I have a query concerning polystyrene plastic. This polymer makes a
distinctive ‘clank’, or tinkling sound when dropped on a hard surface. It
does this whether in the form of a solid, an alloy (ABS) or, remarkably,
an expanded foam.
Is there a scientific reason for this, and are there other plastics
which may be identified by their distinctive sounds?
F. G. Grisley Barry, Glamorgan
