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Description

When you talk, your vocal cords make the air in front of your mouth vibrate. Talking into a tin can, or a paper or plastic cup, causes the end of the can or cup to vibrate. Those vibrations travel down the string to the other side, where they make the air on the receiving end vibrate. So when you hold it up to your ear, the little tiny hairs inside pick up the vibrations, send the info to your brain, and interpret them as sound!

Make telephones using tin cans and string to see how this works in action.

Resources

2 empty tin cans
Hammer
Nail or screw
Masking or duct tape
Long piece of cotton string
Scissors

Instructions

1. Cut the top completely off each can, and use the hammer and nail or screw to make a hole in the other end of the can just large enough to thread the string through
2. Thread one end of the string through the first can (put a piece of tape around the frayed end of string), tying a knot to prevent the string from slipping back through the hole. Thread the opposite end of the string through the other tin can, again tying a knot.
3. Wrap masking or duct tape around the edges of each can cover any sharp metal.
4. In buddies, each take a can, and walk slowly apart holding the cans until the string is straight and tight. Place the tin can up to your ear, then take turns talking and listening.

Tags

• communication
• prepared and ready
• telephone

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