Home > Science Experiments > Sound - How is sound measured?

1. Printable Version
2. Download PDF
3. Cite this Page
4. Tweet This

How is sound measured?

Sound waves are usually described with two measurements: frequency and amplitudeThe maximum displacement (difference between an original position and a later position) of the material that is vibrating. Amplitude can be thought of visually as the highest and lowest point of a wave.. Frequency means the number of waves passing a given point in a given period of time. This is usually measured in hertzThe unit of measurement of frequency; a measure of the number of waves that pass a given point per second of time., abbreviated Hz. One hertz equals 1 cycle per second. Humans can usually hear sounds with frequencies from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz. The

faster a wave vibrates, the higher its frequency and the higher a...

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

1. Introduction
2. How do we hear?
3. How is sound measured?
4. How long have people wondered about sound?
5. Experiment 1 - Wave Length: How does the length of a vibrating string affect the sound it produces?
6. Experiment 2 - Pitch: How does the thickness of a vibrating string affect sound?
7. Design Your Own Experiment