Slinking Sounds
How does sound move?
Goal:
Goal:
Waves transfer energy from one place to another. You’ve likely seen ocean waves or waves in a tub of water. When waves move across the surface of deep water, the water moves up and down.
Sound waves are not like the waves you see on the water or the waves you make by swinging a rope. Sound travels in compression waves. A compression wave moves by pressing together and spreading out particles as the sound wave travels outward. Try this activity to model what sound waves look like.
Activity
- Stretch a walking spring toy, such as the one in the picture, loosely across the surface of a table.
- Have a friend hold the other end.
- Quickly jerk your end straight toward your friend and back again.
Question
What happens to the spring toy and how does this relate to sound waves?
You should see a compression wave travel the length of the coil. This is what sound waves would look like if you could see them!
Diagram showing wave motion and particle motion. The wave is traveling from left to right and the particles are vibrating left and right.