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Sounds
travels faster through denser materials than through less dense materials.
Water is denser than air; therefore sound travels about five times faster
through water than through air. Sound is the traveling of vibrations
through waves. We hear these waves as they travel through air, water or
solids, such as the ground.
You may have
seen in some old movies that a person would put their ear to a train track
to be able to tell if a train was coming. The sound of the train moves much
faster through the metal track than it does through the air.
You can
experiment with sound traveling though water during bath time. To
illustrate how sound travel better through water than air ring a bell
outside of water. Then, have your child go under, at least their ears, and
then have them ring a bell under water. How is the sound different?
They will
discover that the sound in the water is clear and louder than the sound in
the air. Don’t have a bell available to do this little experiment? You can
also demonstrate the same thing by tapping on the side of the tub. The
tapping sound will be much louder to your child while they are under the
water. Liquids truly carry sound farther and faster than air.
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