Let’s go through each question one by one. These are based on what you learn from the Bill Nye “Sound” episode — so we’ll use simple, clear answers that match what was taught in the video.
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1) Sound is
caused by vibrations of
matter (or air molecules).
→ Sound happens when things vibrate and make the air around them wiggle.
2) The human
ear is like a
microphone.
→ Both pick up sound waves and turn them into signals our brain can understand.
3) An oscilloscope lets us see
sound waves in the air.
→ It shows the shape of the wave — how high or low, fast or slow it is.
4) Sound travels better (18x faster) through
solids.
→ Like metal or wood — because the molecules are packed tight and pass vibrations quickly.
5) A slinky is perfect to help us see how
longitudinal waves travel through the
air (or medium).
→ You push and pull the slinky to show compressions and rarefactions — just like sound waves!
6) Waves
bounce back when they hit a barrier.
→ That’s called reflection — and it’s how echoes happen.
7) An echo is a
sound wave that has been
reflected or reflected.
→ (Yes, “reflected” is repeated — but it means the same thing: bounced back.)
8) The ear sends
signals (or nerve impulses) to the brain.
→ Your ear turns sound into electrical messages your brain understands.
9) The
eardrum (or cochlea) vibrates to send messages to the brain.
→ Actually, the eardrum vibrates first, then tiny hairs in the cochlea move and send signals.
*(Note: In many versions of this worksheet, the expected answer is “eardrum” for #9 — though technically the cochlea does the final conversion. We’ll go with “eardrum” since it’s commonly accepted at this level.)*
10) Increased frequency of a wave (more waves per second) results in a
higher pitch and lower frequency (less waves per second) results in a
lower pitch.
→ High pitch = squeaky mouse. Low pitch = deep drum.
11) Ultrasound send
pulses of sound waves that are turned into a
picture (or image).
→ Doctors use ultrasound to see babies inside moms — it bounces off tissues and makes an image.
12) When you strike a key on the piano, that makes a
hammer hit a string inside the piano. The vibration is what makes
sound.
→ The hammer hits the string → string vibrates → makes sound waves → you hear music!
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Final Answer:
1) caused by; matter (or air molecules)
2) ear; microphone
3) sound waves
4) solids
5) longitudinal; air (or medium)
6) bounce back
7) sound; reflected
8) signals (or nerve impulses)
9) eardrum
10) higher; lower
11) pulses; picture (or image)
12) hammer hit a string; sound
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of bill nye video worksheet.
