Science · Our senses
Loud & quiet
Sort sounds by how loud they are.
What is a sound?
A sound is something you hear with your ears. Sounds can be loud or quiet. A whisper is quiet. A shout is loud. Let's learn to sort sounds!
Loud sounds
Loud sounds are easy to hear from far away. A drum bang is loud. A fire engine siren is loud. Loud sounds make big vibrations. You can feel them!
Quiet sounds
Quiet sounds are soft and gentle. A mouse squeak is quiet. Leaves rustling is quiet. You must listen carefully to hear quiet sounds.
How to sort sounds
Listen to each sound carefully. Ask yourself: is it loud or quiet? Can I hear it from far away? That helps you sort sounds into two groups.
Worked examples
1. Is a car horn loud or quiet?
- Listen to the sound in your mind.
- A car horn is very easy to hear.
- You can hear it from far away.
- So a car horn is loud.
2. Is a feather falling loud or quiet?
- Think about the sound a feather makes.
- It is very soft and hard to hear.
- You must be close to hear it.
- So a feather falling is quiet.
3. Is a dog barking loud or quiet?
- A dog bark is easy to hear.
- You can hear it from another room.
- It makes your ears notice it quickly.
- So a dog barking is loud.
Try it yourself
Is a whisper loud or quiet?
Ready to test yourself?
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