Why does tin foil makes so much noise when you touch it?
In: Physics
Tinfoil (really aluminium foil) is both hard and weak. It’s a rigid material because aluminium is rigid. This makes it good for making sounds, as it can vibrate rather than flopping like fabric. However, because it’s rolled very thin, it’s easy for us to bend it when we move it. Each time you move it, it’s like loads of tiny cymbals being hit.
Every time you use tin foil (or aluminum foil) it’s like handling a miniature version of a sheet of regular metal.
If you bend it, it creaks. If you fold it, it crunches. If you crush it, it crackles. If you shake it, it makes a fwubbuhwubbah sound.
With aluminum foil, it’s all the same thing, but all of that is happening so fast at a smaller level because of how thin the material is, so it happens at both a much higher rate and pitch.
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