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Natural Sciences · Intermediate

Sound & Hearing

Sound is a ripple of pressure passing through the air. Find out how fast it travels, why loudness is measured in decibels, why a passing siren drops in pitch, how flutes and clarinets choose their notes, why some pairs of notes sound sweet together, how concert halls are tuned, and how two ears tell you where a sound came from.

8 lessons~45 min0/8 complete
1

What Sound Is

A travelling squeeze.

  1. Pressure WavesCompressions, rarefactions and pitch
  2. The Speed of SoundThunder, echoes and sonar
2

Loudness & Motion

Decibels and Doppler.

  1. DecibelsWhy loudness is logarithmic
  2. The Doppler EffectWhy sirens change pitch
3

The Physics of Music

Pipes and harmony.

  1. Pipes & Wind InstrumentsOpen and closed pipes
  2. Harmony & ScalesRatios, octaves and twelve semitones
4

Rooms and Ears

Acoustics and how we locate sounds.

  1. Rooms & EchoesReverberation and concert halls
  2. Hearing with Two EarsHow you know where a sound is