Experiments / Toy Motor Speaker / Worksheets

Toy Motor Speaker: printable worksheets

Choose the sheet for the learner's age. Each prints on a single page. Build the project first, then fill it in together.

Ages 5-7: Draw & tell

Name: ______________________Date: ____________

Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · Toy Motor Speaker · Ages 5-7

The Singing Motor

Make your motor play music and listen.

1. Draw your motor, the pencil and the cup. Draw wavy lines where the sound comes out.

2. When the music plays, does the motor spin?

◯ Yes, it spins◯ No, it shakes

3. Which is louder?

◯ The motor by itself◯ The motor touching a cup

4. Touch the cup while it plays. What do you feel?

◯ Nothing◯ A buzzy shake

5. What was the loudest thing you tried?

Ages 8-10: Predict, test & record

Name: ______________________Date: ____________

Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · Toy Motor Speaker · Ages 8-10

Find the Best Sound Maker

Predict which surface makes the motor loudest, then test.

1. Predict: which will make the music loudest?

◯ Foam or plastic cup◯ Cardboard box◯ Foam plate◯ Tabletop

2. Why did you pick that one?

3. Keep the volume the same. Press the pencil on each surface and rate the sound from 1 (quiet) to 5 (loud).

Surface	Loudness (1-5)	Clear or buzzy?

4. What did you find out?

5. Why do you think the motor shakes instead of spinning when music plays?

Ages 11-14: Explain & design your own test

Name: ______________________Date: ____________

Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · Toy Motor Speaker · Ages 11-14

Motor Speaker Physics

Use electricity, magnets and vibration to explain your speaker.

1. On a battery the motor spins; on music it vibrates. Explain the difference using the words current, coil and magnet.

2. Why does pressing the pencil against a cup make the sound so much louder? Use the words vibrate and sound wave.

3. The energy changes in this speaker go in which order?

◯ sound -> motion -> electrical◯ electrical -> motion -> sound◯ motion -> electrical -> sound

4. Question: which surface makes the loudest speaker? Name what you change, what you observe, and two things you keep the same.

5. Design your own fair test (for example: cup size, cup material, or how hard you press).

Trial	What I changed	What I kept the same	What I heard

6. Where else: name a real device that turns an electrical signal into sound or vibration.

Answer guide for grown-ups

Homemade Science with Bruce Yeany · Toy Motor Speaker · Answer guide

Answer guide

Ages 5-7: The Singing Motor

Open answer: look for effort and careful observation.
No, it shakes
The motor touching a cup
A buzzy shake
Any surface they tried; often the cup or the box.

Ages 8-10: Find the Best Sound Maker

Any prediction is fine.
Any reason is fine (for example, big, thin or light).
Open answer: look for effort and careful observation.
Touching a surface makes the music much louder; light, thin, stiff things like a cup, foam plate or box usually work best.
Music electricity flips back and forth very fast, so the motor is pushed one way and then the other before it can turn. It shakes instead of spinning.

Ages 11-14: Motor Speaker Physics

A battery sends a steady current one way, so the coil is always pushed the same way by the magnets and the shaft keeps turning. The music signal is a current that keeps reversing, so the coil is pushed one way, then the other, and the shaft only vibrates.
The cup vibrates along with the pencil. Its large, light surface pushes on much more air than the motor can, making stronger sound waves.
electrical -> motion -> sound
Change: the surface. Observe: how loud (and clear) the music is. Keep the same: volume setting, song, pencil, how hard you press, distance from your ear.
Look for: only one thing changes between trials, everything else stays the same.
Examples: a loudspeaker, headphones or earbuds, a phone's vibrate motor, a doorbell or buzzer, bone-conduction headphones or hearing aids.