagation changes? Non need to write notes on
this. PPT to help discussion on how solids are best and why.
2. Demo 8. Bell Jar if time.

Language for learning, including key words, units and formulae:

Propagation

Suggested homework tasks (differentiated where appropriate):

1. Moon choir or Golfer Question Sheet.

Grade 7Waves and Sound

the bouncing off or turning back of light from a surface
a. reflection
b. refraction
c. retraction
d. imaging

Grade 7Waves and Sound

Whispering creates
a. fast vibrations
b. slow vibrations
c. no vibrations
d. loud vibrations

Grade 7Waves and Sound

A polarizing filter is designed to
a. let light in
b. increase vibrations
c. block light out
d. help you get a sun tan

Grade 7Waves and Sound

As you blow in a straw while cutting pieces off, the pitch and vibration gets
a. higher and faster
b. lower and slower

Grade 7Waves and Sound

In the 14th Century, the art of grinding lenses is
developed in Italy to make spectacles for
improved vision.

Grade 7Waves and Sound

Who developed a carbon filament that improved the quality of light and
increased the longevity of Thomas Edison's light bulb?

Grade 7Waves and Sound

The highest point of a wave is called the trough.
a. True
b. False

Grade 7Waves and Sound

The amount of time it takes consecutive wave crests or troughs to pass a
given point is called the
a. wavelength.
b. tsunami.
c. wave height.
d. wave period.
*how sound it produced *pitch and intensity, describing sound waves *the ear, the aubible range and
hearing damage *ultrasound
Lessons

Application of sound waves in technology

Parking sensor
Parking sensor systems use ultrasonic proximity detectors embedded in the front and/or rear
bumpers, to measure the distances to nearby objects at low level. The sensors measure the time
taken for each sound pulse to be reflected back to the receiver.Depending on the speed of the
vehicle and the distance to the obstacle, the system will warn the driver by visual and/or audible
means about the risk of collision. The feedback to the driver will generally indicate the direction
and proximity of the obstacle. Warnings are deactivated when the vehicle exceeds a certain
speed, and can be switched off for situations such as stop-and-go traffic.

Radiology
Radiology is medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease
visualized within the human body. Radiologists utilize an array of imaging technologies (such as x-ray
radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), nuclear medicine, positron emission tomography
(PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) to diagnose or treat diseases. Interventional radiology is
the performance of (usually minimally invasive) medical procedures with the guidance of imaging
technologies. The acquisition of medical imaging is usually carried out by the radiographer or radiologic
technologist.
Sonar
Sonar stands for SOund NAvigation Ranging. Sonar is used in navigation, forecasting weather, and for
tracking aircraft, ships, submarines, and missiles. Sonar devices work by bouncing sound waves off
objects to determine their location. A sonar unit consists of an ultrasonic transmitter and a receiver. On
boats, the receiver is mounted on the bottom of the ship. To measure water depth, for instance, the
transmitter sends out a short pulse of sound, and later, the receiver picks up the reflected sound. The water
depth is determined from the time elapsed between the emission of the ultrasonic sound and the reception
of its reflection off the sea-floor. In the diagram below, a ship sends out ultrasonic waves (green) in order
to detect schools of fish swimming beneath. The waves reflect off the fish (white), and return to the ship
where they are detected and the depth of the fish is determined.
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses electromagnetic waves— specifically radio waves — to
determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft,
ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish, or
antenna, transmits pulses of radio waves or microwaves which bounce off any object in their path. The
object returns a tiny part of the wave's energy to a dish or antenna which is usually located at the same
site as the transmitter.

When ultrasonic waves are used in medicine for diagnostic purposes, high-frequency sound pulses are
produced by a transmitter and directed into the body. As in sonar, reflections occur. They occur each time a
pulse encounters a boundary between two tissues that have different densities or a boundary between a tissue
and the adjacent fluid. By scanning ultrasonic waves across the body and detecting the echoes generated from
various internal locations, it is possible to obtain an image or sonogram of the inner anatomy. Ultrasonic
imaging is employed extensively in obstetrics to examine the developing fetus (Figure 16.34). The fetus,
surrounded by the amniotic sac, can be distinguished from other anatomical features so that fetal size, position,
and possible abnormalities can be detected.
 Figure 16.34 An ultrasonic scanner
can be used to produce an image of the
fetus as it develops in the uterus. (Left, ©
Deep Light Productions/Science Photo
Library/Photo Researchers; right, ©
Howard Sochurek)

Ultrasound is also used in other medically related areas. For instance, malignancies in the liver, kidney, brain,
and pancreas can be detected with ultrasound. Yet another application involves monitoring the real-time
movement of pulsating structures, such as heart valves (“echocardiography”) and large blood vessels.

