Waves are all around us: End of Unit reflectoin

Here is my bubbl.us web that I made representing what I have learned this unit. 

(This is a brief replica, I have learned a whole bunch more)

End of the unit Question: How does the use and study of waves affect societal well-being?

During our first section of this unit we learned about what waves are. This is important to know because it gives us a better understanding of our world. Waves are all around us, they are continuously bouncing everywhere influencing our lives. Without the knowledge of waves we would not know about a lot of things in this world. Without our general knowledge of waves we would not know about electromagnetic waves, light waves, water waves or sound waves.

Water Waves:

Water waves influence our lives every day. From a cruise ship to drastic tsunamis, water waves affect our lives both positively and negatively. The waves that create these monstrous disasters are called seismic waves. Seismic waves are a buildup of stress in a rock, and when that rock breaks or changes shape it sends our energy which move throughout the earth. With the combination of P waves and S wave’s surface waves are created and earthquakes and tsunamis occur. When scientists study and analyze these seismic waves we learn about how to prevent earthquakes and tsunamis, we learn how to protect ourselves from the disasters. The earthquake in Japan would have damaged the country even more if we did not have the knowledge of seismic waves. When we study and analyze our world’s waves we can protect ourselves from disasters.

Sound waves:

During this unit we learn about how sound can affect the world around us. This unit is how we produce sound and how we hear sound. We learn many different things such as the Doppler and how we hear. This is important to learn about because we figure out how important sound is in our lives. In recent years technology had progressed it has had a negative effect on our hearing abilities. Sound pollution has been disrupted our world, including animals and plants living inside of it. Because of the recent outbreak of sound pollution we have been learning to take precautions when in a sound polluted area. Ever since the I-pod has come out many people have been losing their hearing at a younger age- do to noise pollution and listening to their music to loud.

Surprisingly sound waves have improved aviation and aircrafts. This has helped scientists create airplanes that can go faster than the speed of sound. The airplane pushes a wave of air molecules ahead of it as it travels forward, just as boat moves the water to the side. The plane goes faster and faster the compressions travel outward from the plane as a wave of pressure, and this is what creates a sonic boom. Scientists study and analyze planes that travel faster than the speed of sound more improvements can be added to make a plane that goes even faster.

Electromagnetic Waves:

In this section of the unit we learned about the electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum is made up of radio waves, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, x-rays, and gamma rays. This is all ranging from the longest frequency to the shortest frequency. The electromagnetic spectrum is used in our lives every day, most of the time we don’t even know it!

 Radio waves are used in Radar and in Microwaves and in MRI. Infrared Rays are used in heat lamps, they are also used to make toast. Visible light is all the light that you see and each wavelength of light has a different color. Ultraviolet rays are rays to the sun, they are so powerful that they can cause skin cancer, but they also have some benefits they are the only source that gives us vitamin D. X-rays are used (hence the name) in doctor’s offices to help determine whether the patient has a broken bone. X-rays are also used in outer space; they are used to take pictures of far away planets. Gamma rays are the shortest on the electromagnetic spectrum. The ray produces the greatest amount of energy out of all the electromagnetic waves.

 Radioactive materials produce gamma rays; this can cause cancer or a very serious illness. On the other hand, when in a controlled situation gamma rays can also be used to fight off cancer. As you can see electromagnetic waves are all around us, they are in our house, in our school in our country. As scientists continue to study these rays it improves the technology, health, and well-being in our world.

What did I like about this unit?

Before this unit I didn’t have much knowledge about waves, I knew about tsunamis and earthquakes but I didn’t know what caused them. I thought this was a unit that very informational, I really liked how we started off with the basics of waves and then we got deeper into the subject. As we moved further into the waves unit, I could use my previous knowledge about waves to help me really understand different types of waves in a deeper concept. I also liked the labs that we created, especially the lab that we created alone. The lab allowed us to learn more about the subject with our own special twist. I also liked that the projects and labs were spread out. One section of the unit we did labs and the other sections we did projects, this created variety in the units. The blog posts were also very interesting; I 

like how we can put up things like news articles even though it wasn’t assigned.

What did I learn?

            I think that this unit was one of the units where I accumulated so much knowledge that I can’t even write it down. What I can tell you, is what I liked learning. I really liked learning about seismic waves; I thought it was very interesting subject because I didn’t really know about it before. It was very ironic that we were learning about earthquakes and tsunamis when all the natural disasters were happening in Japan and New Zealand. I think it was a good time for us to learn how to protect ourselves from earthquakes. I also liked learning about x-rays, since my mom was a doctor it was very motivating to learn even more about x-rays. I loved going to the clinic and looking around. I was so 

interested that I even got videos of other non-x-rays such as the CT and the ultrasound room.

What I would change for next year’s 7^th grade students.

