Robert Kelemen

Partners: Gina Caballero

Sound Transmission
In this lab we investigated and demonstrated how sound travel in different media. Sound
is a sequence of compressions and rarefactions traveling through medium. Sound waves are
called longitudinal waves because the particles move back and forth in the direction of the wave
movement. Sound can be transmitted through any medium that is elastic enough to vibrate. In
general elastic materials are good conductors of sound. We were able to communicate through
the use of a cup and string to investigated how sound traveled through vibrate of the string.
The materials used in this experiment were two paper cups, copper wire, string, plastic
from the balloon, and a toothpick. First, we cut the bottom of the paper cup and placed a piece of
the plastic balloon over the bottom of the cup. We pulled the plastic piece over the bottom tightly
and tape it securely on the sides of the cup. It important that the plastic membrane must be taut
and free to vibrate. Then we made another cup in the same manner, so we would have a receiver
as well as the mouthpiece of the phone. Secondly, we made a tiny hole in the middle of the
membrane and run one end of the string line through the hole into the cup. Then we tie it to
middle of a small piece of the toothpick that we cut to keep it from touching the cup and we
repeated with the other cup. The toothpick will couple the vibration of the membrane to the line,
vice versa. When we finished making a string-phone that could transmit sound signals across a
distance, we began to communicate using the string-phone. It was important to make sure that
the string was pulled straight, so we could hear through the string-phone more clearly. We had to
find a suitable place to communicate with my partner using the string-phone then we used the
copper line phone. Finally, we made a party line by tying one string-phone to the middle of our
line.
Data:

Sounds is not clear

Clear sound

Clear sound

Sound is not clear

Clear sound

Clear sound

Clear sound

Clear sound

We had to keep the line taut and the line straight to have a clear sound. Our voice vibrated
the inside of the cup through the string, which in turn made the bottom of the cup vibrate. These
vibrations were transferred to the string and then into the bottom of my partner's cup, which
made the air inside of his or her cup vibrate and become sound. When the string goes loose, the
vibrations dissipate more easily and get lost along the way.
The Question from the Text:
1.Explain in detail how the sound is transmitted and reproduced in the string-phone. Also,
explain the difference (if any) in quality of the transmitted sound between the fishing line and
wire?
Sound travels through a medium, it can travel through anything that is elastic enough to vibrate.
The sound was reproduce and transmitted by the string. The sound was much clearer when we
used the
wire than the string.
2. Explain why a slackened line does not transmit sound.
A slackened line does not transmit sound because the wire is not free to vibrate. Its the vibration
stops in the bump and cannot go all the way through. Because sound travels best though things
with high elasticity, things that want to snap back to their original shape. This is because sound is
just a vibration traveling through a medium. That's why sound travels through solids much faster
than through air or liquids.
3. In which medium, air, water or steel, does sound travel the fastest and slower?
Steel is fastest because the vibration it creates. Water is medium because the movement of water
creates vibration. Air slowest because it hard for vibrations to go through air.