Experiment: The Screaming Balloon

In this episode, Mindy and Guy Raz go to ScreamCon to unpack the six different types of human screams, and learn why not all screams are so bad! This Screaming Balloon Experiment is as easy as they come to set up and is sure to drive your grownups absolutely bonkerballs! It’s also a great way to learn about the science of sound!

Materials: 

• balloons
• a handful of hex nuts

Wow-To:

Step 1: Start with one balloon and one hex nut. Squeeze a hex nut through the mouth of the balloon. Make sure that the hex nut goes all the way into the balloon so there is no danger of it being sucked out while blowing up the balloon.

Step 2:  Blow up the balloon and tie it off! Be careful not to over inflate the balloon, you don’t want it to burst.

Step 3: Grasp the neck of the balloon (the knotted end) with one hand.

Step 4: While holding the balloon, swirl it in a circular motion. The hex nut may bounce around at first, but it will soon begin to roll around the inside of the balloon.

Step 5: Once the hex nut begins to spin, use your other hand to stabilize the balloon. Your hex nut should continue to spin for 10 seconds or more. Listen up!

Step 6: What is that sound? A hex nut has six sides, and these flat edges cause the hex nut to bounce or vibrate inside the balloon. The screaming sound is made by the sides of the hex nut vibrating against the inside wall of the balloon.