How vibrations travel
I can recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear.
How vibrations travel
I can recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Sounds are heard when vibrations travel from the object through a medium to our ear.
- Vibrations create sound waves which are not visible in the air, but we can use diagrams to show how they travel.
- A medium can be a solid, a liquid, or a gas, such as a wall, water, or the air.
- Sound cannot be heard in outer space as there is no air, therefore no medium for sound to travel through.
Keywords
Vibrations - Vibrations are when an object moves very fast from side to side.
Medium - Vibrations need a medium to travel, such as a solid, liquid or gas.
Diagram - A diagram is a simplified drawing of information.
Sound waves - Vibrations travel in sound waves which spread out in all directions.
Common misconception
Children may think that sound travels only to the person that hear it, directly from the sound source to their ear.
Ensure opportunities for children to draw diagrams of how they think sound travels, and then revisit the diagrams to make improvements or amendments with further learning.
Equipment
Paper and pencils to draw diagrams of how vibrations travel.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
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