WHAT YOU DO: Step 1: Cut a piece of string so it that is the same length as the distance between your finger and your elbow. Step 2: Tie one end of the string around the middle of a spoon’s handle. Step 3: Wrap the free end of the string around your finger three times. Step 4: Bring your finger close to your ear and let the spoon dangle. Step 5: Tap the hanging spoon with the second spoon. What do you hear?
Congratulations, you are now a scientific musician! Sound is made up of vibrations. Your ears detect vibrations coming through the air. When these vibrations hit your eardrum, the signal travels to your brain so you can hear the sounds. In this experiment, the sound from the vibration of the spoon travels directly up the string to your finger, and then to your ear. You hear this sound as little chimes. Sound travels quickly through solid objects because the molecules are stacked close together. The vibrations can pass through a solid faster than through a liquid or a gas. The chiming sounds louder and richer when you use the string and your finger because they are solid. They make a path that lets more of the vibrations reach your ear. |