2009+-+2*+Physics+P

=America's Next Top Science Rockers!!=

What we know starting out
The Doppler effect is when the period of the waves contracts as an object moves towards the observer and expands as it moves away. Sounds have to vibrate. We can recognize most instruments by ear. -Brass, percussion, wind, strings, vocals Different genres of music. Loudness is measured in decibels, hertz measures frequency. Sound travels at around 730 miles per hour (?) Different instruments make different sounds We can only hear a certain frequency of sound.
 * Sound needs a medium to travel through such as air or particles.

What we need to learn about:
xWhat the frequency spectrum of hearing is What different frequencies are, what wave length means, how our ears hear sound, how is it that a human can actually tell the difference between a flute and a saxophone playing the same note xWhat materials do we have to make the instrument? xWhat is the due date? What is the difference between a viola and a violin? Ways to utilize sound in order to make music and how we can build an object that does this Why high or low frequencies can cause destruction Why can animals hear different ranges of sound than humans? Clicking or something How does sound travel?- KT How will I be able to properly connect an amplifier in order to create an electric guitar that produces distortion? - JR xDoes each band member create their own instrument, or does the entire band make one? - CP xDo we need to play an actual song? or can it just be a series of random notes? - CP** Why do different instruments make the same note but different sounds? - TH how to tune an instrument - TH What if we don't know what different notes sound like? How would we tune our instrument? -EB xHow much time would we want to put into this to make a good instrument? -EB xHow successful have students in the past peen with this project? -EN** What does the term "acoustics" mean, for example how can a certain room have bad acoustics and another good acoustics? -JL What is the speed of sound? -JL What is the difference between a decibel and a hertz? -JL How and why does a guitar players tone sound different then another's? -JL xDoes our song have to be in major? Can it be in minor or another more fitting? -JL xDo we need to be able to read/how do we read sheet music? TW xCan we have a singer? TW How do electric guitars pick up sound? - TaylorH How does sound travel through electric guitar cords? - TaylorH
 * How is sound measured?**
 * How will I correctly pick lengths of objects for my instrument in order to get the musical notes I need? - KT**
 * What are the wave lengths that correspond to particular notes? - JR
 * how to match notes with different instruments - TH**
 * how does the shape of an instrument effect how it sounds? - TH**
 * How can our ears tell the difference between instruments? -EN
 * How does the length of strings on a guitar affect the sound and why? -JL**

Notes from class/What we have learned so far
Date:3/20 Notes: talkie tapes - distance between ridges - further apart = lower, closer = higher need amplifier - paper, bowl, cone shaped things, plastic, teeth (resonator with large surface area). Vibration of tape - vibration resonator - vibrates air - vibrates eardrum - brain Importance of perception

3/24 The smaller the thing was, the higher the pitch. Things with a smaller volume - less air - also create a higher pitch. The instruments with a lower pitch were also quieter. The less material there is to vibrate, the higher the pitch. Natural frequency: each thing has a frequency it likes to vibrate at; if you change the thing you change its natural frequency. Frequency - number of cycles something goes through per second. 1 hz = 1 cycle per sec

3/30 From Friday Frequency - higher frequency, lower wavelength; higher wavelength lower frequency. Wavelength - transport energy but not matter. Amplitude To make the music box louder, put into plastic housing The larger the box you put the mechanism is, the louder it is - the big thing you put it on is called a "soundboard".

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