Can You Hear Me Now?
In this lesson students are going to compare sound data to the length of the animal making that sound. The students will try to make a correlation between the frequency and the length of the animal, which will lead to a discussion/exploration of the connection between frequency and wavelength. This lesson falls into the greater context of teaching principals of sound and waves. This lesson can be used to introduce the concepts of frequency and wavelength of sound waves or to help reinforce and build upon prior knowledge of properties of sound waves. The students will analyze data collected from hydrophones that are shown on spectrographs. Students will explore recordings of marine mammals to gain knowledge of waves and then apply that knowledge to analyze the link between frequency and wavelength. The students will be developing graphing and data analysis skills.
Authors: Lindy McCulloch, Sean Bedell, PJ Collson; EARTH 2015
Lesson Resources
- Lesson Plan
- Teacher Presentation PowerPoint
- Lesson Background
- Student Worksheet
- Ishmael User Guide
- Spectrograph Catalog
- Whale Size Chart
Additional Resources
Underwater microphone provides tantalizing new perspective on Monterey Bay
