A Fun Way to Demonstrate Resonance!

Demonstrate open- and closed-piped resonance with these colorful tubes. When whacked against the floor or your knee, each tube produces a clear tone. Students can even play songs! Tubes are color-coded and labeled with the musical note they produce. You'll get an 8-tone scale with 4 "Octavator" end caps, which halve the fundamental frequency, moving the tone down one octave. Experiment and lesson ideas are included. Approximately 12" to 24" long.

Activities and Uses

Use the Boomwhackers for many sound-related activities. Have the students graph length versus frequency produced. Download a color-coded song and play it with the class. Demonstrate resonance with a tuning fork and a Boomwhacker. 

Sample Activity

Noise Filtering: Take the Boomwhackers to a noisy environment, such as a crowded hallway or cafeteria. Put a tube to your ear and listen to the sounds. The tube filters and amplifies the same tone that it produces when it is whacked. If you hold the tube tightly against your head, it becomes a closed tube and will amplify the note an octave lower. 

Science Standards

In using this product, national and states' science education standards are covered. Some examples are provided here. These are representative, however. Check with your state to find the exact standards.

• Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The pitch of the sound can be varied by changing the rate of vibration.
• Waves, including sound and seismic waves, waves on water, and light waves, have energy and can transfer energy when they interact with matter.
• Relate characteristics of sounds that we hear to properties of sound waves.
• Verify that vibrating an object can produce sound.