Do tin cans and strings work?

The key is to make sure that the string is tight between the two cups, and this normally means that the distance is limited and the two people have to be connected to each other by a straight line. But as long as the string is tight, it works. It is also a great way to understand how telephones and radio work.

What kind of string do you use for a tin can phone?

You will need 2 empty tin cans, a hammer, a nail or screw, masking or duct tape, and a long piece of cotton string or fishing line, about 10 to 30 feet in length.

How can a tin can telephone be used to communicate?

Description: The tin can telephone is made of a string connecting two tin cans or paper cups. When the sender talks into one side it vibrates air in the cup which vibrates the bottom of the cup. This vibration is transferred through the string and received at the other end by sound.

How is one person able to hear the other person though you are speaking through a tin can?

When you send those vibrations into the can, they cause the back end to vibrate. This vibration is passed along the string and into the other can. When that can vibrates, it creates vibrations in the air once again and you can hear the other person’s voice!

Will twine work for a tin can phone?

The string should not be too “dispersive”. The string should “couple well” to the can. If you tie a knot in a piece of fishing line to hold it in place in a hole in the can, the knot itself can flex and dissipate energy instead of transmitting it to the wall of the can.

How far can a tin can phone work?

Their maximum range was very limited, but hundreds of technical innovations (resulting in about 300 patents) increased their range to approximately half a mile (800 m), or more under ideal conditions.

Do can phones actually work?

How Do Tin Can Phones Work? Talking causes little vibrations in the air in front of your mouth, as you can tell by speaking into your hand. This vibration is passed along the string and into the other can. When that can vibrates, it creates vibrations in the air once again and you can hear the other person’s voice!

How far can a tin can telephone work?

How long can a tin can phone be?

796 ft
The longest functioning tin can telephone is 242.62 m (796 ft), and was achieved by Puzz Lab Inc., SUSUMU Inc., Gakken Plus Co. Ltd., Roy Hobbs Inc. and Hirofumi Yumoto (all Japan) in Chosei, Chiba, Japan, on 17 August 2019.

Do Cup phones actually work?

A string telephone works very much like a landline phone. When you talk into the cup your voice sends sound waves inside the cup, vibrating the bottom of the cup. The sound waves become vibrations inside the second cup, transferring the sound of your voice.

What kind of device is a tin can telephone?

A tin can telephone is a type of acoustic (non-electrical) speech-transmitting device made up of two tin cans, paper cups or similarly shaped items attached to either end of a taut string or wire.

How does a child talk through a tin can phone?

To speak through the tin-can phone, children should move apart until the string is taut. One child speaks into the can at one end, while the other listens. The sound waves created by speech cause the can to vibrate. This in turn causes the string to vibrate.

How do you talk with a tin can and string?

Have each person take an end and walk apart until the string is TIGHT. One person then holds the can or cup to their ear while the other talks into their can or cup. Ideally, you’ll want to stand far enough apart that you can speak normally into the phone and not be heard by the other person.

How big is the worlds longest tin can phone?

The Guinness Book of World Records says the worlds longest FUNCTIONING tin can phone was made in Japan in August 2019. It went 242.626 meters, or 796 feet! That’s almost three football fields long! Sadly, there’s no details on how the phone was made or what materials they used.