Light and sound: Video playlist

When you are standing close to an alarm clock, it seems quite loud. Moving away from the clock, the alarm sounds quieter, so the distance from the source of a sound will affect how loud it seems.

Students could follow this clip with a game to explore how sound is carried through the air by vibrations. Sitting in a circle one student could be chosen to sit in the centre and cover their eyes. Another student could then be given a bell, drum or other instrument that could be hidden behind their back once played. The student sitting in the centre could then uncover their eyes and guess where the sound game from. Students could then discuss how we can guess roughly where the sound came from.

Challenge students to conduct an experiment to see how far sound vibrations can travel through the air, by testing how far away we can travel before we stop hearing the sound from different instruments or objects. They could plan and design their experiment and then hypothesise on their findings. Students can then record and present and analyse their results. The results could be used to explore whether loud noises travel further than quieter ones, or whether pitch affects the distance travelled.