Vibrating Hangers

Description

Now that we understand how messages can travel along electricity, how is that then translated to sound waves for us to hear? What is a sound wave, and how does it enter our ear and translate into something we can understand?

Sound requires a medium to travel though, either the air (like when speaking to another person), but they can also travel through different materials.

In this activity, students will explore how the medium a sound travels though impacts what the listener hears.

Materials

Wire clothes hanger

String, 2 cut lengths

Outline

1.      Tie off one end of each piece of string to two of the “points” of the hanger.

2.      Wrap the other end of each piece of string around your pointer fingers.

3.      Place your fingers in your ears and have a classmate strike the hanger against different materials.

Extended Activity

Try cutting the string in different lengths and seeing how that impacts what the user hears. Also, try hitting the hanger against objects of different materials, i.e. glass vs. plastic vs. metal.