Week 3 Lesson 1: Sound Energy

Reminder:
1. Write your lectures in your Science notebook.

Learning Objective
a. Explain how sound, heat, and light energy can be transformed

LECTURE:
Sound energy is the energy produced by vibrating objects. Everything that

can be heard is a sound. Anything but vibrate produces sound energy. Plucking,

strumming, striking, blowing and hitting can produce vibrations. Sound travels at

different mediums. It travels faster in solids than in liquids and in gases. We can

communicate and understand one another because of sound.

How is Sound Transmitted and Heard?

The force of impact between the two bodies and vibrations of bodies cause

the air molecules around them to vibrate. The vibrating air molecules pass on the

energy to adjacent air molecules. In each of our ears, we have a very sensitive

membrane called the eardrum. The vibrating air causes the eardrum to vibrate.
Sound Energy Transformation
Sound energy is converted into electrical energy using a diaphragm present

in the microphone. These signals reach the speakers and then are converted back to

sound. Microphone is an example of a transducer, a device that changes

information from one form to another. Sound information exists as patterns of air

pressure; the microphone changes this information into patterns of electric current.

Importance of Sound Energy

Sound is used in communication. To relay meaning through words requires the use

of sound. We learn things about our environment and what goes on around us

through communication devices that use sound, like the telephone, megaphone,

mobile phones, hearing aids, television, and radio broadcasting. In some cases,

sound is reflected back as an echo. When sound strikes soft materials, it is

absorbed. Such materials that absorb most of the energy of sound waves are called

sound insulators. It helps geologists to locate oil reservoirs and seismologists to

track earthquakes travel through different kinds of rocks and magma. Sonar (Sound

Navigation and Ranging) is an echo-sounding device that uses sound propagation

(usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, communicate with,

or detect objects on or under the surface of the water. (Evelyn Sarte, 2019).