Pearson Edexcel GCSE Computer Science (1CP2)Specification point 2.2.3

Edexcel 1CP2 2.2.3: Sound

The free BugBot lesson that teach this point, a robot to try it on, and the past-paper questions that test it.

What it covers

Sound is a wave: air pressure rising and falling, smoothly and continuously. A computer can only store numbers, so to record sound it measures the wave at regular moments and stores each measurement as a binary number. That is sampling. In this lesson you sample a note, measure how much data it takes, and use the samples to work out which note it was and play it on BugBot's buzzer.

  • Sampling a wave
  • Bit depth
  • File size
  • From samples back to a note
  • Quality and size
Read the free lesson (15 min)

Or do it in the simulator, with tasks that mark themselves

Lessons that teach it

  1. F8.8 Sound Data representation
    Sampling, sample rate, bit depth and file size, and finding a note from its samples.

Try it on a robot

The task from F8.8 Sound, running here. Change the program and press Run.

Past paper questions on this

Real exam questions that test this, each worked through with a program you can run.

The specification is Edexcel's own document; this page says which of our lessons teach point 2.2.3 and is not endorsed by the board.