Science | Science Experiment of the Week 12 | 322 - Stomping Insects

Don't worry about the title of this week's experiment. We will not squash any insects. They will do the stomping. We are just going to listen to their tiny footsteps.

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This Week's Experiment - #322 Stomping Insects

These experiments are from Robert Krampf - The Happy Scientist

Don't worry about the title of this week's experiment. We will not squash any insects. They will do the stomping. We are just going to listen to their tiny footsteps. You will need:

an umbrella
some shrubs or bushes
A thin plastic cup or a paper cup
wax paper
a rubber band

First we need an insect. If you happen to have one nearby, you can use it. If you don't, you can use the umbrella to collect one, as we did last week. Open the umbrella and hold it upside down under a bush or tree limb. Give the bush a good shake and you should see several insects fall into the umbrella.

Look at the insects and pick one that looks interesting. We will be listening to their footsteps, so don't start with a tiny one, unless it has really big feet. Carefully scoop the insect you have selected into the cup. Place a piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil across the top of the cup and secure it with a rubber band or some tape.

Now we are ready to listen. Move to a quiet room. Place the bottom of the cup against your ear and listen carefully. If the insect is walking around, you should be able to hear its footsteps.

How can you hear the footsteps of such a tiny creature? To find out, go to the kitchen. Lean over and tap your finger on the floor. Listen carefully to the sound it makes. Open the cabinet and take out a box of cookies. Tap on the side of the box. This time the sound is much louder. The floor is stiff and solid. When you tap it, it does not vibrate much. The cookie box is much more flexible. Your tap causes it to vibrate back and forth. That causes the air around the box to vibrate. These vibrations in the air are what you hear as sound.

The insect walking on the cup causes it to vibrate, just as the cookie box did. When the side of the cup vibrates, it causes the air inside the cup to vibrate too. As the sound bounces around inside the cup, it soon has the entire cup vibrating. By placing the bottom of the cup against your ear, these intensified vibrations go straight to your eardrum, letting you hear the sound of an insect's footstep.

When you are done, be sure to release the insect, eat the cookies, and put everything away. Otherwise, you won't need the cup to hear the sound of someone telling you to come and clean up this mess!

Have a wonderful week.

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