Accoustical Properties of a Musical Instrument

Overview

Objectives/Goals My objective was to determine what acoustical properties are employed in a musical instrument. Methods/Materials First, I measured the distance between the frets on a guitar string, calculated the percentage of decrease between each fret and recorded the results in a data table. Next I used a frequency analyzer to measure the frequency on the guitar string. I compared the two measurements to look for correlations between the length and the frequency. I used this process on a different string for comparison. Using my data, I cut PVC pipe in proportion to the lengths on the guitar fret (BP=L). Then, I measured the frequencies of the cut PVC pipe with a frequency analyzer and recorded the results. I compared the data from the guitar and the PVC instrument and looked for correlations. Lastly, I mounted the PVC pipes on wooden boards for display. Materials used on this project: Frequency analyzer, guitar, PVC pipe, chop saw, measuring tape, wood boards. Results I found that there is an inverse correlation between the lengths of the guitar strings and the frequencies that they give off.; the shorter the string, the higher the frequency. I also found that when comparing the two strings, if the length of string A is exactly half the length of string B, the frequency of A is exactly twice the frequency of string B. In musical terms, the perceived pitch sounds an octave higher. Conclusions/Discussion In doing my project, I discovered that frequency has a direct correlation to the length of an object. Also, you can make a musical instrument using these principals.

Competition history

• CSEF 2013 Materials Science (Junior Division Only) · Entry J1399

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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