Science Experiments With The Discovery Lab

Discovery Lab at the Gathering Place is always teaching kids and adults something new.

One experiment focuses on sounds and vibrations. It explains how when you combine everyday objects, they can make extraordinary sounds.

Science is full of surprises. Discovery Lab’s Director of Education Chip Lindsey said it's all about knowing how to use to the tools.

"Knowing how materials behave when you put energy into them is hugely important, whether you want that vibration or whether you want to cancel that vibration,” Lindsey said.

For example, when you take a household object like a stemmed wine glass, it becomes a musical instrument.

When you dip your finger in water and rub it on the edges, it makes a whistling sound. The sound level depends on how much water is in the glass.

Another example is combining an aluminum rod with Rosin, the material used by musicians for bows and baseball players for grip.

When the rod is balanced in the center when conducting the experiment, you hear a screeching sound.

When a cardboard tube is placed over the flame on a Meker burner, the sound travels upward creating a low humming sound.

Lastly, you can take a straw and cut one end like a bird's beak, flatten it with your teeth, and blow into the straw to create a sound like a party blower.

"Everything in the universe has sounds that it wants to vibrate at, at least one, so we're looking at ordinary things that you have seen or have around your house that make extraordinary sounds if you know the secrets,” Lindsey said.