Bbc how is sound made

The compressed area of the spring travels along its length. Sound waves are produced by all vibrating objects. Loudspeakers work by converting electrical energy into kinetic energy. This moves the cone which creates the sound waves. Engineers show us the key components in a loudspeaker and explain how they work.

Sound waves can reflect off surfaces. We hear sound reflections as echoes. Hard, smooth surfaces are particularly good at reflecting sound. This is why empty rooms produce lots of echoes. Soft, rough surfaces are good at absorbing sound. If the sound wave reaches our ears and our brains then we hear the sound. They also explain that sound needs something called a medium to travel through and Fran repeats a famous experiment by a scientist called Robert Boyle who demonstrated that air is a medium through which sounds travel by putting a bell in a jar, taking out all the air from the jar to create a vacuum, whereupon the bell fell silent.

Using 3D animation Greg takes us on a guided tour of the human ear, pointing out the key components called the eardrum, hammer, anvil, stirrup, cochlea and auditory nerve. Finally Fran makes a giant human ear out of everyday things to show how these components work. Home Clips. Main content. You must enable JavaScript to play content. What is sound? Release date: 24 March This clip is from.