Rice Model Science Laboratory

Light and Sound

Scavenger Hunt

Click on the link above each section of questions to help you find the answers.  

The Soundry

  1. What is sound?

  2. Where is the only place that sound can not travel?

  3. What does vibration have to do with sound?

  4. What are the four main parts of a sound wave?

  5. How is the amplitude of a sound represented?

  6. What does the amplitude look like for a loud sound?

  7. What does the amplitude look like for a soft sound?

  8. At how many decibels does a human speak normally?

  9. How do we measure the frequency of a sound wave?

  10. Why does sound travel at different speeds?

  11. Where do sound waves travel at their slowest?

  12. Where do sound waves travel at their fastest?

  13. What other variable can affect the speed of sound?

  14. Why does sound travel faster in a liquid than a gas?

  15. How fast does sound travel in mph in fresh water?

  16. How can ocean-dwelling animals communicate so well underwater over long distances?

  17. How do solids allow sound waves to travel so quickly?

  18. How fast does sound travel through glass in meters per second (m/s)?

Waves

  1. What are waves?

  2. If you throw a stone into a still pond what happens?

  3. What kind of wave carries radio, television and telephone information?

  4. What are two main types of waves?

  5. Give two examples of transverse waves.

  6. What is a longitudinal wave?

  7. Give two examples of a longitudinal wave.

Electromagnetic Waves

  1. How are electromagnetic waves generated?

  2. How fast do electromagnetic waves travel (miles per second) through space?

  3. List in order the chief kinds of electromagnetic waves.

  4. Describe two ways that you use electromagnetic waves.

  5. How did James Clerk Maxwell define visible light?

  6. What is the name of the scientist whose discovery led to the development of radio and television?

  See the Light – What is Color?

  1. What is color?

  2. How is one color distinguished from another color?

Mixing Colors

  1. Why do we see red and green light as yellow?

  2. Why do we see white when we mix red, green and blue light?

  3. Why do you get a dark color when you mix red, green and blue paint?

Reflection

  1. In your own words, describe reflection.

  2. What is the difference between an incident ray and a reflected ray?

  3. What is the Latin word that means “to look at with astonishment”?

  4. What kind of image do you see when you look into a mirror?

  5. Why does your school picture present a true image rather than a mirror?  Be sure to explain your answer.

Refraction

  1. In your own words, describe refraction.

  2. What three things determine how much light is refracted as it passes through a substance?

  3. Describe how halos or cirrostratus clouds are a good example of refraction.

  4. What happens when white light passes through a prism?

  5. Why do colors bend when they pass through a prism?

  Properties of Light Activity Page

Visit this page and work through the activity.  

Light & Sound Electricity Exploring Space Topography Natural Resources Cells & Heredity Ecos & Bios Rock Cycle Links Chemistry & Lab Safety Body Systems Matter, Motion, & Energy Force & Motion Plate Tectonics

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Last Revised on 31Aug03