Sound as a Longitudinal and Pressure Wave

Many students are troubled by the idea of sound being a wave when there are no crests and troughs. In this Sound as a Pressure Wave Video Tutorial, Mr. H clears up the confusion with a short presentation on why sound can be thought of as a pressure wave. Numerous examples, illustrations, and animations assist in the explanations.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

Why is a sound wave referred to as a pressure wave?
How are compressions and rarefactions associated with pressure?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Physics Interactives: Simple Wave Simulator
The Simple Wave Simulator provides you a virtual wave machine for exploring the nature of a wave, quantitative relationships between wavelength, frequency and speed, and comparisons between transverse waves such as those traveling through a rope and longitudinal waves such as sound.

Minds On Physics, Sound and Music Module, Mission SM1: Nature of a Sound Wave
Mission SM1 pertains to the fundamental nature of a sound wave. You'll get a workout in reading, thinking, and conceptual reasoning and you will finish better than you started.

Science Reasoning Center, Sound Chapter, Sound as a Pressure Wave
This activity serves as a great introduction to the nature of a sound wave. You will be presented a short (and video-related) reading regarding sound waves. The reading focuses on the pressure oscillations of a sound wave and provides two diagrams and two plots of pressure as a function of time for two different sound sources. The reading is followed with interactive questions. This is a great follow-up.

Tutorial on Sound and Music, Lesson 1, Sound as a Pressure Wave
Need a refresher? The written Tutorial is always a great place to go to re-visit the main ideas of a video.

Teacher Resources

Curriculum Corner: Sound and Music Chapter: The Nature of Sound Waves
Our Think Sheets are useful in-class tools for processing a concept. This particular one coordinates well with this video and the next video in the Series. Use it as a next-day follow-up to the video.

Physics Interactives. Waves and Sound Section: Simple Wave Simulator
Our Simple Wave Simulator provides a great grounding in the nature of a wave. One feature of the simulation is to View Sound Wave feature. The simulation is accompanied by a free, downloadable Student Activity sheet that coordinates with a stand-alone Concept Checker.

Physics Interactives. Waves and Sound Section: The Particle Wave
The Particle Wave simulation allows students to explore the nature and properties of a wave. Properties such as wavelength, amplitude, and speed can be changes. The effects of the change on the wave pattern and particle motion can be immediately observed. A Student Activity sheet and a stand-alone Concept Checker accompanies this activity.

Minds On Physics, Sound and Music Module, Mission SM1: Nature of a Sound Wave
Mission SM1 pertains to the fundamental nature of a sound wave. This video and the next video in the Series would provide sufficient background to complete this activity. The mission will provide students a rigorous exercise in close reading, critical thinking, and conceptual reasoning.

Concept Builders, Waves and Sount Chapter, Wave Basics
Understanding always begins with the basics. Make sure your students know the basics of waves. This will help.

Tutorial on Sound and Music, Lesson 1, Sound as a Pressure Wave
Whe students need a refresher of the topic, the written Tutorial is always a great place to go. Many teachers post a link to it in their learning management system..

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.