Book 14, Question 42
How Can Two Sounds Cancel Each Other Out?
Two sounds can cancel each other out when their waves are exact opposites! Where one wave goes up, the other goes down. When they meet, they add up to almost nothing.
More fun facts
- When two waves meet, they can add together or cancel each other out.
- If the peaks of one wave line up with the dips of another, they cancel.
- Two sound waves can combine to make a sound louder or make it fade.
- When waves combine, it is called interference.
- Noise canceling headphones make opposite sound waves to cancel out noise.
Sources: BBC, Exploratorium, Scientific American
Questions kids ask
How do noise canceling headphones work?
They make sound waves that cancel out the noise around you.