Sounds around us
Physics · Key Stage 1 · The School
Listening properly
Sit still and silent for one minute and list every sound you can hear. Most people find far more than they expected — traffic, a clock, breathing, a bird. Then say which direction each came from. Two ears are how you know.
Further away, quieter
Have someone walk away from you clapping steadily. The claps get quieter as they go. Sound spreads out as it travels, so less of it reaches you. That is why you shout to someone far away — you are putting more in to make up for what spreads.
Loud and high are not the same
LOUD is how much sound there is; HIGH is the pitch. A tiny bird can be very loud AND very high; a big drum is loud and low. Stretch a rubber band and pluck it, then stretch it tighter — the pitch rises but you can pluck either one gently or hard.
Stretch an elastic band between your fingers and pluck it. Now pluck it HARDER without changing the stretch: louder, same note — you changed the volume only. Now go back to a gentle pluck and stretch the band TIGHTER: higher note, same quietness — you changed the pitch only. Two controls, and you can move either one without touching the other. That is what it means for them to be different things.