Seeing Sound

Engineering a FutureFebruary 22, 2014

Who we are

• Dr. Sally Pardue – – Director of the Oakley STEM Center,– Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

• Vanessa Perez• Hannah Crouch• Neil Pierce

Challenge

You are asked to help a group of 1st graders understand what sound is and how we hear.

You are asked to explore activities and decide if they will help 1st graders to “see” sound.

You also think it might be fun for these young kids to learn about jobs that relate to sound.

Generate Ideas

• What is “Sound”?

• How can we “see” what we “hear”?

• Jobs?

Multiple Perspectives

• Ask someone for their story• Find out what they know• What is their job, how doe they use “sound” in

their work or hobby

Research and ReviseACTION LEARNING

• Walkabout Stations to See Sound– Transverse Waves with Spring– Whoosh!– Tuning Forks– Noise Makers & Fold a Popper

• Sound Measurements

• Hearing and Hearing Loss

Waves with Spring

• Two people, each holding an end of LONG spring– Stretch it out a bit, not too much, but the coils need to

be expanded, not too much sag in the middle– One person holds an end steady – still.– The other person moves their end up and down gently,

slowly at first and we “see” transverse motion– Then the person moves with rhythm at a faster rate

and we “see” a different pattern • A Slinky at home on a Table– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtlxBODxWHc

Tuning Fork

• The transverse motion of the forks is what generates the sound we hear

• Gently tap the longest fork against green block• Thinking…How does a cymbal work?

Whoosh!

Longitudinal Hoops

Slinky

• Another way to see longitudinal waves• These are also called compression waves

Paper Poppers

• http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Paper-%22Popper%22

• This will serve as a sound generator for us in the next activity

Measuring Sound

• With a hand-held data acquisition device– Vernier, small computer– Microphone

• Go “ahhh” – feel your throat• See what the signal looks like on the screen of

the Vernier hand-held unit

Microphone Model

• A membrane that moves in a “back and forth” or “up and down” transverse way

• The membrane translates motion into an electrical signal as voltage

• we can measure the voltage and • Display the voltage change with time on• The screen of the hand-held unit

Ear Model

Loud Noises and Hearing Loss

• http://www.hear-the-world.com/en/hearing-and-hearing-loss/noise-how-loud-is-too-loud.html

• http://www.hear-the-world.com/en/hearing-and-hearing-loss/hearing-loss-what-it-sounds-like.html

Go Public

• What would you share with the 1st graders about how to “see” sound?

• Practice telling your story with your family