For this project, we had to create 3 instruments (wind, chime, and string) that could each play 7 notes to create an octave.
Concepts
Wavelength: the distance between the crests of a wave. It is measured in meters.
Frequency: number of waves/vibrations in a unit of time. It is measured in Hertz.
Amplitude: length from the crest to the equilibrium of a wave. It is measured in meters.
Longitudinal Wave: a wave that compresses and expands as it moves forward.
Transverse Wave: a wave that travels up and down as it moves forward.
Natural Frequency: the frequency/note at which an instrument oscillates when not altered to be a separate note.
Wind Instrument: a musical instrument which creates sound as someone blows air into the instrument, creating vibrations. We created this by taking 7 different plastic bottles and filling them up with different levels of water. The notes we created were C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
Chime Instrument: a musical instrument that creates a sound from different levels of natural frequency. The natural frequencies are affected by the length, shape, and density of the chime. We created this by taking 8 different lengths of metal pipes, and using fishing wire to attach them to a board of wood. We used a plastic mallet to bang on the chimes. The notes went in order as C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C.
String Instrument: a musical instrument that creates sound by someone plucking a string. This creates vibrations and longitudinal waves. We created this instrument by attaching 3 strings (0.82 m) to 3 nails on one side of a 1.05 m long board, and attaching the strings to a small block of wood on the other side of the board. Our left string plays the highest sound which is E, our middle string plays G, and our right string plays B, which is our lowest sound. We then measured the notes and marked down where to press the strings to create separate notes, so we could have a successful 7 note octave.
Frequency: number of waves/vibrations in a unit of time. It is measured in Hertz.
Amplitude: length from the crest to the equilibrium of a wave. It is measured in meters.
Longitudinal Wave: a wave that compresses and expands as it moves forward.
Transverse Wave: a wave that travels up and down as it moves forward.
Natural Frequency: the frequency/note at which an instrument oscillates when not altered to be a separate note.
Wind Instrument: a musical instrument which creates sound as someone blows air into the instrument, creating vibrations. We created this by taking 7 different plastic bottles and filling them up with different levels of water. The notes we created were C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.
Chime Instrument: a musical instrument that creates a sound from different levels of natural frequency. The natural frequencies are affected by the length, shape, and density of the chime. We created this by taking 8 different lengths of metal pipes, and using fishing wire to attach them to a board of wood. We used a plastic mallet to bang on the chimes. The notes went in order as C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C.
String Instrument: a musical instrument that creates sound by someone plucking a string. This creates vibrations and longitudinal waves. We created this instrument by attaching 3 strings (0.82 m) to 3 nails on one side of a 1.05 m long board, and attaching the strings to a small block of wood on the other side of the board. Our left string plays the highest sound which is E, our middle string plays G, and our right string plays B, which is our lowest sound. We then measured the notes and marked down where to press the strings to create separate notes, so we could have a successful 7 note octave.
Reflection
In this project, I think I did a great job staying on task and doing my work. It was tough to act sometimes, because my group was placed right beside another group that had many of my friends in. One person in my group was off task a lot, and was rarely on task, but I managed to keep him on task. Whether I had yelled at him to work or I physically dragged him back to our table, I did my best to keep him on task. Although, when we were designing our instruments I got off task a lot, mainly because I was very bored. I personally liked this project. I did not like designing the instruments, but I loved learning about waves and it felt great to see how our final product turned out like we imagined.