Book 10, Question 27
Why Can a Stethoscope Let You Hear a Heartbeat?
A stethoscope lets you hear a heartbeat because it carries sound from your chest right to a doctor's ears! Heart sounds are quiet, so the tubes help guide them. Doctors listen for a steady rhythm and for valve clues.
More fun facts
- The stethoscope was invented in 1816.
- A stethoscope has a small disc at one end and earpieces at the other, joined by a long tube.
- The disc and tube make small sounds inside the body louder, and the sounds travel up the tube to the doctor's ears.
- You can make a simple stethoscope at home with a funnel taped into a paper towel tube.
- Newer stethoscope add-ons can send heart sounds to a doctor anywhere in the world.
Sources: BBC, Scientific American, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Where should you listen for a heartbeat?
Place the funnel flat on the left side of the chest.