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11th grade Sound: speed, pitch and loudness worksheet

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Sound: speed, pitch and loudness

Grade 11 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

  1. A circle on a steel rail reaches the far end through steel (5940 m/s) and air (343.3 m/s), 0.274 s apart. How long is the rail, to the nearest meter, Ari?

  2. A circle on a steel rail reaches the far end through steel (5940 m/s) and air (343.3 m/s), 0.549 s apart. How long is the rail, to the nearest meter, Bo?

  3. A circle on a steel rail reaches the far end through steel (5940 m/s) and air (343.3 m/s), 1.372 s apart. How long is the rail, to the nearest meter, Esme?

  4. Read this first

    Speaker test (example data)

    Distance (m)Level (dB)
    190
    284
    478
    872

  5. Which model fits the table, Jun?

    • Intensity stays the same with distance and just the pitch of the sound changes
    • Intensity falls in direct proportion to distance, so each doubling costs 3 dB
    • Intensity falls with the square of the distance, so each doubling costs 6 dB
    • The level falls by 6 dB for each extra meter, whatever the starting level is

  6. Using the same pattern, what level would the speaker give at 16 m, Kira?

    • 60 dB
    • 66 dB
    • 69 dB
    • 64 dB

  7. Milo says two 60 dB sounds played together make a 120 dB sound. Agree or disagree?

    • Disagree: the louder one hides the other, so the level stays at 60 dB
    • Disagree: two equal sources double the intensity, which adds about 3 dB, so about 63 dB
    • Disagree: the two sounds make 90 dB, since each adds half of its own level
    • Agree: levels in decibels add like ordinary numbers, so two 60 dB sounds make 120 dB in total

  8. Sound travels at about 1540 m/s in soft tissue. Pia says 40,000 Hz ultrasound could show 1 mm details in tissue. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: ultrasound has such a short wavelength that millimeter details are easy to see
    • Disagree: its wavelength in tissue is 0.385 mm, which is still too coarse to show millimeter details
    • Agree: 38.5 mm is smaller than 1 mm, so the details can be seen
    • Disagree: its wavelength in tissue is 38.5 mm, far larger than 1 mm; scanners use several MHz

  9. A speaker gives 100 dBA at 1 m. How far from it must Ren stand for 85 dBA, the level safe for 8 hours?

    • About 2.8 m
    • About 32 m
    • About 15 m
    • About 5.6 m

  10. To find insects 3 mm wide, a bat's call needs a wavelength of 3 mm or less. Sound travels at 343.3 m/s in air. What frequency does Tala calculate it needs?

    • At least about 11,400 Hz
    • At least about 1,030 Hz
    • At least about 1,144,000 Hz
    • At least about 114,000 Hz

  11. A4 is 440 Hz. Each semitone multiplies the frequency by the same factor, and 12 semitones double it. What is the frequency 6 semitones above A4, Zee?

    • About 880 Hz
    • About 466 Hz
    • About 660 Hz
    • About 622 Hz
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11th grade Sound: speed, pitch and loudness worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Sound: speed, pitch and loudness. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can add decibel levels for many identical sources (10 × log of the number), and find the level at a new distance when intensity falls with the square of distance.
  • I can read frequency from a microphone trace (cycles ÷ time) and say what a taller trace means (amplitude squared is intensity).
  • I can use speed of sound in air, water and steel, find wavelengths, and find the gap between two arrivals.
  • I can use NIOSH's 3 dB rule for safe listening time, and strings, beats and equal-temperament semitones.

Standard: HS-PS4-1

Words to know

pitch: How high or low a sound is; set by frequency

loudness: How strong a sound seems; grows with amplitude

decibel (dB): A unit for sound level; 10 dB more is 10 times the intensity

intensity: The power of a sound wave over an area

ultrasound: Sound above about 20,000 Hz, too high for people to hear

octave: A doubling of frequency; the note sounds like the same note, higher

beats: The slow rise and fall in loudness when two close frequencies sound together

exposure limit: Longest safe listening time at a given sound level

Common mistakes

Your child added the logarithm without the factor of ten. Each tenfold increase in intensity adds 10 dB, so 100 sources add 20 dB.

Your child used the distance ratio instead of its square. Intensity falls with the square of distance, so the level drops 20 times the log of the distance ratio.

Your child used only the air speed. The gap comes from the difference between the air time and the steel time.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with sound: speed, pitch and loudness?

Your child added the logarithm without the factor of ten. Each tenfold increase in intensity adds 10 dB, so 100 sources add 20 dB.

Are these 11th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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