Sound on the Move

Investigate sound traveling through air, water, and a string.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 47

How does sound get from a drum to your ear? The drum shakes the air next to it, and that air shakes the air beside it, on and on.
Sound travels through more than air. Whales call to each other through water, far across the ocean.
It travels through solid things too. Try it with a grown-up: put your ear on a table and tap the far end gently.
But sound can't cross empty space, where there's nothing to vibrate. Astronauts use radios to talk.
Sound is far slower than light. That's why you see lightning first, then hear the thunder.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Science:

S4P2.a — Plan and carry out an investigation utilizing everyday objects to produce sound and predict the effects of changing the strength or speed of vibrations.
S4P2.b — Design and construct a device to communicate across a distance using light and/or sound.