An oscilloscope is a machine that can be used to visualize sound waves. When we increase the volume of a sound, the amplitude of the wave is increased. The frequency of a wave is related to its pitch. If the pitch is high, then the frequency of the wave is high. This means that the wave will looked squashed on an oscilloscope trace.
In this activity, students will create a chart that shows how an oscilloscope trace relates to what a sound wave sounds like. Students can modify the wave shape using the crop and resize functions. You can make this activity more difficult by quantifying the changes in the waves. For example if the wave is twice as loud, then the wave will be twice as high.
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that demonstrates how an oscilloscope trace relates to what the sound wave sounds like.