Assignment - Infographics - 127
A Note on What Makes This an Infographic
A wave diagram with labels like “compression” and “rarefaction” is a textbook illustration. An infographic about sound waves tells the whole story: what a sound wave actually is, what its properties mean in real life, how fast it travels in different situations, and what it can and cannot do. A reader should finish your infographic understanding sound - not just recognizing a wave shape.
Objective
Create a narrative infographic in Canva that explains sound waves completely: their nature, properties, behavior in different media, speed, and the limits of human hearing.
Content to Cover
What a Sound Wave Is
Sound is a longitudinal wave - it travels by compressing and stretching the medium it moves through (air, water, solid). Unlike light, sound cannot travel through a vacuum. When an object vibrates, it pushes air molecules together (compression) and pulls them apart (rarefaction), creating a pressure wave that moves outward in all directions.
Include a wave diagram showing compressions and rarefactions, with labels for each.
Properties of Sound Waves
Explain each property and what it means in practice:
- Frequency - The number of complete vibrations per second, measured in Hertz (Hz). Higher frequency = higher pitch. A mosquito’s whine is high frequency; a bass drum is low frequency.
- Amplitude - The size of the pressure variation. Larger amplitude = louder sound, measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is about 30 dB; a jet engine is 140 dB.
- Wavelength - The distance between two consecutive compressions. High frequency = short wavelength.
- Speed - How fast the wave moves through the medium (see below).
Speed of Sound in Different Media
Sound travels faster through denser, more elastic media:
- Air (at 20°C): 343 m/s
- Water: approximately 1,480 m/s
- Steel: approximately 5,960 m/s
Include a simple visual comparison showing these three speeds side by side.
Human Hearing Range
Humans can hear sounds between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz. Below 20 Hz is infrasound (felt, not heard - earthquakes, elephants). Above 20,000 Hz is ultrasound (used in medical scans and by bats and dolphins).
Real-Life Applications
Add a small panel: echoes (reflection of sound), noise-canceling headphones (canceling sound waves), ultrasound in medical imaging.
Design in Canva
- Central wave diagram with compression and rarefaction labeled.
- Surrounding panels for each concept: properties, speed comparison, hearing range, applications.
- Use a dark background with bright colors for the wave - sound infographics often use this style.
- For the speed comparison, use horizontal bars of different lengths to show the ratio visually.
Required Elements
- Wave diagram with compressions and rarefactions labeled.
- All four properties explained with real-life meaning.
- Speed comparison across three media with actual values.
- Human hearing range with infrasound and ultrasound noted.
- At least two real-life applications.
- Title: “Sound Waves.”