Does sound travel through a table?

This is the question that Year 1 students were asked.

Lots said NO! The table is too thick. The table is not air.
Some said YES! The table will vibrate and make the sound go through it.

Who was right?

The students got to investigate to find out.


One student put their ear on the table and at the other end the student gently tapped the table.
Could the listener hear the sound? YES!

This is because the tapping makes the table vibrate which sends the sound wave through the table to the listener's ear.

Next they tested whether sound would travel through the table and then through other things like a book or shoe.

The results of the investigation was recorded to show how well the sound went through the object. Lots of ticks means the sound travelled through well and was easy to hear. Only a few ticks means the sound was harder to hear.