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← Sound Waves: Characteristics and Applications

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Lesson 1 of 13

Something has to shake

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5 min

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Press a ruler on a desk edge, with one end hanging out. Flick that end with a finger. It buzzes. Hold it still, and the buzz stops. The buzz is a to-and-fro movement. We call it a shake, or a vibration.

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At rest, the source is still.
Step 1 of 4
  1. At rest, the source is still.
  2. It swings out one way.
  3. Then back the other way — one shake.
  4. Held still, there is nothing to shake.

Rule

Every sound is made by something that vibrates. Stop the vibration and the sound stops.

  • Vibration — a to-and-fro movement, again and again.
  • Source — the object that makes the sound.

Sources shake in different parts:

  • A stretched string, as in a veena.
  • A stretched skin, as in a drum.
  • The air inside a pipe, as in a bansuri.
  • Vocal cords, in your throat.

Tap a steel bowl. Rest a finger on its rim. You feel it buzz. Grip the rim and the ring stops. The bowl can no longer shake.

Try the lab to finish this lesson.