Sounds of Science

This week in science we watched this video link of Jaime breaking the glass with his voice. Then we set to work to develop initial ideas and hypotheses around how this phenomenon is scientifically possible. Some of the initial ideas and wonderings were:

" I noticed he gets closer to the glass. I think he has to be close for the glass to break."
" We noticed that right before he sings he taps the glass. We think he had to get to a certain pitch."
" The glass only breaks in one big chunk it doesn't really shatter. I wonder why that happens?"
"I think it is important that the glass is a circle. Then the sound waves can circle around and around the glass more freely than if it was a square glass."
" I think the fact that it is a thin wine glass is important. I don't think the glass would break if it was thicker or shorter."
" Would it still break if there was water in the glass?"

Collecting data using the iPad decibel reader

Next we set out to test some of these hypotheses. We read about how our voices work and the parts that are involved with making sound. Some of our new vocabulary words were diaphram, windpipe, and vocal cords. Then we tested these parts with different types of sounds (whisper, hum, talk, yell) at different volumes. Our inquiry task helped us to determine that a higher volume/bigger sound increased the vibration. This is why we think Jaime had to be screaming to break the glass.

At the end of the week we wanted to test our hypothesis that the singer had to be close to the glass. To do this, we set up markers at different distances (in cm.) and used a decibel reader application on the iPads and a vacuum cleaner to test how distance affects volume. Then we went outside to see if our data was consistent in both locations. We set up markers at different distances (in meters) and used a bull horn to test how the dB reading changed at each marker. Once we were back inside we learned how to compile our data to create a line graph, find range, and determine the average. Our data and graphs clearly confirmed our hypothesis that as distance increases, volume decreases. We applied this to our phenomenon and now understand why he had to be so close to the glass in order for it to break.

Next week we will continue to investigate some of the ideas and wonderings that we still have. Stay tuned!

Counting down to the next reading. Cover your ears!

In math this week we finished up a unit on fractions and the students reflected on their progress by comparing their pre and post tests. The overall growth in student understanding was  fantastic and they felt quite proud of their new learning. This week we will begin a new unit in mathematics. During this unit your child will  compare multi-digit numbers and identify the value of the digits in such numbers, use the standard algorithms for addition and subtraction, measure length, distance, liquid volume, time, mass, and weight, and convert measurements from one unit to another within the same system (e.g., centimeters to meters but not centimeters to inches)