Visualize Vibration of Sound Waves

When we are in a concert or just blasting music from a speaker, we often feel a vibration to our body, but why is that? Although we can’t see sound waves with our eyes, every noise we hear, whether it’s music, speech, or a dog barking, is created by vibrations moving through the air. In this project, you’ll build a simple setup to visualize the vibration of sound waves using only everyday materials.

A phone or computer, a speaker of any size, a container that fits the speaker, plastic wrap, and some salt or sugar.

Turn on the speaker and set it to preferably max volume for stronger vibration. Then put it in the container and using plastic wraps, cover the top tightly, ensuring that the surface is as smooth as possible. (Pro tip: Use tape to tape the plastic wrap tightly to the container for better results!)

Sprinkle a pinch of salt or sugar on the plastic wrap surface, and connect your digital device to your speaker.

Turn on your favorite music and watch the magic happen! The salt or sugar will start to jump, dance, and form patterns as the sound waves hit the plastic wrap. Try playing sounds with different pitches or volumes and take notes or short videos of how the vibrations change. Bonus points if you record in slow motion!