When ultrasound is used to form images of internal anatomical features or foreign objects in the body,
the wavelength of the sound wave must be about the same size as, or smaller than, the object to be located.
Therefore, high frequencies in the range from 1 to 15 MHz (1 MHz = 1 megahertz = 1 × 106 Hz) are the norm.
For instance, the wavelength of 5-MHz ultrasound is  = v/f = 0.3 mm, if a value of 1540 m/s is used for the
speed of sound through tissue. A sound wave with a frequency higher than 5 MHz and a correspondingly
shorter wavelength is required for locating objects smaller than 0.3 mm.

Ultrasound also has applications other than imaging. Neurosurgeons use a device called
a cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA) to remove brain tumors once thought to be inoperable.
Ultrasonic sound waves cause the slender tip of the CUSA probe (see Figure 16.35) to vibrate at approximately
23 kHz. The probe shatters any section of the tumor that it touches, and the fragments are flushed out of the
brain with a saline solution. Because the tip of the probe is small, the surgeon can selectively remove small bits
of malignant tissue without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue.
 Figure 16.35 Neurosurgeons use a
cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA)
to “cut out” brain tumors without adversely
affecting the surrounding healthy tissue.

Another application of ultrasound is in a new type of bloodless surgery, which can eliminate abnormal cells,
such as those in benign hyperplasia of the prostate gland. Still in the experimental phase, this technique is
known as HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound). It is analogous to focusing the sun’s electromagnetic
waves by using a magnifying glass and producing a small region where the energy carried by the waves can
cause localized heating. Ultrasonic waves can be used in a similar fashion. The waves enter directly through
the skin and come into focus inside the body over a region that is sufficiently well defined to be surgically
useful. Within this region the energy of the waves causes localized heating, leading to a temperature of about
56 °C (normal body temperature is 37 °C), which is sufficient to kill abnormal cells. The killed cells are
eventually removed by the body’s natural processes.

The Doppler flow meter is a particularly interesting medical application of the Doppler effect. This device
measures the speed of blood flow, using transmitting and receiving elements that are placed directly on the
skin, as in Figure 16.36. The transmitter emits a continuous sound whose frequency is typically about 5 MHz.
When the sound is reflected from the red blood cells, its frequency is changed in a kind of Doppler effect
because the cells are moving. The receiving element detects the reflected sound, and an electronic counter
measures its frequency, which is Doppler-shifted relative to the transmitter frequency. From the change in
frequency the speed of the blood flow can be determined. Typically, the change in frequency is around 600 Hz
for flow speeds of about 0.1 m/s. The Doppler flow meter can be used to locate regions where blood vessels
have narrowed, since greater flow speeds occur in the narrowed regions, according to the equation of
continuity (see Section 11.8). In addition, the Doppler flow meter can be used to detect the motion of a fetal
heart as early as 8–10 weeks after conception.
 Figure 16.36 A Doppler flow meter
measures the speed of red blood cells.

Echoes

Echoes are sound waves bouncing off surfaces. Sound waves obey the same first rule of reflection.
(Remember: the angle of incidence is the same as the angle of reflection.)

The echo is usually quieter than the original noise as energy is lost as the wave travels along.

You can work out how far away something is using echo-sounds.

If it takes 20 seconds for the echo to be detected it must have taken 20 seconds for the sound to travel to the
object and back. Using:
Distance = Speed x Time

The distance can be calculated. The speed of sound is 330 m/s so the calculation becomes:

Distance = 330 m/s x 20 s = 6600 m

This is the distance there and back, so the object is half that distance away, 3300 m.

Watch out. Many students forget to halve the distance.

Shiny hard surfaces reflect sound better than soft, surfaces. Bathrooms are good rooms to sing in as the sound
bounces well off tiled walls. If you sing in the living room most of the sound energy is lost, because the energy
is absorbed by the carpet, furniture and curtains.

