Pitch and frequency

In a nutshell

Pitch is how high or low a sound is. Pitch depends on how fast an object is vibrating. Frequency is the number of times an object vibrates in one second. Pitch can be changed by changing properties of the object.

Pitch

Definition

Pitch is how high or low a sound is. Sounds have different pitches. A higher pitch means a higher sound. A lower pitch means a lower sound.

Pitch is often linked to music notes however every sound has a certain pitch, and frequency.

Frequency

Definition

Frequency is the number of times an object producing sound vibrates in one second. Any particles the sound wave vibrates through also vibrate at this frequency.

The pitch of a sound can be changed. One way to do this is by changing how fast the object is vibrating. Faster vibrations have a higher frequency and lead to a higher pitch. Slower vibrations have a lower frequency and lead to a lower pitch.

Properties of materials

To change how fast the object vibrates, the properties of an object can be changed.

Higher Pitch	Lower Pitch
Smaller	Larger
Thinner	Thicker
Tighter	Looser
More dense	Less dense

Example

Musical instruments have different properties to create different pitches.

Science; Sound; KS2 Year 4; Pitch and frequency

Guitar strings are thicker for the lower notes and thinner for the higher notes.

Science; Sound; KS2 Year 4; Pitch and frequency

A tight drum skin gives a high-pitched note, a looser skin gives a low-pitched note.