Acoustics

Vocal Fold Straws

Learn about how our vocal folds work by using straws!

Interactive Soundscapes

Experience the power of sound by listening to a number of audio files that will transport you to different places! You can find the files here:

Soundscape 1:

Soundscape 2:

Soundscape 3:

Soundscape 4:

Soundscape 5:

Soundscape 6:

Soundscape 7:

Soundscape 8:

Soundscape 9:

Elastic Wave

Learn about standing waves and how waves are constructed by creating your own!

Doppler Ball

Learn about the doppler effect by constructing a doppler ball you can toss around!

Longitudinal and Transverse Waves

This demonstration uses a slinky and tuning fork to explain two types of waveforms in our world: transverse and longitudinal. A discussion on sound waves is included and leads to categorizing sound waves as longitudinal waves.

Rijke Tube

Explore resonance, waves, and acoustics with this simple rijke (reekee) tube.

Rubens' Tube

Make a flaming tube to explore the physics of waves and acoustics.

The Rubens' Tube should be used with caution and vigilance, especially if used indoors. 

 

Chladni Plates - Violin Bow

Recreate E.F.F. Chladni's classic demo of sprinkling sand on a plate and playing it with a violin bow to create and visualize various vibrational patterns. This versatile demo can be adapted to talk about sound wave acoustics, vibrational normal modes, and energy transport to a wide range of audiences. 

Chladni Plates - Speaker

Build a simple Chladni plate using a 6" x 6" metal sheet, a 2 watt speaker, powered with a 20 gain amplifier and phone. Sprinkle sand on the sheet, and play various sound frequencies to reveal the sheet's assortment of resonant vibrational modes. 

Along with the plate demo itself, an amplifier can be made fairly easily with an LM386 op amp. Download instructions for making the amplifier under associated files or can be found here. 

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