Ultrasound

Sound waves that have a very high frequency are called ultrasound or ultrasonic waves. These sounds are so
high that humans can't hear them. Dogs and bats have a higher hearing range than humans and can hear some
ultrasonic waves.

Ultrasonic sound waves are made by electrical devices (like a loud speaker), which change electrical signals
into sound waves.

There are many uses for ultrasound in medicine and industry. Here are some of them:

Looking at babies in the womb (pre-natal scanning):

A receiver compares the length of time it takes for the ultrasound waves to be detected. The longer the time it
takes for the wave to reach the receiver the deeper into the body the wave has gone. This information is then
used to build up a picture of the baby in the womb, which is then shown on a visual display, like a computer
screen.

Cleaning instruments: Ultrasonic waves can be used to clean delicate instruments without having to take the
equipment apart. The instrument is held in a liquid. The ultrasonic waves make the liquid particles vibrate at a
high frequency, which cleans the surfaces of the equipment.

Detecting flaws and cracks in metal: This works in the same way as scanning babies in the womb. The
ultrasonic waves bounce off different surfaces in the metal. The time it takes for the waves to bounce back to
the receiver allows us to work out the depth the wave has travelled into the metal

Echolocation : Communication of Marine Mammals, Bats, and Humans

Equivalent to sonar or radar, echolocation is

the production of sound used for
communication. Echolocation is the use of
ultra-high frequency sounds for navigation
and locating prey. Bats and marine mammals
are able to use sound to "see". It is the
returning echoes that give the animal an
"image" of some parts of its environment.

The echoes must be loud enough to return to

the animal and short enough so that the echo
of the sender returns back to the animal or
human before the next one is sent out.
Echolocation is used by mammals like
dolphins, whales and bats. Humans have also
learned this ability to interact with there environment when they are blind.
The term was created by Donald Griffin, who was the first to conclusively
demonstrate its existence in bats.
In some bats the sounds are made and sent out by their
noses but, most send different sounds through their
mouth. The sounds bounce off objects and prey in their
surroundings like insects or branches, and are picked up
by the bat's sensitive ears. Although bats have good
eyesight, they depend on the echolocation system to
navigate as well as capture their food. Bats give off
pulses at very high frequencies that are not audible to
humans, at an impressive rate of 200 pulses per second.
They can avoid obstacles no wider than a piece of
thread, identify the size of objects, and capture flying
insects using this method. There are about 800 different
species of bats that use different patterns of frequencies.
This allows scientist the ability to identify various types
of bats in dark places, such as caves.

Marine mammals also use echolocation as a means of sight. Thought to be an

"Auditory Imaging System" by different species of mammals, echolocation
involves the vocalizations by the echo locating mammal which detects the
echoes of sounds and uses them to produce 3-Dimensional information. For
example, dolphins produce sounds by squeezing air through their nasal
passages beneath the blowhole. They then focus on sounds they make with
their melon. The melon is a fat filled area on the dolphin's forehead that acts
like a lens to focus on sound waves ahead of the dolphins. The sound waves
given are then reflected off the objects and received through the dolphin's
lower jaw.
Echolocation is used to locate prey at great depths when there is very little or
no light to see. Whales use a series of clicks during their dives. The depth
increases the frequency of the clicks. As the whales approach their prey, the
clicks are so close together, they sound like a continuous buzz. The average is
approximately 390 meters between the start of the clicking to the 1st buzz.

Scientists have discovered that in the brains of the blind, the visual cortex
becomes active when another sense is used or stimulated. The substitutions
for sight are typically hearing and touch. With echolocation, blind people can
interact with the world like marine mammals and bats. Ben Underwood, a 14
year old of California, is one of the few people who use this method for his
"sight". Diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2, he lost his vision and learned to
use echolocation as his primary source of navigation. Ben makes "clicking"
sounds to communicate with people and to establish the identity of the objects
surrounding him. By interpreting the different sound waves reflected off
nearby objects, a person trained to navigate by echolocation can identify the
location and even the size of nearby objects. They use this information to
travel from place to place and steer around obstacles in their course. With
echolocation, Mr. Underwood can identify where the curbs are when he is
riding his bike around his neighborhood.
Used by many species of Bats, Marine Mammals, Rodents, and even Humans,
Echolocation is an ability that is developed to interact with the environment,
navigate, and catch prey. Echolocation is used to replace eye sight and is a
means of survival for many.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

The Greenpeace Book Of Dolphins

Dolphin Information

Diagram Information

Explanation of Echolocation In Mammals

Whale Information:

The breakdown of the Whale's brain

Seaworld's Whale Info:

Seaworld answers your questions on Echolocation

Bat Info:

Fun Facts of Bats

Bat Navigation:

How Bats Navigate In The Dark

Humans Use Echolocation:

Ben's Amazing Ability

How do marine animals use sound?

