ScienceAges 7-9

Sound, pitch & vibrations

Explore how vibrations produce sound waves, how pitch and volume change, and how sound travels through media. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

New variation Try interactive challenge Browse templates

Age band:Ages 4-6 Ages 7-9

Choose “Save as PDF” to keep a copy. Use your browser’s paper setting for A4 or Letter.

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 7-9

Sound, pitch & vibrations

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. When a guitarist tightens a guitar string to increase its tension, what happens to the pitch of the note: the pitch becomes higher, or the string stops vibrating?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
2. If you gently touch a ringing tuning fork against the surface of a bowl of water, why does the water splash: the tuning fork is vibrating rapidly, or the tuning fork is hot?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
3. What unit is used in science to measure the frequency of a sound wave (the number of vibrations per second): hertz (Hz) or newtons (N)?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
4. If you hit a drum harder so the drum skin vibrates with a larger amplitude, what happens to the sound: the sound gets louder (higher volume), or the pitch changes into a flute?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
5. What do we call high-frequency sound waves above 20,000 Hz that humans cannot hear, used by dolphins, bats and medical scanners: ultrasound or infrared?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
6. What word describes how high or low a musical note sounds (such as a high whistle vs a low bass drum): pitch or volume?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
7. When you blow across the top of two identical glass bottles—one nearly full of water and one nearly empty—which bottle produces the higher-pitched note: the bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter), or the empty bottle?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
8. How do bats and dolphins use echolocation (sonar) to find prey in the dark or deep water: they emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back, or they use magnets?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
9. Why are cinema walls and recording studios lined with soft foam, curtains and carpets: soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes, or soft foam makes sounds louder?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
10. When you pluck a stretched rubber band or guitar string, what do you see and hear: the string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound, or the string turns into liquid?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
11. Why do ramp workers near jet engines and operators of loud machinery wear ear defenders (earmuffs): very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea), or to keep their ears warm?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
12. Can sound travel through empty outer space (a vacuum where there are no particles): No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate, or Yes, faster than light?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)

12 questions · Seed 47 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 7-9

Sound, pitch & vibrations

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. When a guitarist tightens a guitar string to increase its tension, what happens to the pitch of the note: the pitch becomes higher, or the string stops vibrating?
The pitch becomes higher
A tighter string vibrates faster when plucked, raising the pitch.
2. If you gently touch a ringing tuning fork against the surface of a bowl of water, why does the water splash: the tuning fork is vibrating rapidly, or the tuning fork is hot?
The tuning fork is vibrating rapidly
The mechanical vibrations of the prongs transfer energy to the water, creating ripples and splashes.
3. What unit is used in science to measure the frequency of a sound wave (the number of vibrations per second): hertz (Hz) or newtons (N)?
Hertz (Hz)
1 hertz (1 Hz) equals 1 complete vibration (cycle) per second.
4. If you hit a drum harder so the drum skin vibrates with a larger amplitude, what happens to the sound: the sound gets louder (higher volume), or the pitch changes into a flute?
The sound gets louder (higher volume)
Larger amplitude vibrations carry more energy and produce a louder sound.
5. What do we call high-frequency sound waves above 20,000 Hz that humans cannot hear, used by dolphins, bats and medical scanners: ultrasound or infrared?
Ultrasound
Ultrasound has a frequency above the upper limit of human hearing (> 20 kHz).
6. What word describes how high or low a musical note sounds (such as a high whistle vs a low bass drum): pitch or volume?
Pitch
Pitch is how high or low a sound is and depends on the frequency of vibration.
7. When you blow across the top of two identical glass bottles—one nearly full of water and one nearly empty—which bottle produces the higher-pitched note: the bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter), or the empty bottle?
The bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter)
When blowing across the top, the air column inside vibrates; a shorter column of air vibrates faster and makes a higher pitch.
8. How do bats and dolphins use echolocation (sonar) to find prey in the dark or deep water: they emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back, or they use magnets?
They emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back
The time delay and direction of returning echoes reveal the distance and location of objects.
9. Why are cinema walls and recording studios lined with soft foam, curtains and carpets: soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes, or soft foam makes sounds louder?
Soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes
Soft materials trap air and convert sound energy into tiny amounts of heat, reducing reverberation.
10. When you pluck a stretched rubber band or guitar string, what do you see and hear: the string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound, or the string turns into liquid?
The string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound
Stopping the vibration of the string immediately stops the sound.
11. Why do ramp workers near jet engines and operators of loud machinery wear ear defenders (earmuffs): very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea), or to keep their ears warm?
Very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea)
Padded ear defenders absorb sound energy and reduce the decibel level reaching the eardrum.
12. Can sound travel through empty outer space (a vacuum where there are no particles): No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate, or Yes, faster than light?
No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate
Unlike light, sound is a mechanical wave and cannot travel through a vacuum.

