Are sound waves transverse or longitudinal?

Sounds waves are longitudinal waves.

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What do we call the regions of a longitudinal wave where the particles are closest together?

Compressions.

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How does the density of the medium its travelling through affect the speed of a sound wave?

Sounds wave travel more quickly through more dense mediums.

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What do we call the regions of a longitudinal wave where the particles are furthest apart?

Rarefactions.

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How does the frequency of a sound wave affect how it sounds?

The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch.

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How does the amplitude of a sound wave affect how it sounds?

The higher the amplitude, the louder the sound.

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Which part of the ear is indicated by A in the diagram above?

Ear drum

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Which part of the ear is indicated by B in the diagram above?

Semicircular canals

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Which part of the ear is indicated by C in the diagram above?

Ossicles

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Which part of the ear is indicated by D in the diagram above?

Cochlea

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Can sound waves travel through a vacuum? Explain.

No.


Longitudinal waves, like sound waves, rely on vibrating particles to travel. In a vacuum there are no particles that can vibrate, and so sound waves can't be transmitted. 

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What is the role of the ear drum?

Transmit the vibrations of the sound wave to the ossicles.

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What is role of the cochlea?

To convert the vibrations into electrical signals.

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What is role of the auditory nerve?

Transmit the electrical signals from the cochlea to the brain.

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What is the range of human hearing?

The range of human hearing is approximately 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

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As people get older, what happens to their hearing range? Why?

As people age their hearing range reduces.


This is usually due to damage from loud sounds and general wear and tear.

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