Sound & Hearing

No Sound Through Empty Space

In NO SOUND THROUGH EMPTY SPACE, a jar containing a bell, a fan and a pinwheel lets visitors investigate what happens to sound in a vacuum. When the jar is filled with air, the bell rings and the spinning fan causes the pinwheel to turn around. When the vacuum button is pushed, evacuating the jar, the pinwheel stops spinning (even though the fan is still turning) and the bell's ring becomes difficult to hear (even though the striker can still be seen hitting the bell).