On 3Oct23, Dr. Stephenson visited Tabb Elementary School to conduct a hands-on laboratory demonstrating how vibrations produce sound. Using a slinky he demonstrated transverse (side to side) and longitudinal waves (along the spring). He talked about differences in frequency, and how large items tend to have lower pitch than smaller items. He demonstrated this concept with tuning forks, and showed how we can see the sound being produced by watching the tips of the tuning fork vibrate back and forth.
Students then got to break into small groups and investigate the production of sound and vibration at various stations around the room. They got to spin Sound Tubes, test tuning forks, bang on Boomwhackers, and look at patterns that appear on a Chladni plate vibrated at different frequencies. The 20-minute lesson for each class addresses Virginia SOL 1.2.
