Museum of Science and Industry

Sound Like a Turkey

Try this simple activity to make a sound like a turkey.

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Lesson at a glance

Sound happens when something vibrates. What kind of sounds can you get from just a cup and a string? Try this simple activity and find out.

Students Will Know:
Sound is caused by vibrations in a medium. Different materials vibrate differently and produce different sounds.
Vibrate - to move rapidly back and forth
Pitch - how high or low a sound made by a particular instrument will sound to the ears. Pitch is determined by the frequency of the sound waves.
Frequency - how often a sound wave goes by

Students Will Be Able To:
Describe how vibrations create a sound
Change the pitch of their instrument by changing the length of the instrument and by creating finger holes along the instrument

Illinois Learning Standards

Late Elementary
State Goal 11: A.2b; A.2c; A.2d
State Goal 12: C.2a
Middle / Junior High
State Goal 11: A.3a; A.3b; A.3c; A.3d; A.3f
State Goal 12: C.3a; C.3b
State Goal 13: A.3c

Background information

The water helps your fingers move down the string, but there is still some friction. This makes your fingers catch on and pull at the string, causing it to vibrate. The vibrations travel up the string to the cup, and the cup amplifies the vibrations, producing the sound you hear. It may not sound exactly like a turkey, but it’s fun to experiment and see what sounds you can create!