Sound

Physics took their exam on vibrations and waves today and will conduct a lab investigation tomorrow to determine how certain factors affect the speed of sound in a gas. Honors Physics conducted this investigation today, with good results. The measured speed of sound in air was close to the calculate (accepted) value for most groups. Further, the increase in speed with an increase in temperature was seen for most experiments, as was the anticipated decrease in speed in the CO₂ gas. The $64,000 question - can you explain these results? Consider that sound is a mechanical wave and reflect on the kinetic theory of matter and how it influences heat transfer. The motion of energy as sound will follow a similar pattern. We'll discuss this lab tomorrow and begin to dig into the basic properties and descriptors of sound.

Physical Science concluded their discussion of sound with an overview of ultrasonic waves and their uses. Tomorrow, we will start our unit on light and it will be more extensive than our discussion of sound. During this unit, we will take the time to further investigate the wave behaviors of reflection, refraction and diffraction, examine the electromagnetic spectrum, investigate color and dip our toes into the pool of optics.