Science, Tech, Math › Science Can You Shatter a Glass with Your Voice? How to Shatter a Glass Without Being an Opera Singer Print With the right pitch and enough volume, you can shatter a glass using just your voice. Level1studio, Getty Images Science Chemistry Projects & Experiments Basics Chemical Laws Molecules Periodic Table Scientific Method Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Medical Chemistry Chemistry In Everyday Life Famous Chemists Activities for Kids Abbreviations & Acronyms Biology Physics Geology Astronomy Weather & Climate By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Chemistry Expert Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on October 05, 2019 Fact or Fiction?: You can shatter a glass using just your voice.Fact. If you generate a sound, with your voice or another instrument that matches the resonant frequency of the glass, you produce constructive interference, increasing the vibration of the glass. If the vibration exceeds the strength of the bonds holding the molecules together, you'll shatter the glass. This is simple physics -- easy to understand, but harder to actually do. Is it possible? Yes! Mythbusters actually covered this in one of their episodes and made a YouTube video of a singer shattering a wine glass. While a crystal wine glass is used, it's a rock singer who accomplishes the feat, proving you don't have to be an opera singer to do it. You just have to hit the right pitch and you have to be loud. If you don't have a loud voice, you can use an amplifier. Shatter a Glass With Your Voice Ready to give it a try? Here's what you do: Read More Use Dry Ice to Make a Spoon Sing By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. Put on safety glasses. You're going to shatter a glass and you'll likely have your face close to it when it breaks. Minimize the risk of getting cut! If you're using a microphone and amplifier, it's a good idea to wear ear protection and turn the amplifier away from you. Tap a crystal glass or rub a damp finger along the rim of the glass to hear its pitch. Wine glasses work particularly well because they usually consist of thin glass. Sing an "ah" sound at the same pitch as the glass. If you aren't using a microphone, you'll probably need the glass close to your mouth since the intensity of the sound energy diminishes with distance. Increase the volume and duration of the sound until the glass shatters. Be aware, it may take multiple tries, plus some glasses are much easier to shatter than others! Carefully dispose of the broken glass. Tips for Success If you aren't sure the glass is vibrating or that you have the right pitch, you can place a straw in the glass. Slide your pitch up and down until you see the straw shake. That is the pitch you want!While they are more fragile and it's easier to match the precise pitch of a crystal glass, there is some evidence it's easier to break ordinary cheap glass. Crystal glasses require 100+ decibels to shatter because they are... well... crystal. Ordinary glass is an amorphous solid that may be easier to disrupt (80-90 decibels). Don't discard a glass for your project just because it isn't "crystal."If you can't match the pitch of the glass, be aware you can break the glass by singing an octave lower or higher than its frequency. Have you broken a glass with your voice? Source Resnick and Halliday (1977). Physics (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 324. ISBN 9780471717164. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Can You Shatter a Glass with Your Voice?" ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/shatter-glass-with-your-voice-3975948. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2023, April 5). Can You Shatter a Glass with Your Voice? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/shatter-glass-with-your-voice-3975948 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Can You Shatter a Glass with Your Voice?" ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/shatter-glass-with-your-voice-3975948 (accessed April 26, 2024). copy citation