Why do echoes happen?
An echo happens when your voice bounces off a wall and comes back!
Pip’s answer
- An echo happens when your voice bounces off a wall and comes back!
- Sound travels through the air in waves, like ripples in a pond.
- When the waves hit a big hard wall, they bounce right back to you.
- Ooh, bats use echoes to find their way in the dark!
Try it together
Can you say hello, then a tiny hello, like an echo?
For grown-ups
Sound travels as pressure waves through air. When those waves hit a large, hard surface, like a cliff or gym wall, they reflect back. If the reflection arrives at least about a tenth of a second after the original sound, we hear it separately as an echo. Bats and dolphins use echolocation to find their way.
Ask your child: Where do you think is the best place near us to hear an echo?
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- 📯Why does a whistle make noise?
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- 🍎Why do things fall down?
- 🧲Why do magnets stick?
- 🫧Why are bubbles round?
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