Speed of Sound

Today we talked about whether sound would travel the fastest through a solid, liquid or gas. We demonstrated by acting as molecules. We stood in three separate lines, different spaces apart (one for solid, one for liquid, and one for gas).

Sound travels the fastest through a solid because the particles are closest together and therefore the particle to particle interaction can happen the fastest.

Speed of Sound in Different Mediums

The speed of sound in air is around 20 degrees Celsius is 343 m/s or 768 mph. We watched videos of different air crafts breaking the speed of sound and Felix Baumgartner breaking the speed of sound when he "sky dove" from 26 miles above Earth's surface.


We played more instruments the last couple of minutes of class.

The Best Thermos...

These two thermos were the best insulators. The best working thermos had a lid that went down into the water. The air in a thermos can help cool down the water faster. Without the air inside the thermos to circulate and cool off the water, the hot water can better maintain its temperature.

This thermos only lost 4 degrees Celsius. 

 This thermos lost a total of 3 degrees Celsius.

The Ear & Playing Instruments

2/5/13

Today we began by talking about the ear. We learned what the different parts of the ear did and why they were important.

Another topic we started on was loudness. The unit of measurement is decibels. The most decibels you can withstand without hearing damage is 85 dB. That is the sound of busy city traffic.

After, we each brought in instruments of our own to examine the ranges of each instrument. We played the highest pitch and the lowest pitch on each instrument.

                 

Thermos Design Challenge