Many marine animals rely on sound for survival and depend on unique adaptations that enable
them to communicate, protect themselves, locate food, navigate underwater, and/or understand
their environment. They may both produce sounds and listen to the sounds around them.

Sounds are particularly useful for communication because they can be used to convey a great
deal of information quickly and over long distances. Changes in rate, pitch, and/or structure of
sounds communicate different messages. In particular, fishes and marine mammals use sound for
communications associated with reproduction, and territoriality. Some marine mammals also use
sound for the maintenance of group structure.
 Dolphins, such as these common dolphins (Delphinus spp.), travel in large groups, therefore, sound is important for
communication to maintain group structure. Photo courtesy of NOAA/NEFSC.

Similar to sonar systems on ships, some whales use sound to detect, localize, and characterize
objects. By emitting clicks, or short pulses of sound, these marine mammals can listen for echoes
and detect objects underwater. This is called echolocation. Some whales and dolphins use
echolocation to locate food. They send out pulsed sounds that are reflected back when they strike
a target. The analysis of the echoes helps the animals determine the size and shape of an object,
its location, whether it is moving, and how far away it is. Echolocation is an effective way to
locate prey and also helps whales and dolphins analyze their environment.

Toothed whales, such as these orcas, use sound to locate prey. Photo courtesy of NOAA/NMFS.
Many species of fish and aquatic invertebrates also use sound. Fishes produce various sounds,
including grunts, croaks, clicks, and snaps, that are used to attract mates as well as ward off
predators.

Big eye scad, a tropical fish, produce sounds using their pharyngeal teeth. These sounds are often heard when a fish is captured
and may function to ward off predators. Photo courtesy of John E. Randall.

The life history of many coral reef fishes includes a pelagic larval stage that metamorphoses to
the juvenile stage. Late stage larvae and transforming juveniles need to reach suitable reef
habitats to mature. There is some evidence that underwater reef sounds may be detected by coral
reef fish (and invertebrate) larvae guiding them to coastal areas and allowing them to identify
suitable settlement habitats[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Different coastal habitat types have been found to
produce different ambient sounds over short distances.

The larvae of some coral reef fish species like these damselfish, may use sound to locate suitable settlement areas. Image credit:
NOAA.
 Little research has been done on marine invertebrates that produce sounds. However, several
marine invertebrates, includingspiny lobsters and fiddler crabs, have been found to produce
sounds for defensive and courtship purposes. Some marine invertebrates use sound for other
purposes. The cleaner shrimp announces itself as a cleaner and advertises its services by clapping
one pair of its claws when reef fish approach.

How does sound travel in different environments?

BY DEBRA HALL AND CRYSTAL PATILLO

Provided by Kenan Fellows Program.

Sound waves need to travel through a medium such as a solid, liquid, or gas. The sound waves move
through each of these mediums by vibrating the molecules in the matter. The molecules in solids are
packed very tightly. Liquids are not packed as tightly as solids. And gases are very loosely packed. The
spacing of the molecules enables sound to travel much faster through a solid than a gas. Sound travels
about four times faster and farther in water than it does in air. This is why whales can communicate
over huge distances in the oceans. Sound waves travel about thirteen times faster in wood than air.
They also travel faster on hotter days as the molecules bump into each other more often than when it
is cold.

Learning outcomes

The students will:

 identify mediums that sounds can travel through and classify them from slowest to fastest.
 learn how whales communicate with sound through water (liquid).

Teacher planning

T IM E R E Q U IRE D

One 60-minute period

M A T E R IA L S N EE DED
 glass, plastic, and metal containers
 various metal, wood, and string musical instruments
 audio recordings of killer whales and humpback whales with corresponding sound spectrograms
See the Learn More section in the sidebar for websites with audio recordings and spectrograms. You
can use the Raven Lite software mentioned below to create sound spectrograms.
 data table worksheets
 science notebooks
 optional: suction cup and microphone

T E C H NO LOG Y RE SO U RC E S

Free Raven Lite software from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. You can use this software to record,
save, and visualize sounds as spectrograms and waveforms.

