We take it for granted don’t we … someone bangs a drum or strums a guitar or toots on a recorder and we hear that sound instantaneously. But how does this work? What’s actually happening?

A sound is made when something vibrates (drum skin, guitar strings, air inside a recorder). The air particles next to that vibration start to vibrate which makes the air particles next to those air particles vibrate which makes the air particles next to those air particles vibrate which makes …. etc etc .. until the air particles next to and in your ear  are vibrating and then your brain tells you what the sound is. This of course all happens at the SPEED OF SOUND … (very fast).

Hopefully our demonstrations will give you a visual understanding of this bit of physical awesomeness.