Final answer:
The pitch of a sound is determined by its frequency, whereas the loudness is related to its amplitude. The unique quality of a sound from different instruments, known as timbre, is affected by the interplay of frequency, amplitude, and timing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pitch of a sound is determined by the frequency of the vibration producing it. A higher frequency corresponds to a higher pitch, and a lower frequency corresponds to a lower pitch. On the other hand, the loudness of a sound, which has units of phons, is influenced by the amplitude of the vibration, with greater amplitude resulting in a louder sound.
Unlike loudness, pitch is not related to how powerful the sound wave is, but rather how fast the sound wave vibrates. Additionally, the quality of a sound known as timbre is characterized by a combination of its frequency, amplitude, and the timing of the sound wave, giving different musical instruments their unique sound even when playing the same note.