Sound

and Light
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 Sound
and Light

Lesson 1
What Is Sound?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Lesson 2
What Is Light? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

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 1
VOCABULARY
What Is
VOCABULARY
vibration
Sound?
volume
pitch
frequency

A vibration is a back-and- The loudness of a sound is

forth movement of matter. called volume. The jack-
A drum’s thin covering hammer makes a sound loud
vibrates when someone hits it. enough to hurt your ears.

2
 The pitch of a sound is how high or
low it is.

The number of vibrations in a second is the frequency

of a sound.

3
 READING FOCUS SKILL
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS
The main idea is what the text is mostly about. Details
are pieces of information about the main idea.
Look for information about what sound is and details
about the ways sound travels.

Sound Energy
Sound is energy that travels through air. A sound is made
when something vibrates. A vibration is a back-and-forth
movement of matter. When a drummer hits the top of a drum,
it causes the covering to vibrate. The vibrations make the air
vibrate. This vibration is what makes the sound you hear.

The head of a C
drum—a thin C
covering—is C
flexible and tight, C
so it vibrates. C

4
 Instruments make sounds in different ways. A drum makes
sound when you hit it. A guitar makes sound when you pluck
the strings. A clarinet makes sound when you blow into it and
a wood reed vibrates.
The loudness of a sound is called volume. The volume of
a sound is measured in decibels (dB). A high-decibal sound is
loud and has a lot of energy.

What are three ways you can make sounds with

a musical instrument?

How Loud Are Some Sounds?

Sound Decibel Level

Whisper 20 dB

Quiet radio 40 dB

Conversation 60 dB

Dishwasher 80 dB

Jackhammer 100 dB

Thunderclap 120 dB

5
 Sound Waves
Sound moves through the air as waves. When you hit a
drum, the covering vibrates and pushes the air above it. This
squeezes molecules of air together. The squeezed air pushes
the air next to it. In this way, the energy moves through the
air.
Have you ever noticed that some sounds are higher than
others? For example, a trumpet makes a sound higher than a
tuba does. A sound’s pitch is how high or how low it is.
The number of vibrations in a second is the frequency of a
sound. If you pluck a long string and a short string, the short
string will vibrate faster. This means the short string has a
higher frequency than the long string.

B The springs model how sound travels in compression waves.

6
 Frequency and pitch are related. A sound with a high
frequency has a high pitch. A sound with a low frequency has
a low pitch.
Sound waves move out in all directions from an object. A
sound that hits a hard surface bounces back. A sound that
bounces off a surface is called an echo. You can often hear
echoes in caves and canyons. What does an echo sound like
compared with the original sound?

How is pitch related to frequency?

B Sound bounces off the hard cliff and produces an echo. The echo
is not as loud as the original sound.

) ) )
L L O lo
H E (h el
((

7
 Sound Transmission
Think about playing with a line of dominoes. When you
push the first one, the next one falls down. Sound waves move
like that. They travel through the air because particles in the
air give energy to ones nearby. Sound energy can travel a long
distance. But the particles stay in one place.

The sound moves

through the air as
compression waves.
When the performer sings,
she produces vibrations
that compress the air.

8
 Any kind of matter can vibrate and carry sound. Matter that
carries sound is called a medium. Sound waves need a medium
to travel.
The speed of sound depends on the medium. Sound travels
fastest in solids and slowest in gases. Sound also moves faster
when it’s warm than when it’s cold.

In what kind of medium, and at what kind of

temperature, will sound travel the fastest?

The sound waves reach the

people in the audience, and they
hear the singer’s performance.

9
 Animals and Sound
Many animals can hear sounds that humans cannot hear.
Elephants can hear sounds with very low frequencies. Dogs
can hear high-pitched sounds.

A grasshopper
picks up vibrations
through legs.

A snake uses its jaw

to sense vibrations
from the ground.

10
 Bats have excellent hearing. When a bat flies, it produces
many sounds. These sounds bounce off objects, and the bat
hears the echoes. This allows the bat to fly when it is dark.

The bat uses echoes

to find prey.

Review
Complete this main idea statement.
1. travels through matter as a compression
wave.

Complete these detail statements.

2. A sound with a pitch has a high frequency.
3. When sound waves strike a soft surface, like a
carpet, most of the sound energy is .
4. Sound needs matter, called a , to carry the
sound waves.

11
 2 What
VOCABULARY
reflection
Is
opaque
translucent
transparent
Light?
refraction
convex lens
concave lens

Light bouncing off a

surface is reflection.

When light moves into a

different material, it bends.
This bending of light is called
refraction.

Materials that do not allow

light to pass through are
opaque.

12
Materials that allow only some Materials that allow light to
light to pass through are pass through are transparent.
translucent.

A concave lens is thicker at A convex lens is thicker at the

the edges than at the center. It center than it is at the edges. It
spreads light waves apart. bends light waves together.

13
 READING FOCUS SKILL
MAIN IDEA AND DETAILS
The main idea is what the text is mostly about.
Details are pieces of information about the main idea.
Look for information about light energy and details
about kinds of light waves and how matter affects light.

