Have you ever made a spoon bell using two plastic cups and string?
It’s easy to make this instrument. Punch a hole in two cups–paper cups work and you can use a pencil to make the hole. If you use plastic cups, use a nail or ice pick. Kite string works great. Tie a metal spoon in the center of the string, and then thread the string through the holes in the cups. Attach something to keep the strings from pulling out of the holes–a button or paper clip.
Tapping the spoon produces a sound much like a church bell. Try it!
CLUE: Make sure the string and the spoon do not touch your cloths. I lean forward a bit so that the spoon hangs freely, and then I ask someone to, use another metal spoon to tap the hanging spoon.
This simple experiment leads to lots of inquiring questions, such as:
I wonder…How would these changes affect the sound:
- type of cup?
- size of cup?
- type of string?
- length of string?
- type of spoon?
- size of spoon?
I wonder…Would changing the tapping tool affect sound? How about a pencil or plastic spoon?
For more Investigation ideas about sound, see
Science Fair Project Ideas About Sound