Quacks From a Cup
This Demonstration is included in a bundle of 101 Science Demonstrations & Experiments. You can find this bundle here in my TpT Store. These exciting demonstrations use mostly inexpensive materials that you can find around your home or can be easily purchased. I show how to run the demonstration, give helpful advice and explain the science concepts behind it. Many of these demonstrations can be turned into STEM projects for your students. For fun & FREE STEM Activities, click here!
Also please check out my bundle of 36 STEM Activities: STEM for the whole year!
Materials needed:
Plastic Cups
Paper Clip
Yarn / Thead
Damp Paper Towel
Nail or something sharp to poke a hole in the bottom of your cup
Directions:
- Punch a hole in the bottom of your cup
- Thread yarn / string through the hole and tie a paper clip on the end that is outside of the cup.
- With your damp paper towel folded, grip both sides of the string and pull down on it and you’ll hear a “quacking” noise.
The Science Behind this Experiment:
This demonstration really gets to the heart of sound and how we hear sound. Vibrations that are traveling through the air are called sound waves. Sound waves are high compression regions followed by low compression regions followed by high compression regions etc. In this demonstration, vibrations (sound waves) are created when the string doesn’t pull smoothly. The paper clip attached to the plastic cup amplifies these sound vibrations. You can also point the cup toward someone and they will hear a louder sound because the vibrations are being directed toward them.
Did you like this Demonstration?
You can find 100 more of them in a resource I recently put together. Check it out here in my store.
Sample Demonstrations:
Chemistry
Combustion
Density
Electricity
Energy
Food Science
Forces and Motion
Light
Magnetism
Sound
Sublimation
The Science Behind this Experiment:
