Sound Production

Sound is the form of energy that is produced when vibrations travel through a medium. You hear sound wherever you go. You produce it when you talk, whistle, laugh, and sing.

You make sound when you snap your fingers, walk while wearing shoes, or even when you chew your food. You also make sounds when you clap your hands, drop a book on the floor, pull and let go of a rubber band, or even just scratch your scalp with your fingers.

In all these actions, sound is produced by the back-and-forth movement of an object. The back-and-forth movement creates sound vibrations. When an object vibrates, the air around it produces sound waves that travel outward in all directions. When these vibrations reach your ears, they become impulses, or messages in the form of sound. They are sent to the brain, which interprets the sound received and tells you what the sound is.