• Question: why does our voice go funny when we inhale helium ?

    Asked by anon-200922 to Rosemary, Oliver, Leigh, Jordan, Hannah, David on 4 Mar 2019.
    • Photo: Oliver Gordon

      Oliver Gordon answered on 4 Mar 2019:

      Sound travels differently depending on how heavy things are. Just like ping pong balls floating on water, helium and the general air around us weigh a different amount in any given amount of space. Sound moves about three times quicker in helium than in general air.

      Your voice is produced by your vocal chords vibrating about (go and twang a rubber band – you will see it wave – that’s what your vocal chords are doing to the air around them). In helium, the higher pitched sounds get louder than in air because it’s lighter. So your voice then goes higher!

Comments