This week in Year 4, we explored how sound travels through solids, liquids and gases. Our learning objective was to investigate how sound travels through different materials and rate how well we could hear it out of 5. Here’s what we did:
- First, we tested how sound travels through water. We clashed metal spoons together underwater and listened carefully. The sound was quite clear, but slightly muffled compared to what we expected.
- Next, we experimented with how sound travels through a solid. We used two cups connected by a piece of string to create a homemade telephone. By speaking into one cup and listening through the other, we were surprised at how clear the sound was!
- Finally, we explored how sound travels through gas by standing outside and testing how well we could hear each other from different distances. The further apart we stood, the harder it was to hear clearly.
Through these investigations, we discovered that sound travels best through solids, followed by liquids and is weakest when traveling through gases. This is because particles in solids are packed closely together, allowing sound vibrations to move more easily. We had so much fun learning about sound and can’t wait for our next science investigation!
We were also lucky to have Milo’s mum visit our class to talk about her job working in a lab and studying hearing and how ears work. She told us about the tiny hair cells that she studies and explained the importance of looking after our hearing. She reminded us to listen to music at a low volume and to wear earplugs at loud concerts to protect our ears.
