Book 3, Question 107
Why Do Drums Boom?
A drum is a stretched skin, or plastic head, over a hollow body. A hit makes the head bounce, and that bounce shoves a big gulp of air into a booming sound wave. A larger head moves more air, so the boom is deeper.
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 3
More fun facts
- A drum is a hollow body with a skin stretched very tight over the top.
- When you hit the drum, the skin vibrates and makes the air around it vibrate too, forming sound waves.
- Big drums have lots of air inside them, and a lot of vibrating air makes a low, booming sound.
- A tight drum skin vibrates more times each second, which gives a higher sound than a loose one.
- Drums have been around a very long time and were often used in war.
- Archaeologists found a drum in Moravia, in Europe, that turned out to be 8,000 years old.
Questions kids ask
Why do big drums sound lower?
Big drums hold lots of air, and a lot of vibrating air makes a deep, low sound.