If a tree fell in the woods and no one was around, would it make a sound?
From vibrations in speakers to light reflections and pixels in a camera, those were just some of the examples used to tackle the question “What is Sound?” in the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science’s 5th annual Flame Challenge.
As an annual competition, the Flame Challenge offers innovative science education for 11-year-olds.
The Flame Challenge asked scientists to answer the question “what is sound?” in a way that would interest and enlighten 11-year-olds.
More than 26,000 schoolchildren judged the entries, including children in Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sultanate of Oman, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Italy, as well as in the United States.
Nick Lucid, a physicist from Michigan who enticed kids with his descriptions of air wiggles, was the winner in the video category. Nick has an MS in physics from Eastern Michigan University and has been teaching college physics and explaining complex science in a clear and vivid way to the public on his YouTube channel: The Science Asylum.
Dr. Bruce Goldstein, the winner in the written category, painted a picture of sound by describing vibrations on a drum. Bruce is a distinguished teacher and Associate Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh and Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Arizona.
Learn more about the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science and the Flame Challenge:http://www.centerforcommunicatingscience.org/alan-alda-announces-winners-of-stony-brook-universitys-flame-challenge-scientists-explained-sound-to-11-year-olds/