Sound and

Vibrating Materials
I can...
explain how sound is created when different materials vibrate

We are learning...
• how sound is created when something vibrates

• to identify materials that can make sound and that cannot.

• to observe cause and effect relationships in the creation of sound

 What is Sound?

n d is so me thing w e h e ar
Sou It can be soft like a whisper or loud
with our ears. like a firework.

When someone speaks, plays music,

or when something falls, it makes
sound.
 Have you ever
wondered how sound
is created?
 ed w h en s o m e t h i n g
Sound is Creat l y f a s t .
ak es r ea l
vibrates or sh
S o u n d wa v e
v i b rat i o n s

St i n g s o n
a v iol in

Vibrations travel through the air or

other materials to our ears, where they
are heard as sound.
The cause of the vibration

leads to the effect of sound

Let's explore a few materials that can make
sound when they vibrate:

Drums Guitar Bell

When you hit a drum
with a stick, it When you pluck the When you shake a
vibrates, and we hear strings of a guitar, they bell, it vibrates, and
the sound it makes. vibrate and produce the sound rings out.
sound.

Cause: hitting the drum. Cause: plucking the guitar Cause: shaking the bell.
Effect: the drum sound. string Effect: the bell ringing sound.
Effect: the guitar sound.
Materials that don't make sound...
Rubber Band
Stretching a rubber band does not
produce sound waves, as the
vibrations are not strong enough to
create sound waves that can be
heard.
Cause: Stretching a Rubber Band
Effect: No Sound
Clay
Squishing clay does not produce
sound waves, as it deforms or
changes shape, but does not
vibrate enough to produce sound
waves.
Cause: Squishing Clay
Effect: No Sound
Let's Experiment!
We're going to explore how different materials can
make sound or stay silent when they vibrate.

Step 1: Gather different materials from your desk

or around the room.

Step 2: Experiment with each material by shaking

or tapping it.

Step 3: Listen carefully and observe which

materials create sound and which ones remain
silent.

Step 4: Share your findings with the class and

discuss why some materials make sound while
others don't.
 Summar
Sound makes material vibrate by creating fast back-and-forth movements.
y
These vibrations then travel through the air to reach our ears and produce
what we perceive as sound.

Sound and vibrating materials

work together to create the sounds
we hear every day!