What is audio amplitude?
Educational and Fun Activities
Written by Alexandra Stone
26 July 2024
🕓 3 min
Sound is all around us, from the quietest whisper to the loudest explosion, but what determines how loud or soft a sound is? The answer lies in audio amplitude. Understanding amplitude helps us learn how sound waves function and how we perceive them in our everyday lives.
1. The Science of Amplitude
Amplitude refers to the size or height of a sound wave, which determines how loud or soft a sound is. In technical terms, it measures the amount of energy in a sound wave. The greater the amplitude, the louder the sound; the smaller the amplitude, the quieter the sound.
When you look at a sound wave on a graph, amplitude is represented by the height of the wave from its resting position to its peak. This can be measured in decibels (dB), with higher decibels indicating louder sounds.
If your child is interested in sound waves, you can explore more about how they work in our blog post How Sound Waves Can Be Fun for Primary School Children, where we share hands-on experiments for kids to understand sound.
2. How Amplitude Affects Our Hearing
Our ears are sensitive to changes in amplitude, which is why we can perceive sounds at different volumes. For example, a soft conversation has a low amplitude, while a fire engine’s siren has a high amplitude. Exposure to high amplitudes over long periods can damage hearing, which is why it's essential to protect our ears from loud noises, especially at concerts or in noisy environments.
Check out The Amazing World of Sound: Discover the Secrets of How We Hear! to better understand how the human ear processes different sounds.
3. Experiencing Amplitude at Home
You don’t need fancy equipment to explore the concept of amplitude with your child. Try this simple experiment:
- Grab a speaker or any device that plays sound.
- Play music at a low volume and ask your child to watch the speaker closely.
- Gradually increase the volume and observe how the vibrations change.
This exercise can help children visualise how louder sounds (greater amplitude) create bigger vibrations, while softer sounds (smaller amplitude) create smaller vibrations.
Want to make this experiment even more fun? Combine it with our 5 Child-Friendly Ways to Visualise Sound at Home for more engaging sound exploration activities.
Final Thoughts
Audio amplitude plays a significant role in our experience of sound, controlling how loud or soft we hear it. Teaching children about amplitude not only enhances their understanding of sound waves but also helps them become more mindful of protecting their hearing.
If your child enjoys exploring the world of sound, they’ll love our Science of Sound holiday camps, where they can participate in interactive experiments that bring scientific concepts to life. Learn more about our camps and activities here.
