ERIC Number: EJ849840
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Jan
Pages: 5
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-921X
EISSN: N/A
Plucked String on a Shoestring Budget
Gluck, Paul
Physics Teacher, v47 n1 p13-17 Jan 2009
The physics of the plucked string has been treated in many articles and books. For our 12th-grade high school physics laboratory, we have built a cheap, simple sonometer apparatus for each pair of students on which they may investigate some interesting phenomena that arise when a string is plucked. Among these are the generation of harmonics (overtones) and the way their number depends on the length of a string and on where one plucks, the relation between the frequencies of the fundamental and those of the harmonics, and the way these are affected by changes in the length and the tension in the string. Such an experiment will help students appreciate the working of stringed musical instruments and, in particular, the contribution of overtones to the richness of sound produced.
Descriptors: High Schools, Physics, Musical Instruments, Secondary School Science, Science Laboratories, Science Instruction, Music, Acoustics, Grade 12
American Association of Physics Teachers. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740. Tel: 301-209-3300; Fax: 301-209-0845; e-mail: pubs@aapt.org; Web site: http://scitation.aip.org/tpt
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Grade 12; High Schools
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A