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1+ hour
Science
Science Busking - The Bong Experiment Try these simple science tricks and experiments and then show them to others! More interactive, fun and quick activities can be found in the Science Busking Handbook
Take a metal household object (like a cooling rack) and tie 2 pieces of string on two sides. Ask the participant to hold out their two index fingers horizontally and place the loops of the string on their fingers so the object hangs. Use the dinger to tap the metal object. Ask the participant what kind of sound it makes: a ding or a bong? Now ask the participant to place the ends of their fingers in their ears. Using the dinger, tap on the metal object again. What kind of sound it makes this time: a ding or a bong? The effect is like sitting inside a gong (or Big Ben).
How it works: Sound waves travel much better through a denser medium as the molecules are closer together and can pass on vibrations better. The molecules in air are more spaced apart than the molecules in string and fingers so the sound travels better. This means that we can hear the natural resonance and deeper harmonics that we rarely hear through air.
Challenge Activity Pack
What you need/ materials to find: A metal cooling rack/baking tray and some string
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