Sound Wave
Light, Sound and Waves

Sounds travelling - not just filling

Teaching Guidance for 5-11 11-14 Supporting Physics Teaching

Sound travels

Wrong Track: I had my radio on very loud and the music just filled the house.

Right Lines: Sound travels from the radio to all parts of the house.

Filling or travelling

Thinking about the learning

Some pupils talk about sound as if it is something that can fill a space. Sound can only fill a space to the extent that it travels through that space.

Thinking about the teaching

Each time you talk about sound, try to emphasise the source–medium–detector model, making it the most natural thing in the world to look for paths along which the sound travels.

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