Backyard Science: Cup of sounds

It's that time of the year when the children are out having fun in the sun. While they're outside, encourage them to explore one of the best science experiments in their backyard. Using a few ingredients from around the house you can create a cup of sounds.

Materials

* Plastic cup

* Sponge

* String

* Water

Instructions

STEP 1: Using a knife, create a hole in the bottom of the plastic cup.

STEP 2: Cut about 2 feet of string and thread the string through the hole in the plastic cup.

STEP 3: Tie a knot in the string big enough so the string will not pull out of the hole in the plastic cup.

STEP 4: Wet the sponge, grab the string close to the plastic cup, and then pull downward.

Explanation

You created sound by moving the wet sponge along the string. The sound was amplified as it passed through the plastic cup.

Jason Lindsey is a Science Outreach Educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website "Hooked On Science" at hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science. Send him your science questions at jlindsey@hookedonscience.org. More science experiments can be found at www.semissourian.com.