• Question: why do you spaeak differently when you breath in helium?

    Asked by someh001 to Ben, Jony, Katharine, Mark, Peter on 16 Nov 2011.
    • Photo: Katharine Schofield

      Katharine Schofield answered on 16 Nov 2011:

      That’s because sounds travels faster in helium than it does in normal air (because it’s low density makes it easier for the sound waves to compress it). So when you breathe in the helium, it passes over your vocal chords and distorts the sounds you make. The wavelength of the sound stays the same (because the geometry of your vocal chords doesn’t change), but because the speed of sound is greater, the frequency is higher and so you sound higher pitched. (wavelength = speed/frequency).

      Even though I can explain why it works, it still cracks me up every time.
      🙂

    • Photo: Mark Basham

      Mark Basham answered on 16 Nov 2011:

      It also works if you play an instrument after breathing it too 🙂 Very amusing

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