Page 1
Sounds Around You
Shhhhh. Do you want to hear a secret? Then close your eyes and listen.
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You might be surprised by all the sounds
around you.
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How a Sound Starts
What made these sounds? All sounds begin
with something moving. The moving thing
goes back and forth very quickly.
It makes a vibration. A bee's
wings flutter fast.The wings
go bzzzz.
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Your Voice
Whisper. Sing. Shout! What makes
your voice? Two folds of tissue
stretch inside your throat.
These are your vocal cords.
When your breath passes
over the vocal cords, they
vibrate. That lets you talk.
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How Sound Travels
Drop a pebble into a puddle. Ripples spread out
from the pebble in circles. You can't see
sound. It moves through air in invisible
waves. The waves move outward from
a vibration like the water rippling
outward from the pebble.
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Unlike ripples in water, though, sound travels in
all directions. Jump into a pool. Smack!
The sound travels across the water's
surface. But it also travels up
toward you.
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Into Your Ears
Boom-ba-boom boom!
Fireworks explode above you.
The sound carries through
the sky, down into your ears.
It makes a flap inside your
ear vibrate. This is your eardrum.
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Your eardrum sends the vibrations deep inside your ear. Here, signals are sent to your brain.
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Fireworks sound scary. Why aren't you scared? Your brain makes sense of what you're hearing.
Page 10
Loud and Soft
Vroom! An airplane lifts off the
ground. The sound is so loud
you can feel it in your stomach.
Loud sounds are made by
big vibrations.
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Zzz, zzz, zzzz. On a still, hot day, you can hear a fly
buzzing against a window. Soft sounds are made by
small vibrations.
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High and Low
Pluck a harp string and it vibrates quickly. It makes a high note that sings across the room.
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High sounds are made by fast vibrations.
The sound waves are close together.
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A bass guitar's sounds are low.
Its strings vibrate more slowly.
Low sounds are made by slower
vibrations. The sound waves are
farther apart.
Page 15
Echoes
Stand across the schoolyard, facing your school. Shout your name. Did you hear your name again? That was an echo.
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Echoes happen because sound waves can
bounce. The sound of your name bounced off
your school and back toward you.
Page 17
Stupendous Sound!
What's the difference between a noise and a sound?
Page 18
A noise is a nuisance. But sounds are
stupendous! What's the most
stupendous sound you know?
