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Sound is vibrations that move through the air or through liquids or solids. The sounds we usually hear are vibrations that move through the air. Your voice is the vibration of your vocal chords. The tiny bones inside your ears pick up sound vibrations in the air and send those messages to your brain. You can actually see sound…if you know how to look.
- Large Bowl
- Plastic Wrap
- a Whistle
- 2 Large Metal Pans
- Anything That Makes Noise!
Stretch a large piece of plastic wrap over a bowl and pull it tight on all the edges. Sprinkle salt on top of the plastic wrap. Now blow a whistle or clap your hands or bang two objects together – how does the salt behave? Now clean the salt off and try putting drops of water on top of the plastic wrap. Can you make the water move with sound?
Science Experiment Idea:
Try different noisemakers to see which one will move the salt the most. Make marks on the platic wrap with a sharpie to help you see how much the salt moves. Try different volumes of sound both loud and soft as well as high and low pitches. For example, can you hum and make the salt move? Can you scream and make the salt move? How about a kazoo? A whistle? Which kind of sound do you think will move the salt the most? After testing, were you right?
- The Science of Sound for Kids
- Science Kids: Sound Facts
- BBC: Understanding Sound and Vibrations
- BBC: How Does Sound Travel Through Air?
- Video Dragonfly TV: Music and Sounds
- PBS Kids: Fetch Screaming String Thing
- TLC: Science Projects for Kids – Producing Sounds
Words to Know:
Sound – Vibrations that travel through a solid, liquid or gas.
Volume – The loudness of sound.
Pitch – How high or how low a sound is.