Eli5- How does the stick that goes “oooah” when you turn it one way and “aaoooh” when you turn it the other way work??

Question

Eli5- How does the stick that goes “oooah” when you turn it one way and “aaoooh” when you turn it the other way work??

In: Other

Answer 1

The size of the cavity that produces the sound changes, if I am thinking of the same device as you’re trying to describe. It’s effectively the same as using bottles or glasses of water filled to different levels as an instrument, except a sliding rod is used instead of liquid.

When you turn the stick one way, a piece inside the cavity moves and the cavity expands while causing air around the valve to reverberate, producing sound. When you turn the stick the other way, the cavity shrinks and the sound changes in “reverse”.