draw a diagram that shows the wave shapes of a loud and a soft sound of the same frequency
Wave Shapes of Loud and Soft Sound of the Same Frequency
When we talk about sound, loudness and frequency are two critical concepts to understand. Loudness represents how strong or intense a sound is, while frequency signifies how often a sound wave makes a complete vibration cycle per second. A sound wave’s amplitude, the distance between the wave’s crest and trough, determines loudness, while frequency is determined by the amount of time that passes between one crest of a wave and the next.
Waveforms are graphs that help to visualize the shape of a sound wave. In this case, we are interested in comparing the waveforms of a loud and soft sound of the same frequency. Let’s create diagrams to illustrate the differences!
Wave Shape of a Loud Sound
Firstly, we will create a diagram that represents the waveform of a loud sound of a particular frequency. Assume that we have a loud 1,000 Hz sound.
The diagram shows the wave with a high amplitude because it is loud. The amplitude determines how strong or weak a sound is perceived. In this case, the wave carries a lot of energy because it has a high amplitude.
Wave Shape of a Soft Sound
Secondly, let’s create a waveform diagram that represents a soft sound of the same 1,000 Hz frequency.
In this diagram, we can see that the amplitude of the wave is lower than in the previous diagram. Since the amplitude is low, the wave carries less energy, and this makes the sound to be perceived as soft.
Comparison of the Two Wave Shapes
When comparing the two waveforms side by side, it is clear that the essential difference between them relates to their amplitude.
The loud wave has a higher amplitude than the soft wave. This means that in a loud sound, the variation in pressure between the waves’ crests and troughs is greater than in a soft sound.
In conclusion, the wave diagram of a loud and soft sound of the same frequency shows that the amplitude of a sound wave determines its loudness. A sound wave with higher amplitude carries more energy, and this is perceived as loud. Conversely, a sound wave with lower amplitude carries less energy and is perceived as soft.