echoesof.science · Ages 6–7
What is sound?
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the game and the quiz
echoesof.science/school/sound/ages-6-7/
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Put your fingers on your throat and hum. Can you feel it buzzing? That buzzing is a vibration: something shaking very fast. Every sound starts with something that shakes.
When something shakes, it pushes the air next to it. That air pushes the next bit of air, and so on, all the way to your ear. Inside your ear the eardrum starts to shake too, and you hear the sound!
Some sounds are loud, like thunder, and some are quiet, like a whisper. Very loud sounds can hurt your ears, so cover your ears or move away when something is too loud.
In space there is no air. With nothing to carry the shaking, sound cannot travel. Space is silent!
Experiment: Jumping rice
- Stretch the cling film tightly over the bowl, like a drum.
- Put a few grains of rice on top.
- Hold the pan close to the bowl, but not touching it, and bang it with the spoon.
- Watch the rice. Now try banging softly and then harder. What changes?
| Bang | Do the rice grains jump? | How high? |
|---|---|---|
| Soft bang | ||
| Hard bang |
Questions
Draw something that makes a loud sound and something that makes a quiet sound.
🍎Can sound travel in space?
yes / no
Why did the rice jump?
Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/sound/sources/