All waves carry energy and amplitude measures the energy carried by a wave. The greater the amplitude, the higher the energy. Amplitude measures particle displacement in water and air pressure in sound waves. The unit of sound amplitude is N/m2 or Pa. The smallest audible amplitude is 0.00002 N/m2 and the pain threshold is around 60 N/m2.
All waves carry energy, including light, sound, infrared, microwaves, X-rays, and water. Energy moves through the particles without carrying any matter. Amplitude is the measure of the energy carried by any wave. It is the maximum distance that particles move from the wave’s undisturbed position, or when the wave is flat, due to the energy passing through it.
The greater the amplitude of the wave, the higher the level of energy carried by the wave. With a sound wave, this means the sound will be louder. With light, the higher the amplitude means the light will be brighter. In water, the greater the amplitude of the waves, the higher they will be.
For waves in a medium such as water, amplitude measures a particle’s displacement or change of position. Imagine dropping a pebble into a calm pool where the water is flat and still. Before the pebble hits the water, the water particles are at rest, relatively speaking, but after the pebble falls into the water, waves radiate out from the point of impact. The water particles move up and down due to the energy imparted by the pebble hitting the water. Amplitude is measured from the center of the wave to the peak or across the wave, basically the height of the wave.
With sound waves, amplitude measures the amount of positive or negative change in air pressure caused by the wave. If the sound wave has a greater amplitude, it will cause a greater change in atmospheric pressure. This can be changed by changing the amount of strength of the current. For example, a horn blower can create a more powerful sound by blowing harder into a horn or by delivering more air force into the horn.
Measurements are taken as the amount of force on an area and are directly related to the acoustic energy or loudness of a sound. The unit of sound amplitude is Newton per square meter (N/m2) or pascal (Pa). The amount of force required to accelerate a one-kilogram object one meter per second is equal to one Newton. The smallest amplitude audible to humans is approximately 0.00002 N/m2 for a 1 kHz tone. The pain threshold for sound is thought to be around 60 N/m2, although this can vary according to the individual and the age of the subject.
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