Lesson 59 of 84 · Engineering and Design
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🛠️ Engineer ShopSound: Pitch and Volume (Part 3)
Engineering and Design.
🎯 Your mission
Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).
⚡ The twist
The first design always fails. That's the point.
Mind = Blown
🛠️ The first computer bug was a literal moth stuck inside a machine in 1947.
Make a hypothesis first
Guess: what's the weakest part of this build?
What You'll Learn
Sound waves have properties including amplitude (loudness), frequency (pitch), and wavelength. Higher frequency means higher pitch. Greater amplitude means louder sound.
Key Words
- prototype
- design
Materials Needed
- paper clips
- rubber bands
- string
- cups
- aluminum foil
Safety First
- Dispose of materials properly after the experiment.
- Handle glass items carefully to avoid breakage.
- Do not mix unknown chemicals together.
Steps
Study the diagram and label the parts you recognize.
Build a working anemometer using paper cups and straws. Calibrate it by counting rotations in a known wind speed.
Observe what happens and describe it in detail.
Record your observations in your science journal with measurements and descriptions.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3Can sound travel through a vacuum?
Where you see this in real life
Your phone, your bike, your shoes — all designed with this idea.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Build something — anything — out of stuff in your recycling bin.
For the dinner table
“What's something around the house you'd redesign — and how?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
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