Weak and strong vibrations
The volume of a sound is how loud or quiet the sound is.
Sounds are vibrations that travel through the air.
A nail hit hard with a hammer will make a strong vibration, which means it will make a loud sound.
A nail hit gently with a hammer will make a weak vibration, which means it will make a quiet sound.
Watch: Understanding the volume of sound
Explore the different vibrations that produce loud and quiet noises.
Scientist: Today I would like to explain volume.
Sounds are鈥
Excuse me. Could you keep the noise down please? I'm trying to do an important talk.
Builder: Well yeah alright mate but I've got to get this fixed, you know what I mean?
Scientist: Sounds are of course vibrations that travel through the air. But what鈥'm sorry about this.
That's better. Where was I? Ah yes.
What makes the difference between a quiet sound and a loud sound?
Well, it's all to do with the strength of the vibration.
A weak vibration makes a gentle sound wave which doesn't travel very far.
Be quiet!
A vibration with lots of energy makes a very powerful wave.
Watch: How to amplify your voice
Here's what you need to know about making noises louder.
Activity 1: Quiz
Activity 2: Recording noises
What object around you right now is capable of making a loud noise?
Record the object making that noise.
If your recording device shows the sound waves, take a look and write down what they look like. If not, describe the vibration that is making the sound.
Activity 3: Tune booster
Discover how to investigate volume with this practical activity from the .
Boost the volume of your tunes with this tune booster activity from the Science Museum Group.
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