The Scientific Method: Seashells

Have you ever held a beautiful seashell up to your ear and heard the faint sound of waves crashing coming from the shell? I observed this phenomenon recently and I began to consider how and why this sound is omitted from the shell. I have hypothesized that this sound could be trapped inside of the seashell for several reasons. When I consider the shape of a seashell, immediately I realize that the seashell is round on the interior, and often times compromised of many coiled layers, and I wonder if the sound of the ocean could be trapped inside of the shell and the sound omitted is basically echoing continuously as it bounces around for eternity inside of the seashell. Is the sound of the sea inside of a seashell a reminder of home? Is this maybe a coping mechanism for a variable that is now so far away from its natural element? I have also considered that this sound is nothing more than air and maybe it is possible that the sound that is omitted from a seashell could simply be the result of someone blowing deeply into the seashell, and the sound has nothing to do with the ocean after all.

To test my hypothesis I employed The Case Study method. I studied the available information on light and sound underwater, and I also studied several individual seashells. To begin I located an apple snail shell, a conch shell, a typical flat oyster shell and an olive shell. When I held the apple snail shell to my ear, I was unable to hear any sound. As I know that apple snails do not live in the ocean this made me consider if possibly only shells from the ocean can maintain the sound of waves crashing. I blew deeply into the shell and placed it up against my ear. I was still unable to detect any sound coming from the shell of an apple snail.

Next I studied the olive sea shell. This is a smaller shell, and it does come from the ocean. I placed the olive seashell up to my ear. The olive shell was too small, and no sound was omitted from this seashell either. I deeply blew air into the olive shell and again placed it to my ear. Again, I could not detect any sound.

With the half shell of the common oyster, I knew that I would not hear the roar of the ocean by placing it up against my ear, but, in the name of science I gave it an open minded attempt. I placed the 'flat' shell up to my ear and I listened carefully. No sound was omitted. I blew deeply into the shell and again placed it against my ear. I listened closely and carefully. No sound was produced as a result of my attempt to add air to the shell and recreate the illusion of hearing the ocean waves.

Finally, I studied a common conch shell. As I placed the shell of a conch up to my ear, I immediately could hear a sound that was very similar to that of waves crashing. To test my hypothesis I blew deeply into the conch seashell. I then placed it up against my ear and I listened very closely to determine if I had made any impact on the sound that the conch shell omitted. I could not detect any difference in the sound omitted. From my study of available information on light and sound underwater I learned that the sound that is heard from the interior of a seashell is in fact air molecules which vibrate within the coil of the seashell. What I learned is yes, you are in fact hearing a wave when you listen to a seashell, but you are not hearing an ocean wave trapped inside, but a sound wave.

To create this sound a shell must be composed of multiple coils, and this is why the apple snail shell, olive seashell and oyster shell specimens did not produce any sound. The shells were not coiled in such a manner upon creation and development to recreate the sound of the ocean through sound waves. Inserting air into a seashell also cannot duplicate this phenomenon.

In conclusion I can say that my hypothesis was inaccurate on nearly every level. Yes, the sound that is observable is in fact trapped air, but one cannot simply blow deeply into any seashell and create the sound of waves crashing. If the seashell does not already contain the sound of waves crashing it cannot be duplicated or recreated due to the construction of the shell. It most likely does not matter if the shell once lived in a pond, lake, river, or the ocean when considering the sound and sensation of hearing the ocean when the shell is placed to an ear.

Additionally, the idea that the sound omitted from a seashell is a coping mechanism for the shell that is now so far away from the natural element is also inaccurate. The illusion of hearing ocean waves crashing and roaring through the shell because the shell is homesick for sand, sun and the gentle crash of the surf or attempting to cope with separation anxiety, or new surroundings was something I could not prove to be fact or fiction.

My hypothesis about the shape of a shell with many layers of coils and the sound and sensation that anyone can observe being air trapped inside of a seashell was correct. Through online research, personal observations via the Case Study method and my own small experimentation I was able to prove that yes, the sound omitted from a seashell is in fact air trapped inside of the many coils of some seashells. You cannot really recreate this element.

The idea that the sound that is audible within a seashell is the continuous echo of the ocean is a romantic notion at best. While it is understandable to believe that is what is in fact heard, it is a common misconception. You are hearing waves, but they are not caused by the ocean. This sound is no distant reminder of home or the sea. It is an effect of the vibration of trapped air within the many coils that compose a seashell that produces the sound in question. A vibration can be defined as a "rapid back and forth motion." The vibration causes the trapped air molecules to compress which creates the sound wave that is audible. So, yes, the sound you hear from a seashell is air trapped inside flowing through the many layered coils of a seashell for all of eternity.