Ring in the New Year with this STEM experiment!

By: Ayzia Johnson

With all of the noise makers and banging pots and pans to ring in the new year, add this sound experiment into the mix! Using materials you can find right at home, you can experience the science of sound waves!
You will need:
             One metal teaspoon
             One metal serving spoon
             4 feet of yarn
             Wooden or heavy plastic ruler
             A friend

Lets try it!
Step 1
Make a loop in the center of the length of yarn. Insert the end of one spoon and pull the yarn tight. There should be a loose knot around the handle of the spoon.

Step 2
Wrap the ends of the string around your pointer fingers. Hold the string up to your ears.

Step 3
Have your friend hit the round part of the spoon using the ruler. Listen to the noise traveling through the string to your ears! Is it loud? Soft? Does it sound like a bell? Or a gong? Is the pitch high or low?
Repeat all three steps with both sizes of spoons and compare the sound that they each produce!
Every time you hear a sound, there are sound waves traveling through the air, or through a string, until it reaches your ears. This experiment demonstrates the way that sound can travel through a material straight to your ear.
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Join us at The STEM Shoppe this year for fun science, engineering, technology and math! Learn more and have a great time with us!