What Does It Mean When We Say a Sound Has a Frequency?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. What does it mean when we say a sound has a frequency?

The Big Idea

Frequency tells you how many times something vibrates in one second! We measure it in a unit called hertz. More vibrations each second means a higher sound.

Count the Shakes

Step one: count the shakes. Frequency is the number of back-and-forth vibrations in one second. A fast vibration has a high frequency, and a slow one has a low frequency.

Hertz Is the Unit

Step two: hertz is the unit. We write it Hz, and say it hurts. A sound that vibrates 100 times a second is 100 hertz, and a sound that vibrates 1000 times a second is 1000 hertz.

Hearing Range

Step three: our hearing has limits. Most people can hear from about 20 hertz up to about 20,000 hertz. Higher frequency means a higher sound, and lower frequency means a deeper sound. Anything outside that range is too low or too high for us to hear.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! A slow shake has a low frequency and a deep sound. A fast shake has a high frequency. So fast shakes sound higher in pitch. People hear from about 20 to 20,000 hertz.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! One hertz means one vibration every second. A piano's middle C is about 262 hertz. Young people usually hear the highest sounds best. Keep headphones at a comfortable volume to protect your hearing.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, give it a go! Tap a pencil on the table two times every second. That is two hertz. Now try four taps a second. How would you make one hundred taps a second? Why can't you do it by hand? Share what you discover with a grown-up.

Outro

Frequency counts the shakes each second. Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!