This key facts covers Sound Wave Properties within Sound Waves for GCSE Physics. Revise Sound Waves in Waves for GCSE Physics with 13 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. Use this page as part of a wider topic revision path rather than treating it as an isolated fact. It is section 3 of 13 in this topic. Use this key facts to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 3 of 13
Practice
13 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
📚 Sound Wave Properties
Type: LONGITUDINAL wave (compressions and rarefactions)
Speed in different media:
- In air: ~330 m/s (varies with temperature — warmer air → faster sound)
- In water: ~1500 m/s (faster in liquids)
- In steel: ~5000 m/s (fastest in solids)
General rule: Sound travels FASTER in denser/more rigid media. Solids > Liquids > Gases.
Cannot travel through: Vacuum (needs particles to vibrate)
Human hearing range: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz
- Infrasound: < 20 Hz (elephants, earthquakes — inaudible to humans)
- Ultrasound: > 20,000 Hz (bats, medical scans — inaudible to humans)
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in Sound Waves. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for Sound Waves
What type of wave is sound?
Describe how a sound wave is produced and how energy is transferred by a longitudinal wave.
Quick Recall Flashcards
13 questions on Sound Waves — practise free
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