Question

Describe an experiment to show that sound can travel in a solid.

Answer 1

Take two empty ice-cream cups. Make a small hole at the bottom of each cup and pass a long thread (about 20 m long) through them. Tie a knot or match-stick at each end of the thread so that the thread does not slip out through the holes. This makes a toy telephone as shown in the below figure (a).

Fig. (a)

Now, use the toy telephone as shown in the figure (b) with straight strings and talk to your friend. You will be able to hear the voice of your friend. This shows that sound travels through the thread and reaches your ear. Thus, sound can travel through a solid.

Fig. (b)