How Does a Piano Work?
Materials in the box
A red plastic cup
2 different lengths of blue yarn
1 golden paper clip
Paper towel
Materials from your house
1. A nail
2. Scissors
3. Water
How do we begin?
1. Cut a piece of yarn approximately 20 inches long.
2. Ask your Mom / Dad to punch a hold in the center of the bottom of the cup's bottom using the nail.
3. Tie one end of the yarn to the center of the paper clip.
4. Push the end of the yarn without the gem clip through the hole in the cup and pull it through.
5. Get the paper towel, then fold it over once and get it damp in the water.
6. Holding the cup firmly in one hand, wrap the damp paper towel around the string near the mouth of the cup. Squeezing the string hard, pull down in short jerks so that the paper towel tightly slides along the string. If you are doing a good job, you should hear chicken squawking!
So, what just happened?
A sounding board works in this manner. The vibrations from the string would not be heard if there was no cup! Once you add the cup, it spreads the vibrations and amplifies them (makes them louder.) Pianos and music boxes use wood to act as a sounding board to make the instrument louder.
Exploring Further
1. Does the length of the string make a difference?
2. What types of yarn makes the loudest and softest sound?
3. Does the size of the cup affect the volume of the sound?
4. Does the material (cloth, etc.) affect the volume of the sound?
A red plastic cup
2 different lengths of blue yarn
1 golden paper clip
Paper towel
Materials from your house
1. A nail
2. Scissors
3. Water
How do we begin?
1. Cut a piece of yarn approximately 20 inches long.
2. Ask your Mom / Dad to punch a hold in the center of the bottom of the cup's bottom using the nail.
3. Tie one end of the yarn to the center of the paper clip.
4. Push the end of the yarn without the gem clip through the hole in the cup and pull it through.
5. Get the paper towel, then fold it over once and get it damp in the water.
6. Holding the cup firmly in one hand, wrap the damp paper towel around the string near the mouth of the cup. Squeezing the string hard, pull down in short jerks so that the paper towel tightly slides along the string. If you are doing a good job, you should hear chicken squawking!
So, what just happened?
A sounding board works in this manner. The vibrations from the string would not be heard if there was no cup! Once you add the cup, it spreads the vibrations and amplifies them (makes them louder.) Pianos and music boxes use wood to act as a sounding board to make the instrument louder.
Exploring Further
1. Does the length of the string make a difference?
2. What types of yarn makes the loudest and softest sound?
3. Does the size of the cup affect the volume of the sound?
4. Does the material (cloth, etc.) affect the volume of the sound?