Mystery Bells
There are few things more beautiful to listen to than the sound of bells, whether they be bells used for religious purposes (Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and more), musical concerts, children’s games, as a call to meals in a French country house or the tinkling around cow’s neck in Switzerland. Bells are a part of human history around the globe. This experiment lets you learn more about how a bell’s vibrations reach your ears.
What You’ll Need:
- Scissors
- String
- A wire hanger
- A hard surface-a table, door or wall, for instance
- A metal spoon
What to Do:
- Cut a piece of string about 3 feet in length.
- Next, gather the two ends of the string in one hand, forming a loop. Now, lay the looped string under the hooked part of the hanger. Slide the two free ends through the loop and pull them through. This will create a knot that is easy to untie.
- Now, wrap the loose ends of the strings around your index fingers so that the hanger is dangling in front of you.
- Holding the strings next to your ears while covering the opening of your ears with your hands (don’t stick your fingers into your ears, though), gently bump the hanger into the table or door. What does that sound like?
- Now, unwrap your fingers, and untie the string from the hanger. Try wrapping it around the spoon and repeating the procedure above. Can you hear the mystery bells?
What Happened:
When you bang the hanger or spoon against a hard surface, you create vibrations. These vibrations cause rifts in air molecules that bounce to and fro. The pulsating pressure waves created by vibrations carry what we call sound to our ears. When you put your hands over your ears, you allow more vibrations to reach your ears. The string carries the vibrations to your ears so that you can hear them!
