3. Pluck the skinny rubber band and listen.
A sound with higher pitch is caused by vibrations that are fast. A sound with lower pitch is caused by vibrations that are slow. The size of an object helps to determine if it will vibrate fast or slow and therefore its pitch.
1. Put the rubber bands around the milk carton the long way.
2. Put one pencil under the rubber bands near each end of the carton.
3. Pluck the skinny rubber band and listen.
4. Now pluck the fat rubber band and listen. Does the skinny rubber band have a higher or lower pitch than the fat one?
____ Higher
____ Lower
5. Pluck the rubber bands again and watch them vibrate. Does the whole rubber band vibrate or just the part between the pencils?
____ The whole rubber band
____ Just the part between the pencils
6. Let's try making the length between the pencils shorter. First, pluck the skinny rubber band again and remember its sound. Move one of the pencils to the middle of the carton. Pluck the skinny rubber band again. Is the new sound higher or lower in pitch?
____ Higher
____ Lower
Look at your results in the last two steps and complete this sentence:
An object that is long or fat will have a pitch that is ______________ (higher/lower) than an object that is skinny or short.