The Main Parts of a Sound Wave

The three main parts of a sound wave are the frequency, the amplitude, and the wavelength. To see firsthand the relationship between these wave charecteristics and the sounds that are made, play with this shockwave movie (50K).

Frequency

The frequency of a wave is the number of waves that pass through a point each second. The more waves that pass through a point each second the higher the frequency. Look at these two pictures.

This is a high frequency wave	This is a low frequency wave

The frequency of a sound wave is related to it's pitch. When you hear a high pitch sound that means it is high frequency. When it is a low pitch sound it is low frequency

Amplitude

The amplitude of a wave is its height from the rest line to the crest or top of the wave.

The amplitude of a wave is related to the volume. The higher the amplitude the higher the volume is. the lower the amplitude is the lower the volume is.

Wavelength

The wavelength of a wave is the length of a wave from one point of a wave to it's next identical point. In this example it is from the trough, or bottom of one wave, to the trough of the next.

The wavelength of a sound wave is related to it's frequency and therefore is related to its pitch. The relation is in the form of the equation.

velocity = frequency x wavelength

All sound waves move at the same speed if the temperature is the same. That means if the frequency increases the wavelength must decrease, and if the frequency decreases the wavelenght increases. Plug some numbers into the equation while keeping the velocity to be 340 m/s to prove this to yourself.

How are wavelength and pitch related? Think about it.