Wonderwaves - The Science of Sound!

The Wonderwaves show is all about sound - how it is produced, how it travels, and how we hear it. During this interactive science show, various simple props are used to show the physics of sound and music, while some of SEIDAM's higher-tech exhibits such as the WGR1 wine glass shattering exhibit are also demonstrated. The wine glass is a spectacular demonstration of resonance and it is supplemented with footage of the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse that occured in 1940, where a suspension bridge collapsed only four months after its construction was completed.

Some pictures from the Wonderwaves sound show being
performed by Deborah Telfer and Ken Skeldon at Glasgow Science Centre

During the wonderwaves show, props such as wood saws, metal bars, tuning forks and rain sticks are used in the demonstrations. You can also hear tunes played on a wine glass harmonica - a series of wine glasses adjusted to resonate at different notes on the musical scale by the addition of various amounts of water. A Theremin musical instrument is also on show - this is the very first electronic musical instrument and the only instrument that can be played without actually touching it. The show ends with a musical finale involving lots of volunteers from the audience, all invited to play various types of percussion instruments.