"SEE" SOUND TRAVEL
Materials
Plastic bottle
Plastic wrap / plastic bag (we tried both; works better with the wrap)
Rubber band
Scissors
Tea light candle
How do I begin?
1. Cut off the base of the plastic bottle.
2. Cut a piece of the plastic wrap to cover the bottle's base.
3. Stretch the plastic tight and keep in place with the rubber band.
4. Light the tea light candle and hold the bottle with its neck about an inch away from the candle.
5. Tap the plastic sheet sharply with your nails; ensure you do not poke a hole through!
6. Notice what happens to the flame.
What just happened?
When you tap the plastic, the tiny air particles beside it vibrate. The vibrating air particles make other particles beside them vibrate too. These vibrations move through the bottle and make the flame ficker. If you tap with enough force, you actually put out the flame!
Exploring Further
Can you see sound really move? Yes! Air is present on the Earth's atmosphere. Sound waves need a medium to travel. That medium can be air, a solid, or a liquid. In this case, air carries sound vibrations. Did you know that Space is completely silent? There is no air present in Space! Hence, there is no way for sound vibrations to travel.
Have you ever wondered how we are able to hear? Sound vibrations travel through your ear canal, which is really a tube. Sound vibrations hit the thin sheet of skin at the end of your ear canal or "eardrum," and they make your eardrum vibrate. These vibrations get stronger as they reach your middle ear, and move into your inner ear. Once here, something cool happens. These vibrations change into electrical messages that your nerves carry to your brain. Your brain understands this message and now tells you what your are hearing.
Plastic bottle
Plastic wrap / plastic bag (we tried both; works better with the wrap)
Rubber band
Scissors
Tea light candle
How do I begin?
1. Cut off the base of the plastic bottle.
2. Cut a piece of the plastic wrap to cover the bottle's base.
3. Stretch the plastic tight and keep in place with the rubber band.
4. Light the tea light candle and hold the bottle with its neck about an inch away from the candle.
5. Tap the plastic sheet sharply with your nails; ensure you do not poke a hole through!
6. Notice what happens to the flame.
What just happened?
When you tap the plastic, the tiny air particles beside it vibrate. The vibrating air particles make other particles beside them vibrate too. These vibrations move through the bottle and make the flame ficker. If you tap with enough force, you actually put out the flame!
Exploring Further
Can you see sound really move? Yes! Air is present on the Earth's atmosphere. Sound waves need a medium to travel. That medium can be air, a solid, or a liquid. In this case, air carries sound vibrations. Did you know that Space is completely silent? There is no air present in Space! Hence, there is no way for sound vibrations to travel.
Have you ever wondered how we are able to hear? Sound vibrations travel through your ear canal, which is really a tube. Sound vibrations hit the thin sheet of skin at the end of your ear canal or "eardrum," and they make your eardrum vibrate. These vibrations get stronger as they reach your middle ear, and move into your inner ear. Once here, something cool happens. These vibrations change into electrical messages that your nerves carry to your brain. Your brain understands this message and now tells you what your are hearing.