Activities

This lesson uses the 5E instructional model, which includes five phases: engage, explore, explain,
elaborate, and evaluate.

E N G AGE

Ask students if sound would travel better in solids, liquids, or gases. Have them share examples of
when they heard things through the different mediums (air, bathtub or swimming pool, ear to a wall,
etc.).
Have students demonstrate the three different states of matter and how a vibration would go
through them. Divide students into three groups and quickly model the vibration traveling through
the different states of matter. In the gas group, students stand far apart and it is difficult to pass,
wiggle, or push along. In the liquid group, students stand close together but not super tight and it is
easier. In the solids group, students are packed tightly and the vibration easily goes through all the
molecule-kids.

E X PL O RE
Have students test how sound travels through solids. Students will work in pairs at their seats. One
student will tap lightly on his/her desk and the second student will record what they hear through the
air. The same person will tap lightly again while the second person lays his or her ear on the desk. The
students should compare the sounds and record what they hear through the solid. Have the students
try the experiment one last time, tapping louder, and, again, recording the results. Use a data table
similar to the one below.
Example

Activity Sound Observations

Light taps heard through air (gas)

Light taps heard through table (solid)

Heavy taps heard through air (gas)

Heavy taps heard through table (solid)

Allow students to explore how sound travels through glass, plastic, and metal containers. After
students have experimented for awhile, let them transition from these normal, everyday objects to
musical instruments. The class will explore instruments of various mediums such as metal, wood, and
string. Metallaphones, vibraslaps, cow bells, melody bells, and glockenspiels can be used to explore
rapid, metallic vibrations. Various drums can be used to explore vibrations in wood instruments.
Autoharp, guitar, or piano can be used to explore the vibrations of strings. By using these musical
instruments to determine the tempo (speed) of the vibrations, students will discover which medium
allows sound to travel the loudest and farthest.

E X PL A IN

Discuss how sound was much louder through the table than through the air. Ask students how they
think sound would travel in a liquid. Accept reasonable responses.

E L A BO R A TE

Have students listen to sounds of killer whales and humpback whales. Discuss the whales’ habitat.
Students should make some observations about the whale sounds related to pitch, duration, and
volume. Replay the recordings so that students have time to represent the sounds pictorially in their
science notebooks. After they have created their own representations, show the students spectrograms
of the whale songs.
Students will express that how loud something is depends on how much energy went in to
creating the sound. Loud sounds have large amplitudes and carry a lot of energy. Small sounds carry
less energy. Engage students in a game of echo singing. The game may consist of words, sounds, or
syllables. After echo singing a given pattern, students will take turns creating an improvisation of the
pattern. Play the game together as a class. Then break into smaller groups of four to allow each
student the opportunity to improvise and change the pattern of song like whales do.

E V A L U A TE

Students should be evaluated based on teacher observation, participation, data table worksheets, and
science notebook entries.

E X TE N D

Using a suction cup, attach a microphone to the metal, glass, and plastic containers. Strike the object
in some way and record the sound with the microphone. Use these recordings to create sound
spectrograms in Raven Lite to allow students the opportunity to compare what they hear with what
they see. If a microphone is unavailable a stethoscope may be substituted for listening.
 Express how sound can be heard without ears. Profile deaf percussionist, Evelyn Glennie, who
plays barefoot in order to feel the vibrations. You can see a video of her performing with the Sesame
Street Grouchketeers on YouTube.
Research what different cultures used to make instruments. For example, the Inuit from the
Arctic used whale bones.

