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The science of sound is based in vibration. All sounds, from your car stereo, a saxophone, or a car driving by, are actually sound waves. These sound waves are vibrations traveling through the air that reach your ears.

How does the Ghost Balloon make that noise?

To understand how and why it works, you have to look at the forces that are acting on the hex nut. The shape of the balloon makes the hex nut move in a circular path. Otherwise, the hex nut would want to continue to move in a straight line. Another force to consider is friction. There’s very little friction between the edge of the hex nut and the balloon. More friction would cause the hex nut to slow down and stop.

The real force in action here is a centripetal, or center-seeking, force. Centripetal force is the inward force on a body that causes it to move in a circular path.

A hex nut has six sides, and these flat edges cause the hex nut to bounce or vibrate inside the balloon. The screaming sound is made by the sides of the hex nut vibrating against the inside wall of the balloon. And it is this vibration which creates the sound that you hear !!

How does the Ambulance Whistle work??

The Whistle actually works through the vibration of air itself and, more specifically, the column of air inside the straw. When you blow the air across the top of the longer straw segment, you are causing the column of air to vibrate. This vibrating column of air creates the whistling sound you hear. The pitch of the whistling is dependent on how much air you allow to be inside the straw. The more air that is inside the straw, the lower the pitch of the whistle. Less air creates a higher pitch.