objective
The objective of this project was to create three instruments. The first instrument had to be a wind instrument. We chose to make a flute. The second instrument was supposed to be some sort of chimes. We decided to make ours using glass jars and water. The last instrument was a string instrument. We made some sort of guitar. While creating our instruments, we learned a lot about wavelengths, frequencies, and natural frequencies.
Flute
A flute is a type of woodwind instrument, which can be defined as a hollow tube that makes sound when you blow on one side of it. Most woodwinds have keys or finger holes to vary the pitch of sound, and different methods can be used to create the basic sound.
The type of flute we’ve made is a transverse flute. Transverse flutes work by blowing air over a sharp edge, which vibrates the air trapped inside the flute. To vary the pitch of the sound on a flute you cover the holes with your fingers, which changes the length of the air column. The shorter the air column the higher the pitch, the longer it is the lower the pitch is. In other terms, the shorter the air column, the shorter the wavelength, which has a higher frequency, and the higher the frequency, the higher the note is. Whereas, the longer an air column is the more the wave has to travel, which makes it have a longer wavelength with a lower frequency, and the lower the frequency the deeper the note that is played. We chose to make our flute out of PVC pipe because it was the first hollow tube available to us (any hollow tube can work as a flute) and it was an easy material to work with. We strategically placed the finger holes on the flute by dividing the wavelength by four, and then we measured out the length taken from that and drilled holes in those spots on the tube.
A flute is a type of woodwind instrument, which can be defined as a hollow tube that makes sound when you blow on one side of it. Most woodwinds have keys or finger holes to vary the pitch of sound, and different methods can be used to create the basic sound.
The type of flute we’ve made is a transverse flute. Transverse flutes work by blowing air over a sharp edge, which vibrates the air trapped inside the flute. To vary the pitch of the sound on a flute you cover the holes with your fingers, which changes the length of the air column. The shorter the air column the higher the pitch, the longer it is the lower the pitch is. In other terms, the shorter the air column, the shorter the wavelength, which has a higher frequency, and the higher the frequency, the higher the note is. Whereas, the longer an air column is the more the wave has to travel, which makes it have a longer wavelength with a lower frequency, and the lower the frequency the deeper the note that is played. We chose to make our flute out of PVC pipe because it was the first hollow tube available to us (any hollow tube can work as a flute) and it was an easy material to work with. We strategically placed the finger holes on the flute by dividing the wavelength by four, and then we measured out the length taken from that and drilled holes in those spots on the tube.
NotesC4
D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 |
Wavelength (cm)131.87
117.48 104.66 98.79 88.01 78.41 69.85 |
1/4 wavelength (cm)32.96
29.37 26.17 24.70 22.00 19.60 17.46 |
Bottles
Our bottles work upon the natural frequencies of water and glass. Natural frequency id the natural vibration of an elastic object. We modified the amount of water in the bottles so that the natural frequency of that bottle matches a certain note. We did this by way of trial and error because the bottles weren't working off of wavelength, but natural frequencies to make the notes. This means we couldn't do any math to find how much water we needed.
Our bottles work upon the natural frequencies of water and glass. Natural frequency id the natural vibration of an elastic object. We modified the amount of water in the bottles so that the natural frequency of that bottle matches a certain note. We did this by way of trial and error because the bottles weren't working off of wavelength, but natural frequencies to make the notes. This means we couldn't do any math to find how much water we needed.
Guitar
Guitars make sound by way of tensioned strings. The tighter the string the faster it vibrates, which means it has a shorter wavelength and a higher frequency. The looser strings vibrate slower, which means they have a longer wavelength and slower frequency.
Guitars change pitch because of two things: the length of the string and the thickness of the string. The thicker the string, the slower it vibrates and the longer the wavelength it has, which means it has a slower frequency. The thinner the string, the faster it vibrates, which means it has a shorter wavelength, and a higher frequency. To change the length of the string, frets are added. When fingers press the string onto the fret it shortens the string. To find out where the frets should be placed, you divide the wavelength in half and measure it out on the neck of the guitar and place a fret there.
Guitars make sound by way of tensioned strings. The tighter the string the faster it vibrates, which means it has a shorter wavelength and a higher frequency. The looser strings vibrate slower, which means they have a longer wavelength and slower frequency.
Guitars change pitch because of two things: the length of the string and the thickness of the string. The thicker the string, the slower it vibrates and the longer the wavelength it has, which means it has a slower frequency. The thinner the string, the faster it vibrates, which means it has a shorter wavelength, and a higher frequency. To change the length of the string, frets are added. When fingers press the string onto the fret it shortens the string. To find out where the frets should be placed, you divide the wavelength in half and measure it out on the neck of the guitar and place a fret there.
NotesC4
D4 E4 F4 G4 A4 B4 |
Wavelength (cm)131.87
117.48 104.66 98.79 88.01 78.41 69.85 |
1/2 wavelength65.94
58.74 52.33 49.40 44.00 39.21 34.93 |
Key concepts
Amplitude- the distance from the midpoint to the crest or trough of a wavelength
Crest- highest point in a sound wave
Frequency- how often the vibrations occur
Interference- when two waves combine
Longitudinal waves- waves that compress
Period- the amount of time between waves
Transverse waves- Waves that move up and down
Trough- the lowest point in a sound wave
Wavelength- distance from crest to crest
Crest- highest point in a sound wave
Frequency- how often the vibrations occur
Interference- when two waves combine
Longitudinal waves- waves that compress
Period- the amount of time between waves
Transverse waves- Waves that move up and down
Trough- the lowest point in a sound wave
Wavelength- distance from crest to crest
Reflection
When we were told about this project, so many ideas rushed through my head. Unfortunately, I was unable to get these ideas out of my head to create a decent instrument. All together our group got along extremely well, maybe a little too well. We spent a lot of time talking and bonding, but not enough time focusing on what needed to get done. One big issue our group ran into was time management. We waited until last minute to finish up our final designs for our instruments. We also did not practice our presentation as much as we should have. Although on presentation day we managed to pull it all together, I believe that it was all luck. One thing I have learned is that time management is key. The second thing I have learned is that its okay to talk to your peers, as long as you are still getting work done. Our instruments were a little bit faulty. Perhaps we could have put more work into the aesthetics. Also at some points especially on our guitar strings would start to slip and instead of making a more permanent fix, we quickly decided just to staple the string down. I think that our group should have spent more time planning and less time talking about totally unrelated topics.