Musical glasses are a fun way to combine
Art, Math, Music & Science!
For this week’s weekly challenge, you’ll need a few materials. Feel free to experiment with other materials you have at home as well.
- 8 identical water glasses
- water
- a set of measuring cups
- food coloring (optional)
- 1 plastic spoon
- 1 sheet of paper
- Tape
- pen/pencil
Instructions:
- Use a measuring cup to fill each of the glasses with the correct amount of water. Use the image below as a guide.
- For fun, you can add a drop of food coloring to your glasses or two drops to make green, orange, or purple.
- Label your glasses. Use the image below as a guide.
- With a plastic spoon, gently tap each glass and listen for the sound it makes.
- Notice which glass makes a lower sound and a higher sound.
- Try playing these simple songs or create your own.
For your submission, you can make a video of yourself playing a song with your glasses or you can create a Pic Collage with pictures of your process. You may also choose another creative way to display your learning. Submit your work using the link below.
The SCIENCE behind the MUSIC
The science of sound is all about vibrations. When you hit the glass with the spoon, it vibrates and it’s these vibrations that ultimately make the sound. You probably noticed that tapping an empty glass produced a higher-pitched sound than tapping a glass full of water. Adding water to the glass dampens the vibrations created by striking the glass with a spoon. The less water in the glass, the faster the glass vibrates and the higher the pitch. The more water you add to the glass, the slower the glass vibrates, creating a lower pitch.
Activity adapted from Musical Water Glasses at https://www.connectionsacademy.com/resources/instructographics/music-water-glasses and https://www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/pop-bottle-sounds/
Step 1: Watch “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds.