Glass bottle orchestra
They sound pretty too! What songs can you play?
What you need
- 8 identical glass bottles
- water
- food colouring
- wooden sticks or xylophone mallets
What to do
- Fill the bottles with water, a different amount in each. Add food colouring to make the water levels visible.
- Make a chime-like sound by hitting each container with the mallet. Which bottle makes the highest sound?
- Now try blowing air across the mouth of each bottle to make a different sound. Which bottle is higher this time?
What's happening?
When the bottle is hit, sound waves are produced which travel through the water. The more water in the bottle, the lower the sound. When the bottle is blown across, the sound waves travel through the air instead of the water.
Extra Challenge
Tune the bottles by changing the water levels and see if you can play a simple melody like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
