Listening to Sounds Lab

Purpose: to determine a way to amplify sound traveling to your ear.

Procedure:

1. Tie 2 strings to the handle of a metal spoon. Each string should be about 40 cm long.
2. Hold one end of each string in each hand. Bump the bowl of the spoon against a desk or other hard, solid object. Listen to the sound. 
3. Now wrap the ends of the string around your fingers. 
4. Put you index fingers up against your ears and bump the spoon against the object again.

Conclusion:

1. How does the first sound compare with the sound you heard with your fingers up against your ears?

The first sound without the string in the ear is sort of a twang, it sounded like a spoon hitting a hard object.
The second sound was more of a ringing of a bell, it sounded like bells because the vibrations from the spoon was ringing up the string and into my ear.
The third sound, Julia and I used a different material, we used a wire with felt on it. This was a lot shorter than the string, so it was louder because the vibrations has a shorter ways to travel.

1. How did the sound travel to your ears when you had the string touching you ears?

The sound that was made by the spoon hitting the desk traveled through the string and up to my ear.The vibrations from the spoon hitting the desk caused the metal to vibrate, causing the string attached to it-also to vibrate. This is the reason why I could hear the sound coming from the disturbance from the spoon and the desk.

This is a picture of a sound wave.

1. Why do you think it was easier to hear the sound when you put the strings by your ears?

It was easier because it the vibrations and waves had a shorter path to travel to my ear. When the string was longer, it had a low sound because the wave had to travel long from the desk to my ear. Also the reason I could hear the sound from the string to my ear is because the sound from the spoon hitting the desk travels through metal and string a lot faster and louder than traveling through air. This is the sure reason why I could hear the twang when not having the string up close to my ears. And the reason why I could hear the sound of church bells is because the wave could travel a lot faster through the string and metal than air.