The Space Place :: Listening for Small Sounds

Have Super Hearing with a Super Sound Cone!

Pick out tiny sounds your ears alone can't hear. Make a simple sound cone to turn up the volume on whatever sounds are coming from a particular direction.

You will be amazed!

What you need:

A big piece of tag board or poster board, about 18 x 24 inches
Transparent tape

What to do:

This is so easy!

Just roll the poster board into a cone shape, leaving a small hole (about 1/2 to 1 inch across) at the pointed end. Leave the big end as wide as you can. Then tape the edge into position.

Take your cone outside. Put the small end in your ear. Point the cone in different directions and listen carefully. Notice how different the world sounds with and without the cone to aid your hearing.

Listen for small sounds coming from different directions

This girl can clearly hear her big sister's
watch ticking from this far away!

What tiny sounds did you notice with the cone that you didn't notice before?

Now, can you guess what these two objects have in common?

Let's find out!