Critical vocabulary

solid

is a certain size and shape

liquid

can flow, be poured, and spilled

gas

matter that has no shape or size of its own

vibrations

mechanical oscillations about an equilibrium point

pitch

the highness or lowness of a tone, as determined by the frequency of vibrations per second

duration

amount of time or a particular time interval

tempo

the speed of music

sound wave

audible acoustic waves

 North Carolina Essential Standards
O MUSIC EDUCATION (201 0)
 Grade 5
 5.CR.1 Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st
century connections with music. 5.CR.1.1 Understand how
music has affected, and is reflected in, the culture,
traditions, and history of the United States. 5.CR.1.2
Understand the relationships between...
 Grade 6
 6.CR.1 Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st
century connections with music. 6.CR.1.1 Understand
music in relationship to the geography, history, and
culture of world civilizations and societies from the
beginning of human society to the emergence...
 SCIENCE (2010)
 6.P.1 Understand the properties of waves and the wavelike property of

energy in earthquakes, light and sound waves. 6.P.1.1 Compare the

properties of waves to the wavelike property of energy in earthquakes,

light and sound. 6.P.1.2 Explain the relationship...

North Carolina curriculum alignment

MU SIC E D U C A T IO N ( 2 001 )

Grade 4

 Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between

music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.

o Objective 8.01: Identify similarities and

differences in the meanings of common
terms used in dance, music, theatre arts,
and visual arts including line, color,
 texture, form/shape, rhythm, pattern,
mood/emotion, theme, and purpose.
o Objective 8.02: Identify ways in which the
principles and subject matter of other
content areas taught in the school are
related to those of music.
Grade 5

 Goal 8: The learner will understand relationships between

music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts.

o Objective 8.01: Identify similarities and

differences in the meanings of common
terms used in dance, music, theatre arts,
and visual arts including line, color,
texture, form/shape, rhythm, pattern,
mood/emotion, theme, and purpose.
o Objective 8.02: Identify ways in which the
principles and subject matter of other
content areas taught in the school are
related to those of music.

 Next: What sounds do whales use to communicate?

National Standards

In addition to meeting objectives of the North Carolina Standard Course of

Study, this lesson plan addresses the following national standards.

C O N TE N T ST A N D ARD A : A B IL IT IE S
N E C E SSA RY TO DO SC IE N T IF IC IN Q U IR Y

 Understanding about scientific inquiry.

 Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
 C O N T E N T ST A N D A RD B : P H Y SIC A L SC IE N C E

 Position and motion of objects

 Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The pitch of the sound can be

varied by changing the rate of vibration.

C O N TE N T ST A N D ARD C : L IF E SC IE N C E

 The characteristics of organisms

 Organisms and their environments

C O N TE N T ST A N D ARD E : SC IE N C E A N D
T E C H NO LOG Y

 Abilities of technological design

 Understanding about science and technology

Contents: BioMusic

SECTION 2: FOURTH AND FIFTH GRADE LESSONS

 Next: What sounds do whales use to communicate?

 Previous: How does an animal's environment affect the frequency

of its sound?

1. Essential questions

1. 1Second and third grade lessons

2. 2Fourth and fifth grade lessons

1. 2.1Where is sound in our environment?

2. 2.2How can we represent sounds that are in the
environment?
3. 2.3How do animals create sound to communicate?
4. 2.4How can we view and distinguish sounds?
5. 2.5How sound is like a wave: Investigating animal
echolocation
6. 2.6How does an animal's environment affect the
frequency of its sound?
7. 2.7How does sound travel in different environments?
8. 2.8What sounds do whales use to communicate?
9. 2.9What are the reasons animals use sounds?
10. 2.10How is dolphin communication similar to human
communication?
11. 2.11What are some careers in biomusicology?
(Image source. More about the photograph)
 Learn more

 Macaulay Library Try searching for whale recordings here. In this

online archive of animal sounds and video, you can search for a particular

animal or browse through categories including birds, amphibians,

arthropods, fish, mammals, and reptiles.

 Whale song This Wikipedia article is a good starting point for

collecting information about whale song and communication for this

lesson plan. Although this article does not have complete citations, it

contains several recordings and spectrograms.

 Raven: Interactive Sound Analysis Software Raven Lite is a free

software program that lets users record, save, and visualize sounds as

spectrograms and waveforms. Raven Lite is intended for students,

educators, and hobbyists, and can be used for learning about sounds, as an
aid in birdsong recognition, and in musical instruction.

RELATED TOPICS

 Search LEARN NC for more resources

on biology, music, science, sound, and whales.

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Credits

By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.

Provided by Kenan Fellows Program.

The text of this page is copyright ©2009. All Rights Reserved. Images and

other media may be licensed separately; see captions for more

information and read the fine print.

Sound is a form of energy which trans-locates through matter.

