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Seismometer next ZOOMsci | ZOOMsci index | list of activities | Your Results Sent in by: Alexander J. of Alexandria, VA Make a machine to measure movement. Materials needed:
Instructions: 1. Do you know what a seismometer is? It's a machine that shows earthquakes or other movement. Here's how you make a really simple one that can measure movements that you make in your house. 2. Check with a grown-up before you begin. Cutting a cardboard box can be pretty tricky. 3. First, take a box and open the top. Cut off the flaps and turn the box so the open side faces you. 4. Using scissors, poke two holes next to each other in the center of the top of the box. You may want to ask an adult to help with the scissors. 5. Poke one hole in the center of the bottom of the plastic cup, one hole along the rim of the cup, and another hole exactly opposite that hole. 6. Put the marker through the hole in the center of the bottom of the cup. The writing end should be sticking out of the bottom of the cup. 7. Put some clay around the hole so that the marker won't move. 8. Cut a 45cm piece of string (although if you have a bigger box, you may need a longer piece) and thread it through the two holes along the rim of the cup. 9. Then, thread the string through the holes in the box, so that both ends of the string are equally in the box. Tie the ends on top of the box. 10. Fill the cup 3/4 of the way with something that'll weigh the cup down. You can put anything in the cup to weigh it down-marbles, bolts, rocks, anything heavy will work. 11. Cut a strip of paper that's as long as the box and approximately 5 inches wide. 12. Put one end of the paper under the marker. Take the cap off the marker and make sure that it sticks out of the cup far enough so it touches the paper. 13. Now have someone shake the box right and left while someone pulls the paper forward. If you do this right, you should get a squiggley line on the paper. The more you shake the box, the wider the lines will be. Try pounding on the table and see what kind of lines it makes. Try making some changes to it so that it can detect really small movements, like singing or talking softly. You could also try making the holes in the box closer together or adding more weight to the cup. Be sure to share what you've learned with other ZOOMers around the country. You can also send us your pictures or video of this ZOOMsci: ZOOMsci ZOOM Box 350 Boston, MA 02134 Some of your results: Destiny, Ashton & Warren of GA wrote: When we shook the box, it went right to left. When we pounded on the table, it went front to back. We put clay on the top of the cup so the marbles would not fall out even though the marbles did fall out it was a great project! Abigail, Eric & John of Toccoa, GA wrote: It was fun and hard to build. But it was fun to watch it go. We used a sharpy marker instead of a pen. We used marbles and clay. And a shorter piece of sring then you used. Ondi and Daniel wrote: Today we made a seismometer. We had a lot of fun. We put an extra string on our seismometer to make it more stable. The reason we did this is so it will keep it on the seismogram. It was rely fun because we got to see what it rely looks like. We are working on volcanos so it realy helped us learn about one of the tools that scientist use to measure and study volcanos vibrations. This was a cool and interesting activity. Nathaniel, age 8 of Toccoa, GA wrote: We made a seismometer by using a marker, clay, a cup, a 45 cm peice of string, marbles, and a topless cardboard box. One time we placed the Seismometer on the printer and printed to see the Seismogragh record a Seismogram. Logan, age 7 of Toccoa, GA wrote: We made a seismometer. I used marbles, marker, 45 cm peace of yarn, clay, box that is topless, AND A CUP. It made scriblescrables when we put it on the printer. It was cool! Allie, age 7 of Toccoa, GA wrote: We made a seismometer with clay, marbles, a cup, string, marker, and a box. We got a box and punched two holes in the center of the top. Then we strung the string into the top of a box and strung a cup to it. Then put marbles in it and put clay over it and then stuck a marker in the bottom of it. We tested it. It worked awsome. Then we put it on the printer and it worked good to. Yaquisha, age 16 of Lilburn, GA wrote: I'm crediting Sarah and Phil's comment on what this device is called. My father works for the U. S. National Geological Survey laboratory and he works with seismographs for a living. Yes, it is called a seismograph. The device itself is called a seismograph, however, the actual recording of the lines for the vibrations is called a seismogram. The scientific seismographs of laboratories have to have a stationary object that is relative to the ground’s movement. This object consists of some type of mass suspended on springs within a case. The unit is called a seismometer. During the vibration of an earthquake, the mass remains still, while the case around it moves with the ground’s vibrations. Sarah, age 14 of NH wrote: I've been studying seismometers for a science report and your design, though relatively simple, seemed liked it worked as well as some of the more high tech ones with larger masses. In response to Phil, a seismograph is what you call the measurement of movement, or the lines that are recorded from your machine. The actual contraption is called a seismometer. Ishwarya, age 8 of Tallahassee, FL wrote: I did this science project in my summer holidays. I got lot of lines. I know after I complete my project I saw earthquakes how it looks like. Lindsay, age 11 of Portland, OR wrote: I made it and when I went to school I left it sitting there. When I got home I checked to see how much the earth shaked. It did shake, but not that much. Vanessa, age 12 of Wilmington, CA wrote: At school we were studing about earthquakes so my friend and I decided to do the seismometer. It really worked!!! Our teacher was really inpressed on how we did it! Thanks ZOOM!!! We got extra credit!! Phil, age 12 of Atlanta, GA wrote: This is called a seismograph not a seismometer! Parker, age 8 of Tiburon, CA wrote: The experiment worked better when we taped the box securely to the table. We also cut a long skinny hole in the back of the box near the bottom and pulled a long strip of paper through it. Then we were able to "record" lots of earthquakes or tremors just like a real seismograph! Gavin, age 5 of MD wrote: Did not work the way yours did, need help! Yolanda, age 13 of NM wrote: I did it for a science fair and it was success. I build it with my partner and it work. It made a lot of lines! Thank you! Luis, age 8 of NY wrote: When I did it for the science fair the judges we're impressed our class won first place.
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