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Why do you hear the sound of the ocean in a seashell? |
by Mya Kagan (whyzz writer) >> more about the author
Shell it out!
Next time you're at the beach, inspect the different shells that you find. Take a close look at shapes, sizes, and colors.
What do you think are the benefits of each specific shell for the different animals who used to live inside each one? Do you think certain colors are better for hiding? Maybe sizes have something to do with the size of the critter who lived in them. And what would different shapes be helpful for?
If you lived in a shell, what shape, size, and color would you want it to be, and why??
Have you ever visited the beach and then brought home a seashell as a souvenir? Did you notice even after you’d left the beach, you could still hear the sound of the ocean by holding the shell up to your ear?! How did the huge waves of the ocean get stuck inside that tiny shell?!
As cool as it would be to bring home the entire ocean in just a little seashell, the truth is that it’s not the ocean you’re hearing when you hold that shell up to your ear. What actually happens when you hold a shell up to your ear is that all the sounds around you, which you might not even otherwise notice, get amplified (made louder) by the shell! The shell “collects” the sounds in your surroundings so that what you hear when you hold it up to your ear is all of those sounds bouncing back out at you! It’s really just a neat coincidence that this noise sounds so much like the ocean where the seashell came from!
However, just because the sound inside that shell isn’t the actual ocean doesn’t mean you can’t still pretend like it is! Use your special seashells to remember you fun trip to the beach and the sounds of those awesome waves!!
Shell it out!
Next time you're at the beach, inspect the different shells that you find. Take a close look at shapes, sizes, and colors.
What do you think are the benefits of each specific shell for the different animals who used to live inside each one? Do you think certain colors are better for hiding? Maybe sizes have something to do with the size of the critter who lived in them. And what would different shapes be helpful for?
If you lived in a shell, what shape, size, and color would you want it to be, and why??
