A radio wave can change two things: its height and its spacing. Predict which one a storm messes up most, then add the storm and watch.
AM hides the song in the height, FM hides it in the spacing. Before running it, guess which survives a big storm and say why.
Predict first: if AM travels hundreds of miles at night but crackles, and FM is clear but short-range, which would you build for a whole state? Defend your pick.
Where it shows up in real life
Static crackle on a car's AM station during a thunderstorm while FM stays crisp
A radio dropping into hiss when you drive through a tunnel or parking garage
Catching a faraway AM station late at night that you can't hear in the daytime
How does a song fly through the air into your radio?
Predict — what do you think will happen, and why?
Draw what you saw
Talk about it
A radio wave can change two things: its height and its spacing. Predict which one a storm messes up most, then add the storm and watch.
AM hides the song in the height, FM hides it in the spacing. Before running it, guess which survives a big storm and say why.
Predict first: if AM travels hundreds of miles at night but crackles, and FM is clear but short-range, which would you build for a whole state? Defend your pick.