Have you ever held a plastic ruler over the edge of a desk or table and whacked the end of it? If so, you would notice a funny sound. This sound changes if you change the length of the ruler that is hanging over the edge. The sound you hear is made by the ruler’s vibrations.
In this lab, we begin to learn about sound. You know it is collected and deciphered by your ears, but did you also know that all sound is made when something vibrates? It could be a guitar string, vocal chords in your throat, or a plastic ruler that is hanging over the edge of the desk: vibrations make sound.
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Sure! You can try plastic too and see what kind of results you get. Don’t be hesitant to try your ideas… that’s the mark of a good scientist!
Cool!
Will a wooden ruler work for this experiment?
Thanks!
– Grace (5th)