Science: Light and Sound
Exploring how light and sound travel and behave
Science: Light and Sound
Exploring how light and sound travel and behave
Science - Grade 4-5
- 1
Light travels much faster than sound. During a thunderstorm, you see lightning before you hear thunder. Explain why this happens.
Think about which travels faster through the air.
You see lightning first because light travels much faster than sound. The light reaches your eyes before the sound of thunder reaches your ears. - 2
A flashlight shines on a mirror. What happens to the light when it hits the mirror?
The light reflects off the mirror. Reflection means the light bounces back instead of passing through the mirror. - 3
Name one transparent object, one translucent object, and one opaque object.
Think about whether light passes through clearly, partly, or not at all.
A clear window is transparent because light passes through it clearly. Wax paper is translucent because some light passes through it. A wooden door is opaque because light does not pass through it. - 4
Sound is made by vibrations. Describe what is vibrating when a drum makes a sound.
When a drum makes a sound, the drumhead vibrates. These vibrations move through the air and travel to your ears as sound. - 5
A student shouts across a playground. Through what material does the sound travel to reach another student?
Think about what fills the space between the two students.
The sound travels through the air to reach the other student. Sound needs matter, such as air, water, or solids, to travel. - 6
Why can you see objects in a room when the lights are on?
You can see objects because light shines on them and reflects into your eyes. Your eyes detect the reflected light, which lets you see the objects. - 7
A dark shirt feels hotter in sunlight than a white shirt. Explain why.
Think about absorption and reflection.
A dark shirt absorbs more light energy from the Sun, so it gets warmer. A white shirt reflects more light, so it stays cooler. - 8
What is an echo, and how is it made?
An echo is a sound that bounces off a surface and returns to your ears. It is made when sound waves reflect from a hard surface, such as a wall or cliff. - 9
Compare light and sound. Give one way they are alike and one way they are different.
Think about how each one moves from place to place.
Light and sound are alike because both travel in waves and can reflect. They are different because light can travel through empty space, but sound needs matter to travel. - 10
Why is it easier to see your reflection in a smooth mirror than in a piece of rough metal?
A smooth mirror reflects light evenly, which makes a clear image. Rough metal scatters the light in many directions, so the reflection looks blurry or unclear. - 11
A ruler is placed halfway off a desk and plucked. It makes a sound. What causes the sound to happen?
Think about what the ruler does after you let it go.
The sound happens because the ruler vibrates after it is plucked. The vibrations move through the air and create sound waves. - 12
Why can sunlight pass through a clean window but not through a brick wall?
Sunlight can pass through a clean window because glass is transparent. It cannot pass through a brick wall because brick is opaque. - 13
If you move farther away from a ringing bell, how does the sound usually change?
Think about what happens to volume when distance increases.
The sound usually becomes quieter as you move farther away. This happens because less sound energy reaches your ears at a greater distance. - 14
A student uses a prism and sees a rainbow of colors. What does this show about white light?
This shows that white light is made of many colors. The prism bends the light and separates it into the colors of the visible spectrum. - 15
Explain one way light helps you and one way sound helps you in daily life.
Think about everyday activities at home or school.
Light helps me see people, objects, and places around me. Sound helps me hear voices, music, alarms, and other important information.