Ears
Experiment with ways to amplify sounds (make noises sound louder).
Have you ever noticed that not all animal ears are the same? Some are large (like an elephant) and some are small (like a mouse) and some do not have ears (like some butterflies). Our ears use vibration to detect sound.
What You Need
- 1 piece of printer paper
- 1 piece of construction paper
- 1 cup with the end cut out
- Scissors
Guide:
Safety Notes
Ensure you are familiar with Let's Talk Science's precautions with respect to safe virtual outreach to youth.
Do not put anything in your ear.
What To Do
- Listen to the noise around you. What do you hear? Knock on the floor or table with your hand to make a louder sound.
- Take the printer paper and form it into a cone shape. Put the small end of the cone near the outside of your ear. Do not put the paper in your ear.
- Now listen to the sound around you.
- Do you notice anything different about the sound- is louder or softer?
- Knock on the floor or table again.
- Do you notice anything different about the sound?
- Cut the piece of construction paper into a long pointy shape like a rabbit's ear (see pictures in guide). Now hold the bottom of the ears so they cup around your own ear a bit and listen again.
- What do you notice about the sound?
- Do long ears make the sounds louder, softer or change the sound in any other way?
- Lastly, use the small paper cup with the end cut out. Place the smaller end over your ear and notice the sounds.
- What do you notice?
Discovery
Sound is a form of energy. The inside of our ear does the work to send messages to our brain so we hear, but the outside of our ears can also affect how we hear. The ears you tested out today probably amplified the sound (made the sound louder). Animals have different shaped ears to help them hear in ways that are best for them. The outside of ears are called 'pinnae'. Our ears have twists and turns that help us hear other human voices and less sounds that might be in the background.
Guide:
What's Happening?
Sound is a form of energy. The inside of our ear does the work to send messages to our brain so we hear, but the outside of our ears can also affect how we hear. The ears you tested out today probably amplified the sound (made the sound louder). Animals have different shaped ears to help them hear in ways that are best for them. The outside of ears are called 'pinnae'. Our ears have twists and turns that help us hear other human voices and less sounds that might be in the background.