This matter includes air, water and solid matter.

Without matter there is no sound propagation. This sound has energy and is directly
dependent on it.

To produce a sound one needs energy and but is not a viable form like photons of light.

This sound propagates in the form of waves through air.

These waves have frequency and wavelength as measurable parameters.

The sound quality largely varies due to these two parameters.

For humans and animals this sound is useful in one or other way and has great importance.

IMPORTANCE OF SOUND HUMAN LIFE

1. For communication: Sound is the only main form of communication for animals while it is
the key for humans communicate with spoken languages besides body languages.
Animals communicate in their own language of sounds by moan, cry, weep etc.

Without sound, voice would have been difficult to be emitted out.

For humans, this voice communication expands to telephonic (distant communication)

means by using mobiles and phones.

The communication is understood by ears through hearing, auditory words, expressive tone
etc. One can express feeling just by sound variation even.

2. Signalling system: Sound is the signalling system used for trains, automobiles, river flows
(Dam water release), industry sirens.
Sound as a signalling system is used as horns, sirens, calling bells, beeps etc. Sound signal
system is one of the least expensive ones. Further it is less harmful to the environment
around. But excess and frequent use can cause sound pollution.

Further alarm system uses sound. Hence a mobile ringing, alarms, message alerts use
sound as alerting means.
3. Echo system: Echo is a reflection of sound arriving back to the point of emission. We can
notice echo when we make a notice in an empty building or well or even boot sounds of
army march. Echo is a type of sound resonance. It is very much useful in music.
4. For music: Music is the art which relies solely on sound. Without sound there is no music
from music systems. Music communicates message, soothes the mind and also helps
relieve stress.
Music is a sound in a controlled and fine tuned manner. Music relies a lot on frequency and
pitch of the voice.

For instruments the factors like the frequency, intensity and also the resonance of the sound
matter. Hence you can notice for instruments like violin, guitar there is a big hallow at the
end. This hallow creates resonance of sound making the music further distinct to the
instrument.

This is music is now a day recorded for future use by sound reproduction systems.

5. For finding the depth/ distant objects: This you might have come across in physics. Sound
waves are one of the few means available to measure the depth of the seas and also the
deep holes in the earth. Also other objects at a long distance can be found
by SONAR waves i.e SOUND NAVIGATION AND RANGING. The sound is allowed to travel
through the sea or ocean bed and return back. This time taken by particular frequency of
sound to reach the sea bed and return back to the source or absorber (receiver of sound) is
used to calculate the depth of the sea.
Similarly a moving object can send sound waves in the direction of its motion and know if
any there are any objects moving in at long distances.

6. For degassing of liquids: Liquids like water and solvents used in analysis have air
and other gases entrapped inside them. This air has to be removed for proper flow through
minute pores in the matter. This is particularly required for chromatography experiments.
The procedure to remove gas from the solvent is called degassing of solvents. This is
essential for proper analysis of compounds using HPLC (high performance liquid
chromatography) or else it can slow down the pressure in the column and hinder analysis.
7. For de-granulation of solid particles: Large solid particle in a suspension or tissues fraction
can be broken down by grinding. But very small particles like less than 1mm or so cannot
be broken down further using grinders. Then they can be broken down by use of ultrasonic
sound waves. These waves are thought to create vigorous crests and troughs in the liquid
media. These crests and troughs bring about splitting of particles to smaller ones.
8. Telephone communication: Telephone is one of the best discoveries ever made by man.
The telephone machine receives sound waves from the person at mouth piece. The sound
waves cause vibration in carbon particles in it. Thus the electric signal is generated based on
the pitch and frequency of voice and is communicated. Here the sound from the voice
exerts pressure on the diaphragm in the mouth piece.
This is the procedure followed to break suspension to nano particle size for better use. The
apparatus used for this purpose is called sonicator.
9. In sterilization: Ultra sound is also tried in sterilization. This is done to inhibit growth of
microbes and even kill them.
Sonication disrupts the cell wall of bacteria and kill them. But they are not highly lethal but
are used in combination with disinfectants for synergistic effect.
10. To enhance cell growth: Sonication is also found to be effective in tissue culture. Some
findings suggest that use of sonication selectively enhances the growth of cells & tissues.
Also it is found to facilitate gene transfer during tissue culture & in biotechnology. refer.