E-Activity 11

1. The diagram shows a man playing a guitar.
(a) Suggest two ways in which the guitarist could alter the note being produced by one of the strings.
(b) Draw a picture of what you would expect to see on an oscilloscope screen if the sound produced by the guitarist is
• High pitched but quiet
• Low pitched but loud
2. The diagram shows a young girl watching a firework display.
• Why does she see the flash of an exploding rocket before she hears the bang?
3. The gong in the diagram below is vibrating gently and producing a quiet sound.
(a) What would you do to the gong to make it produce a loud sound?
(b) Which of the two bells in the diagram would you shake if you wanted to produce a lower-pitched sound?
4. The table below contains several sources of sounds. In the second column enter an approximate decibel level for these sounds.
Source of sound Loudness on decibel scale
• A normal conversation between two people
• Someone shouting as loud as they possibly can
• A firework rocket exploding
• A small alarm clock ringing
5. Richard likes to listen to loud music
(a) What may happen to Richard’s hearing if he does this too often?
(b) What two things could Richard do to avoid this problem?
6. What is noise? What effect might noise have on a person?
7. Suggest two ways in which noise levels can be reduced.
8. Give one example of someone who should wear ear protectors.