📞 DIY String Telephone

Sound Waves Lab - Week 2

5-PS1-4 MS-PS1-5 Sound & Waves

🏆 Complete this lab to earn 5 coins!

📋 Materials (Household Only)

2 paper cups or plastic cups 3-6 feet of string 2 paper clips (or a needle to poke holes) Scissors A friend or family member Pencil & this worksheet

⚠️ Safety: Be careful with scissors and needles. Ask a grown-up for help poking holes. Do not put the string in your mouth.

🔮 Hypothesis

Does a tighter string carry sound better?

Write your prediction before you build:

🔧 Procedure

1 Poke a small hole in the bottom of each cup. (Ask a grown-up to help.) 2 Thread the string through the hole in each cup. Tie a paper clip to each end inside the cup so it stays. 3 Test 1: Walk apart until the string is loose. One person talks into the cup. Can the other person hear? 4 Test 2: Pull the string tight. Talk into the cup again. Is it louder or clearer? 5 Try touching the string while your partner is talking. What happens? Record your observations.

👁️ Observation Log

Loose String 🪢

Could you hear? Tap how loud.

🔇

🔉

🔊

Quiet / Medium / Loud

Tight String 🏹

Could you hear? Tap how loud.

🔇

🔉

🔊

Quiet / Medium / Loud

Touching String 👆

What happened when you touched the string?

✅ Conclusion

What happened? Was your hypothesis correct? Why does sound travel better through a tight string?

🚀 Extension

What would you try differently next time?