Light Energy
Light is a form of energy that travels in waves. Unlike sound,
light does not need a medium to travel.
Light is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The part of
the spectrum we can see is called visible light. The waves that
make up the spectrum have different frequencies. Radio waves
have a lower frequency than visible light waves. Ultraviolet
waves have a higher frequency than visible light waves.
Waves with high frequencies carry more energy than waves
with low frequencies.

What is another name for light we can see?

The part of the spectrum we see is called visible light. The rainbow
shows the colors of visible light. B

Art: p/u diagram of rainbow from G5 SE p. 556

(227P).

14
 A Transverse waves

Light Waves
Light waves are different from sound waves. Light waves
move like ocean waves. They move up and down.
Light waves can travel through matter, like sound, or
through empty space. The light from the sun travels through
space.
Light moves much faster than sound. Light waves move
thousands of times faster than sound waves. It takes only
about 8 minutes for light to travel from the sun to Earth.
You can feel the energy in sunlight as heat. You can also feel
the heat from a light bulb.
The sun and the light bulb both send out light in all
directions. But a laser gives off light in a narrow beam. This
light is very powerful because its waves are so close together.

What are three ways that light is different

from sound?

15
 Absorption, Reflection,
and Refraction
When light hits an object, the object
affects the path of the light. The object
can absorb the light, make it bounce
back, or let it pass through.
When light passes through an object,
some of the light is absorbed. Dark-
colored objects absorb the most light.
So it is better to wear a light-colored
shirt on a hot day.
Reflection occurs when light
bounces off a surface. In most cases,
light spreads out when it is reflected.
But a smooth surface does not spread
light out. This is why you can see
yourself in a mirror.
Most objects absorb some light and
reflect the rest. Opaque materials do
not let any light pass through them.
You cannot see through opaque
objects. Most objects around you are
opaque, such as your sneakers, your
desk, and this book.

The glass in the C

building causes C
light to reflect C
off its surface. C

16
 Transparent materials let light pass through. Most kinds
of glass are transparent. Translucent materials let only some
light pass through. Stained glass windows and waxed paper
are translucent.
The difference between transparent and translucent
materials is how they spread out light. Translucent materials
spread light more.
When light moves from one material to another, it bends.
This bending is called refraction. Refraction changes the
angle at which you see things. When you look at an object
through two different materials, a straight object can seem
bent. Have you ever looked at a straw in a glass of water?
It seems to bend where the straw enters the water. This is
refraction.

What are the three ways light reacts when it

hits an object?

The pelican’s body looks separated because of refraction. B

17
 Lenses
Have you ever used a hand lens to see something small? The
hand lens makes objects look larger. Hand lenses have a plastic
or glass lens in them. The lens is transparent and curved. The
curve allows the lens to bend light. The shape of the curve
determines how light will bend. There are two basic types of
lenses.
A convex lens is thicker at the center than it is at the edges.
It bends light waves to bring them together. A hand lens uses
a convex lens. Convex lenses are also used to make an image
on a screen, like at the movies. In a camera, convex lenses
bring light together onto film to produce a photo.

A convex lens brings light waves together. B

18
 A concave lens is thicker at the edges than it is at the center.
It spreads light waves apart. In a camera, the viewfinder uses a
concave lens. This lens makes objects look smaller so you can
see what the whole picture will look like.

What type of lens is used in a hand lens?

D A concave
lens spreads
light waves
apart.

Review
Complete this main idea statement.
1. ______ travels through matter or empty space as a
transverse wave.

Complete these detail statements.

2. ______ waves move thousands of times faster
than ______ waves.
3. A magnifer uses a ______ lens to make objects
appear larger.
4. An object that does not allow any light to pass
through it is ______.

19
 GLOSSARY
concave lens (kahn•KAYV LENZ) a lens that is thicker at
the edges than it is at the center.
convex lens (kahn•VEKS LENZ) a lens that is thicker at the
center than it is at the edges.
frequency (FREE•kwuhn•see) the number of vibrations in
a second.
opaque (oh•PAYK) not allowing light to pass through.
pitch (PICH) how high or low a sound is.
reflection (rih•FLEK•shuhn) the bouncing of heat or
light off an object.
refraction (rih•FRAK•shuhn) the bending of light as it
moves from one material to another.
translucent (tranz•LOO•suhnt) allowing only some light
to pass through.
transparent (tranz•PAR•uhnt) allowing light to pass
through.
vibration (vy•BRAY•shuhn) a back-and-forth movement
of matter.
volume (VAHL•yoom) the loudness of a sound.

20
Think About the Reading
1. What can you do to help you remember what you have
learned in this chapter?
2. What questions do you have after reading this book? How
can you find the answers to your questions?

Hands-On Activity
Fill one glass half full with water and fill a second glass three-
quarters full with water.
1. Gently tap on the sides of the glasses with a spoon. Which
glass has a higher pitch? Why?
2. Place the spoon into one of the glasses. Bend down and
look at the glass straight on. What does the spoon look
like? Why?

School-Home Connection
Explain to an older family member what you have learned
about sound and light. Walk through your house with the family
member. Take turns identifying materials in your house that are
transparent, translucent, and opaque.