2009+-+7*+Physics+HP

=America's Next Top Science Rockers!!=

What we know starting out

 * Frequency x Wavelength = the speed of Sound
 * Western Chromatic scale: equal distance between pitches
 * Sound = the compression of air to make a wave
 * To be in "tune" you should be within 5%
 * Sound is caused by vibrations
 * Hertz is used to measure sound: (1/sec)

What we need to learn about:

 * Amplitude: size of the wave
 * Timbre (quality of the sound)
 * Music History
 * Music Theory
 * How to design the geometry of the instrument (size and shape)
 * How to tune the instrument
 * How to use power tools
 * What materials make for good instruments (and which don't)
 * Connections between physics and music
 * Appropriate range of notes for a particular instrument
 * Resonance and whether certain frequencies can break stuff
 * How to create certain pitches
 * How to play 'Eye of the Tiger'!!!


 * What molecules are being moved through the air causing the sound waves? (HMS)
 * How do you calculate the energy of sound (if you can)? (HMS)
 * How to make sure our instruments are based around the A = 440 Hz frequency (IB)
 * How to transcribe music so that we know what notes to put on our instruments in order for them to play a certain song (IB)
 * Can you change frequency, or wavelength more easily? Does it depend on the instrument? (WT)
 * How does changing wavelength or frequency change the pitch? (WT)
 * What is sound vibration and how is it formed (AK)
 * How do we determine the speed of sound or how fast it travels? (AK)
 * How different instruments change notes and produce/amplify sound (SK)
 * How to create and use improbable/unorthodox instruments (ie. water glasses, pressurized chambers, theremin) (SK)
 * Why certain sounds harmonize nicely and why other sounds don't (SW)
 * How to calculate the frequency/wavelengths and match it to pitches (SW)
 * How does sound travel? (MH)
 * How do holes change the sound? (MH)
 * How does amplitude affect sound quality?(JL)
 * What is a vibration?(JL)
 * How sound quality is affected by instrument material (CH)
 * How sound characteristics are related to frequency/wavelength (CH)
 * How do you measure the amplitude? (KR)
 * How does the material of which the instrument is constructed affect the sound or intensity? (KR)
 * What does each half-step in music represent in terms of change in sound waves? (YL)
 * What are the parts of a sound wave and how do they affect the pitch of the sound? (YL)
 * How do other factors (such as weather, cold vs. hot) affect the tuning of the instrument? (HKA)
 * How do we produce a clear tone, and how do we keep it in tune? (HKA)
 * What types of materials will be good for holding our instruments together? (EC)
 * How to adjust pitch after building the instrument.(EC)
 * How to tune an instrument? (WL)
 * How to find optimal sting tension in string instruments? (WL)
 * How does the shape of an instrument affect its timbre? (SP)
 * How music's volume relates to the physics of sound (SP)
 * Is there any difference in the speed of light and the speed of sound?(JP)
 * Can the pressure of sound break glasses?(JP)

Notes from class/What we have learned so far
Date:3/20 Notes: Vibrations can travel through solid things as well as air different sizes (spacing) of ridges make different pitches on talkie tapes cup amplifies sound - hollow, echoes, thin, semi rigid, elastic, big (make good rresonators)

3/24 Big Ideas from each Station!!!

-In general shorter things make higher pitches -The springs didn't work very well but... more mass gives a lower frequency -The less air space an object has the higher its pitch will be -Higher string tension = higher pitch -Bigger, looser, longer = lower pitch

3/30 Music Boxes If you put it in the box it is louder because waves have more room to reverberate

Friday The difference between a transverse wave and a longitudinal wave transverse = perpendicular longitudinal = parralelllll

frequency wave speed wave length amplitude period

frequency and period are inverse if and ONLY if v = constant more tension = more speed let's forget about nu that was just a debacle

-If the wave hits something we get a reflection but depending on how it hits that thing the reflection may be upside down or not. - If you want a transverse wave you need to have a medium with intermolecular bonds

Who is building what
This is a list of who is building what, add yourself to the list. 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

Percussive Instruments
Isaac Bunch