Describe the steps involved in constructing a model of a stethoscope
Answers
Answer:
A stethoscope allows you to listen to a person's heartbeat. They are commonly used by doctors and nurses, but make popular science experiments as well. Children also love to use stethoscopes when playing "doctor." Whether it is just for play or a science experiment, making your own stethoscope is easy and inexpensive.
1 Cover the top of a funnel with a balloon. Cut the tail-end of a balloon off, then pull it over the larger opening of a funnel. Pull it tightly enough so that it is stretched taut over the funnel, like a drum.[1]
You can use any size of funnel you want, but a smaller funnel will be easier to work with. Something around 3 inches (7.6 cm) wide would be ideal.
If you can't get a balloon or fit the balloon over the funnel, use a sheet of plastic wrap instead.[2]
2 Wrap electrical tape around the balloon to hold it in place, if needed. The balloon needs to be secure over the top of the funnel. If it keeps popping off, wrap a piece of electrical tape around the edge to hold it to the funnel.[3] If you used plastic wrap, you will definitely need to do this; you can also use a rubber band instead.[4]
If you don't have electrical tape, cut a strip of duct tape in half so that it's 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide, and use that instead.
4.
Stick the end of the funnel into a piece of clear, flexible, plastic tubing. Find some clear, flexible, plastic tubing that's wide enough for you to stick the end of the funnel into. Measure 24 inches (61 cm) of the tubing, cut it, then stick the narrow end of the funnel into it.[5]
You can buy plastic tubing in hardware stores, garden supply shops, and in the aquarium section of a pet store.
If the funnel is still loose, secure it to the tubing with a strip of electrical tape.
If the tube is too small for the end of the funnel to fit into, try it the other way around: poke the tube into the end of the funnel
4 Add a second, matching funnel to the other end, if desired. The stethoscope will still work if you leave the second funnel off. It just depends on what you find more comfortable: holding a funnel over your ear or sticking a piece of tubing into it.[6]
If you choose to use a second funnel, you do not need to cover it with a balloon.
Image titled Make a Homemade Stethoscope Step 5
5 Use the stethoscope in a quiet room. Place the balloon-covered end over your heart (or someone else's heart), and the other end against your ear. If you used a second funnel, make sure that the funnel is touching your head; if you left the tube as-is, gently stick the end into your ear, like an earbud. If the room is quiet enough, you should be able to hear the heart beating![7]
If you can't hear the heart, do some jumping jacks for about 1 minute, then try again. If you're listening to someone else's heart, have them do the jumping jacks.
A quiet room is important. Because this is a handmade stethoscope, it's not very strong or loud. A noisy room will drown out the heartbeat.