Lab# 10

Date: Jan 25, 2022

Title: Sound

Problem Statement: Students in a Chemistry class are having difficulties in

understanding how sound travels in various mediums. Plan and design an experiment
to compare the speed of sound in solids, liquids and gases.

Hypothesis: The speed of sound is fastest in solids, slow in liquids and the slowest in
gases.

Aim: To compare the speed of sound in solids, liquids and gases.

Apparatus: 3 packs of dominoes, 3 balloons, 3 pins, a metre rule, plasticine

Diagram of Apparatus:

Variables:
Manipulating - The different spaces/ distances between each of the dominoes.
Responding - The time that the sets of dominoes take to burst each balloon
Controlled - The size and type of dominoes.

Method:
1. Obtain three packs of dominos with three different colours(purple,blue and
orange).
2. Label the purple set solid, the blue set liquid and the orange set gas.
3. Inflate three balloons and place them at the end of a table beside each other
using plasticine to secure them.
 4. Get the purple pack of dominos which represents solid and place them standing
up 2 cm away from each other.
5. Mold a small piece of palestine between your fingers to form a ball.
6. Place the small plasticine on the purple domino .
7. Place the blunt edge of a pin into the centre of the plasticine allowing the sharp
edge to point forward.
8. Place the purple domino with the plasticine on it on the table to stand with the
rest of dominos with the pin facing the balloon.
9. Repeat steps 4-8 for the blue(liquid) and orange(gas) dominoes but use 3 cmm
for the blue and 4 cm for the orange.
10. Place a ruler behind the purple blue and orange dominos and push at the same
time and the order in which the balloon pops will tell you how speed travels in
solids, liquids and gases.
11. Record all your results.

Expected Results
In the experiment we can see that each set of dominoes are set up at different
distances for solid, liquid and gas hence the time each row falls will differ. It is expected
that the dominoes representing solids will fall and burst the balloon first or the quickest.
The dominoes representing liquids will be second in time to fall and burst the balloon,
with the dominoes representing gas will fall and burst the balloon last. The sounds of
the balloons will burst in chronological order meaning right after the other so 1st, 2nd
and 3rd …solid, liquid then gas.

Source of Error:
1. The dominoes in each row may not be evenly spaced for their representation.

Precaution:
1. Ensure that the distance between each domino is measured before the
experiment is done