CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Worksheet 6.1A
Amplitude and frequency
In this activity, you will show your understanding of amplitude and frequency.
1 The diagram shows a sound waveform.

a Which measurement in the diagram shows the amplitude?

Write the letter: _______________

b Which two measurements in the diagram will change when the frequency changes?

Write the letters: _______________ and _______________

c Which two measurements in the diagram will change when the loudness changes?

Write the letters: _______________ and _______________

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 1
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

2 A sound wave moves through air. A particle in the air vibrates 700 times per second
in this sound wave.
a State the frequency of this sound.
_______________ Hz
b The sound changes and the particle starts to vibrate 900 times per second.
Describe the change in the sound.

_______________________________________________________________________________
3 A sound wave moves through air. A particle in the air vibrates as shown in the diagram.

State the amplitude of this sound wave.

_______________ mm

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 2
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Worksheet 6.1B
Amplitude and frequency
In this activity, you will show your understanding of amplitude and frequency.
1 The diagram shows a sound waveform.

a What is the amplitude of this waveform?

Give your answer as a number of squares on the grid.

amplitude = _______________ squares

b The distance X is between two peaks. State what happens to distance X when:
i the frequency of the wave increases

____________________________________________________________________________
ii the pitch of the sound decreases

____________________________________________________________________________
c Explain whether the distance X will change when the loudness of the sound increases,
but the pitch of the sound stays the same.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 3
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

2 A sound wave moves through air. A particle in the air vibrates with a frequency of 700 Hz
in this sound wave.
a Explain what ‘vibrates with a frequency of 700 Hz’ means.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
b The sound wave changes. The particle now vibrates at 900 Hz.

Describe how the sound changes.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
3 A sound wave moves through air. A particle in the air vibrates as shown in the diagram.

The amplitude of the wave is 0.6 mm. Add labels to the diagram to show the distances
moved by the particle as it vibrates.

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 4
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Worksheet 6.1C
Amplitude and frequency
In this activity, you will show your understanding of amplitude and frequency.
1 a On the grid below, draw a diagram to represent a sound waveform.
Use a curved line, like this:

Make sure the amplitude and frequency stay the same.

b On your diagram, label the amplitude. Use a line and the letter A.
c On your diagram, label the distance that changes when the frequency of the sound changes.
Use a line and the letter F.
2 A musical instrument produces the musical note D that has a frequency of 587 Hz.
a Describe what happens to particles in the air when this note is produced.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 5
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

b The musical note changes to G that has a frequency of 784 Hz. The loudness stays the same.
Compare the amplitude of the wave and the pitch of the sound when the note changes
from D to G.

the amplitude ___________________________________________________________________

because ________________________________________________________________________

the pitch _______________________________________________________________________

because ________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
3 A sound wave travels through air making the particles in the air vibrate. The particles vibrate
with an amplitude A. Draw a labeled diagram to show how one particle in air vibrates in this sound
wave. Use arrows to show the direction of the vibration. Label the amplitude.

direction of sound wave

Add labels to the diagram to show the distances moved by the particle as it vibrates.

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 6
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Worksheet 6.2
Sound waves reinforcing or cancelling
In this activity, you will consider how sound waves
can meet and reinforce or cancel each other.
1 The first diagram represents a sound wave, P.

a Draw another sound wave on the second grid

to represent a wave that would reinforce
wave P to produce double the amplitude.

b Draw another sound wave on the third grid

to represent a wave that would cancel
wave P completely.

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 7
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

2 Marcus goes to a music concert. There are two loudspeakers, A and B, either side of the stage.
The two loudspeakers play the same music. The loudness of the music from the two loudspeakers is
the same. The diagram shows the sound wave produced by loudspeaker B.
The lines represent peaks in the wave.

a On the diagram, draw the sound waves from loudspeaker A.

b On the diagram, mark with the letter R a position where the sound waves will reinforce.
c Explain why sound waves of a different pitch may not reinforce at the same position as R.
You can use the space below to draw a diagram if that helps your answer.

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 8
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Support sheet
1 a Draw a wave on the grid that is the same shape as wave P.
Make sure:
• the amplitude (height) of the wave is the same as P
• the peaks and troughs line up with P.
To help you draw the wave, put dots where the grid lines cross at the positions where your wave
will appear. This works because the diagram is actually a graph. Then, draw a smooth line that
joins your dots.
b Draw a wave that is the same shape as wave P but not in the same position on the grid as before.
Make sure:
• the amplitude (height) of the wave is the same as P
• the peaks of your wave line up with the troughs of wave P
• the troughs of your wave line up with the peaks of wave P.
Remember to put dots on the grid to help you draw the wave accurately.
2 a Look carefully at the pattern of waves in front of loudspeaker B.
Draw the same pattern in front of loudspeaker A. The two patterns should overlap.
b Think whether two waves reinforce when
• they meet peak to peak, or
• they meet peak to trough.
Where does this occur on your diagram? Remember the curved lines represent the peaks.
c On this diagram, sound waves from a sound of a different pitch will have a different spacing
between the curved lines.
For a lower-pitch sound, the lines will be further apart.
For a higher-pitch sound, the lines will be closer together.
How will this affect where the waves meet to reinforce?

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 9
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY SCIENCE 9 UNIT 6: SOUND AND SPACE

Name ___________________________________ Date _____________

Extension sheet
In this challenge, you will draw all the diagrams yourself.
Wave A
Draw two diagrams of sound waves A and B where:
a both waves A and B have the same frequency
b both waves A and B should be drawn so they will
reinforce when they meet
c the amplitude of wave B is double that of wave A.
Draw the result when wave A and wave B meet and reinforce.
After you have completed parts a, b and c, try this challenge
part.
Wave B
d On the third diagram mark with the letter C, a position
where the sound waves would cancel.
e At a music concert it is very unlikely that sound waves
will actually cancel.
Suggest why.

____________________________________________

____________________________________________
Result when waves A and B meet
____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

Cambridge Lower Secondary Science 9 – Mary Jones, Diane Fellowes-Freeman and Michael Smyth © Cambridge University Press 2021 10