12 questions · Seed 47 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 7-9

Sound, pitch & vibrations

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. When a guitarist tightens a guitar string to increase its tension, what happens to the pitch of the note: the pitch becomes higher, or the string stops vibrating?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
2. If you gently touch a ringing tuning fork against the surface of a bowl of water, why does the water splash: the tuning fork is vibrating rapidly, or the tuning fork is hot?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
3. What unit is used in science to measure the frequency of a sound wave (the number of vibrations per second): hertz (Hz) or newtons (N)?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
4. If you hit a drum harder so the drum skin vibrates with a larger amplitude, what happens to the sound: the sound gets louder (higher volume), or the pitch changes into a flute?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
5. What do we call high-frequency sound waves above 20,000 Hz that humans cannot hear, used by dolphins, bats and medical scanners: ultrasound or infrared?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
6. What word describes how high or low a musical note sounds (such as a high whistle vs a low bass drum): pitch or volume?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
7. When you blow across the top of two identical glass bottles—one nearly full of water and one nearly empty—which bottle produces the higher-pitched note: the bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter), or the empty bottle?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
8. How do bats and dolphins use echolocation (sonar) to find prey in the dark or deep water: they emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back, or they use magnets?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
9. Why are cinema walls and recording studios lined with soft foam, curtains and carpets: soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes, or soft foam makes sounds louder?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
10. When you pluck a stretched rubber band or guitar string, what do you see and hear: the string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound, or the string turns into liquid?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
11. Why do ramp workers near jet engines and operators of loud machinery wear ear defenders (earmuffs): very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea), or to keep their ears warm?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)
12. Can sound travel through empty outer space (a vacuum where there are no particles): No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate, or Yes, faster than light?
Amplitude (Loudness) · Frequency (Pitch)

12 questions · Seed 47 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 7-9

Sound, pitch & vibrations

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. When a guitarist tightens a guitar string to increase its tension, what happens to the pitch of the note: the pitch becomes higher, or the string stops vibrating?
The pitch becomes higher
A tighter string vibrates faster when plucked, raising the pitch.
2. If you gently touch a ringing tuning fork against the surface of a bowl of water, why does the water splash: the tuning fork is vibrating rapidly, or the tuning fork is hot?
The tuning fork is vibrating rapidly
The mechanical vibrations of the prongs transfer energy to the water, creating ripples and splashes.
3. What unit is used in science to measure the frequency of a sound wave (the number of vibrations per second): hertz (Hz) or newtons (N)?
Hertz (Hz)
1 hertz (1 Hz) equals 1 complete vibration (cycle) per second.
4. If you hit a drum harder so the drum skin vibrates with a larger amplitude, what happens to the sound: the sound gets louder (higher volume), or the pitch changes into a flute?
The sound gets louder (higher volume)
Larger amplitude vibrations carry more energy and produce a louder sound.
5. What do we call high-frequency sound waves above 20,000 Hz that humans cannot hear, used by dolphins, bats and medical scanners: ultrasound or infrared?
Ultrasound
Ultrasound has a frequency above the upper limit of human hearing (> 20 kHz).
6. What word describes how high or low a musical note sounds (such as a high whistle vs a low bass drum): pitch or volume?
Pitch
Pitch is how high or low a sound is and depends on the frequency of vibration.
7. When you blow across the top of two identical glass bottles—one nearly full of water and one nearly empty—which bottle produces the higher-pitched note: the bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter), or the empty bottle?
The bottle with more water (because the vibrating air column is shorter)
When blowing across the top, the air column inside vibrates; a shorter column of air vibrates faster and makes a higher pitch.
8. How do bats and dolphins use echolocation (sonar) to find prey in the dark or deep water: they emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back, or they use magnets?
They emit high-pitched clicks and time how long the echoes take to bounce back
The time delay and direction of returning echoes reveal the distance and location of objects.
9. Why are cinema walls and recording studios lined with soft foam, curtains and carpets: soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes, or soft foam makes sounds louder?
Soft, porous materials absorb sound waves to prevent echoes
Soft materials trap air and convert sound energy into tiny amounts of heat, reducing reverberation.
10. When you pluck a stretched rubber band or guitar string, what do you see and hear: the string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound, or the string turns into liquid?
The string vibrates rapidly and makes a sound
Stopping the vibration of the string immediately stops the sound.
11. Why do ramp workers near jet engines and operators of loud machinery wear ear defenders (earmuffs): very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea), or to keep their ears warm?
Very loud sounds can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear (cochlea)
Padded ear defenders absorb sound energy and reduce the decibel level reaching the eardrum.
12. Can sound travel through empty outer space (a vacuum where there are no particles): No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate, or Yes, faster than light?
No, because sound needs a medium of particles to vibrate
Unlike light, sound is a mechanical wave and cannot travel through a vacuum.

12 questions · Seed 47 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification