Sounding Stones

The Sounding Stones act as a xylophone. Use the hammer to hit one of the stones and listen. The vibrations cause a standing wave to arise in the stone. They then propagate through the air as regions of higher and lower density of the air molecules. When these reach the ear, signals are sent to the brain that we experience as sound. The height of a stone determines the frequency of the sound waves and thus the pitch of the note created. The taller the stone, the higher its tension, and the higher the pitch.

Here, you can learn more about how the ear and hearing work!