What it shows
Vibrating paper makes a buzzing sound louder. We can feel the vibration on our lips.
The science
When you hum, your voice makes the paper vibrate. The vibrating paper pushes on the air and makes a buzzing sound. Our lips feel the vibration, which tells us that sound is a movement. A loud sound has bigger vibrations than a quiet one.
Materials
Cost: free. Many items come from home or from waste; spare parts such as LEDs, motors and wire are in the store.
- A plastic comb (free)
- A piece of thin paper or tissue paper
- A friend
- A clean tissue to wipe the comb
Safety
For this project: Use a clean comb for each player and wipe it before use.
Never use mains electricity: power models with cells, batteries or a low-voltage adapter. Sharp and hot tools, flames and lab chemicals need an adult or your teacher beside you. Keep magnets, button cells and small parts away from young children, and wash your hands after making.
All the safety rulesStep by step
8 steps. Do them in order, and test each part before you go on to the next. Write what you notice in a notebook as you go.
Fold the paper over the teeth of the comb so it covers them.
Hold the comb with the paper to your lips lightly.
Hum a song instead of blowing.
Feel the tickle in your lips and listen to the buzz.
Hum a high note, then a low note and notice the difference.
Hum loudly and then softly and feel how the buzz changes.
Take away the paper and hum to hear the difference.
Draw how you think the paper moves when you hum.
What you should see
The paper buzzes when you hum and the buzz changes with your voice.
Viva questions
A teacher or a judge will ask how it works. Try to answer each question before you open it, then compare.
1What makes the paper buzz?
Vibrations from your voice.
2What do you feel on your lips?
A tickle from the vibration.
3What happens without paper?
The sound is softer.
4Where does your voice come from?
From the vocal cords in your throat.
Take it further
Try thicker paper and thin plastic and see which buzzes best.
Change one thing, measure what happens, and add a table or chart of your readings: that is what turns a model into your own investigation.
Free ebooks for this project
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