2009+-+3*+Physics+P

=America's Next Top Science Rockers!!=

What we know starting out

 * Sound is vibrations
 * Sound Travels through air and water
 * Sound has amplitude and frequencies
 * Different sounds have different wavelengths
 * Sound travels at different speeds through different mediums
 * High frequency = high pitch
 * Sound has a constant speed
 * There is a hear-able range of sound

What we need to learn about:

 * **How does medium affect the speed and travel of sound?**
 * **How do you amplify sound?**
 * **How to create specific different notes**
 * Can echoes go on forever given enough space?
 * **What is the speed of sound?**
 * **How does the geometry of an object affects its sound?**
 * How to measure amplitude, frequency, and wavelength
 * Why do we sound different on tape than to ourselves?
 * The specifics of the project and our who our new group members are (KN)
 * How do you create different pitches with the guitar? (SD)
 * How do you amplify sound? (SD)
 * **How do different building materials affect the sound of an instrument? (AG)**
 * **What are decibals, and how are they measured? (AG)**
 * How does sound travel? (CL)
 * How does length, width, and height affect sound? (CL)
 * How can we define specific notes (wavelengths, amplitudes, ect.)? (JW)
 * How does size of an instrument effect the pitch? (JW)
 * What is the difference between tone and pitch? (SL)
 * What makes some sounds audible and others not? (SL)
 * What is the characteristics of sound? (FS)
 * **How are compression waves created? (FS)**
 * **Does the cup and string phone actually work? (TL)**
 * **What makes good acoustics? (TL)**
 * **How come humans have a smaller hearing range than other animals?(JM)**
 * **How do you measure pitch?(JM)**
 * **What is a normal humans range of hearing? (MB)**
 * **What are the different kinds of objects that generate sound? (MB)**
 * **If you can see an explosion in space, can you hear it? (Ed.Med)**
 * **Is there more than one unit for sound? (Ed. Med)**
 * **Can sound energy be changed into other forms of energy? (EM)**
 * **What factors besides the instrument itself affect the instrument's sound? (I.E., weather, temperature, etc.) (VS)**
 * **What is the sound barrier? (VS)**
 * **Why is it hard for older people to hear higher and lower sounds? (KJ)**
 * **How is sound absorbed into something? (KJ)**
 * **Is the speed of sound constant, or do different pitches travel at different speeds? (KJ)**

**Notes from class/What we have learned so far**
Date:3/20 Notes:ear drum is attached to the ear bones, attached to jaw, to teeth (hearing by conduction) talkie tapes had ridges, create vibrations vibrations are amplified by something with lots of surface area and can vibrate travels through the air (medium) ear drum is vibrated and communicates with brain

3/24 done with Musical instrument lab The more volume an instrument has, the lower frequency/tone Higher tension leads to higher pitch String instruments: larger diameter, lower sound The more water in bottle, the higher the pitch Width marginally affect a tube's sound, whereas length greatly does Natural frequency: every object has a frequency that it likes to vibrate at. Thickness of tube is irrelevant because the column of air inside which vibrates is what we hear (?)

3/30 From Friday: The dynamics of a wave: amplitude, frequency, wave length, wave speed Different thicknesses and lengths of the times affect the tones the music boxes make Frequency of wave creates the tone Mini Rube Goldberg-like system creates tone (one thing affects another to create sound) Sound is changed by thickness/heaviness as well as length
 * Equation:** Velocity = Wavelength / Frequency

**Who is building what**
If you are building something similar to someone else in the class (or any class for that matter), you can discuss ideas or problems with them**
 * This is a list of who is building what, add yourself to the list.