I think that next year when introducing the electromagnetic spectrum spending more time on the subject. In my opinion it is a very complicated subject and spending more time of the basics of the electromagnetic spectrum will help the next year’s students understand the subject even more. 

Irradiated Food

Irradiated Food Debate

After extensively learning about the electromagnetic spectrum the class of 7B prepared to have a very detailed discussion about the pros and cons of irradiated food. We first researched about our side (for or against irradiated food) by ourselves, then we worked with our partner on our main points and then the debate started. Julia was my partner, and together we battled against irradiated food. Throughout our debate David and Tristen showed us the opposite side of irradiated food. In the end we agreed on a happy medium. Overall this was a wonderful debate; our competitors came up with some great counter points. I think we all did a great job.

Irradiated Food definition:

"Irradiation is the process of treating food and other consumers products with gamma rays, x-rays, or high voltage electrons to kill potential harmful bacteria and parasites, delay sprouting and increase shelf life." -Mcvitamins 

The Pros and Cons of irradiated food

 

Pros

• Doesn't as spoil as easy 
• Don't have to buy it, irradiated is labeled. 
• FDA approved
• Destroys diseases off of the plant

Cons

• When life was made, it was made to die not be preserved 
• Destroys nutrients in food
• The amount of radiation the food gets is controlled by a conveyor belt.
• Not fully tested, not know if it has any long term effects

Point 1:

When people are not made to stay forever, eventually people have to die. When food is irradiated it loses a whole lot of nutrients, everything starts to shut down because it is preserved longer than it should be. What would happen if we were preserved like irradiate food? Would we stop working?

Point 2:

Many times in our lives our mothers say to us “Stop eating that junk food and go grab a piece of fruit!” If all the nutrients is gone in the irradiated food, what would be the point in eating the healthy food?

Point 3:

If something as simple as a conveyer belt controls the amount of radiation a designated food gets, it is inevitable that mistakes could occur.

-What if the conveyer belt breaks down?

- What if something gets more of a dose of radiation than the other products? Could it be more harmful to us?

You see two containers of a food at the supermarket.  One is irradiated; one is not.  The price is the same.  Which would you buy?  Explain why.

I think if I had a choice, I would go with the all natural food. I would do this because, they are the same price but I would chose the food that was not Irradiated because I know for sure that it won’t do me any harm- after I wash it. I think in a situation where there are thousands of mouths to feed and there isn’t a lot of food to go around I would definitely use Irradiated food. That way we wouldn’t have people starving on the streets. I think that Irradiated food has its pros and cons depending on the situation and the person. I think that they should choose whether they want to eat it or not. If they want to take the risk, go ahead, but they have to remember that it is their choice.

Do you think science in this case was a good invention?

            Our population is growing and decreasing every minute, however food shortage in many countries has skyrocketed because the population has increased. I think that irradiated food is a good thing in this case because that means more mouths are going to be fed. Irradiated food preserves food just enough so organizations can ship various types of food over. I think Irradiated food is good in many causes, I just think that we have to fully research and analyze the effects of Irradiated food to make sure nothing goes wrong in the long run.

How was science used to address a global food problem with irradiation?

This is a picture of hungry Japanese people outside a supermarket after the earthquake.

 As I said before, our earth’s population has increased in the past few years and we have been able to feed more people with Irradiated food. These past few years we have had quite a few huge natural disasters such as the most recent; Japan’s earthquake, the New Zealand earthquake, and the enormous earthquake in Haiti. In all these natural disasters have left people homeless and hungry, that is where irradiated food takes place. Organizations like Red Cross, Harvest Program, Free Rice and the EPA go into these countries with food with a long shelf life (Irradiated food).

Dear Barak Obama,

 

The students of 7B from the International School of Belgrade propose that the labeling on irradiated products should also have a detailed description of the effects of radiation and the potential harm that could come across from it. Also, education awareness of the subject should be spread throughout the world of the dangers and possible long term effects of irradiated foods. We believe that there should be a choice for the customer whether they would like to experience this new discovery of the irradiated food.

Hope you understand our wishes,

Sincerely,

7B

My opinion about Irradiated Food

I think that in some cases, Irradiated food is great especially when people are starving. In the long run it is a lot healthier for us to eat food that is natural. Irradiated food might be the opening of Pandora’s Box or it might be something great for our people. What I recommend is that we research and analyze more about Irradiated food before we leap right in. I think that there should be more information about Irradiated food, that way people can be educated about Irradiated food before they eat it. I also agree with our proposal, I think that if a container is irradiated, it should have a clear marked label and a detailed description about it.

Here is a video that I found that explains about irradiated food and how it is bad. It is a very long video, (20 minutes) they side with the fact that irradiated food is bad:

Here is a video that I found that explains about irradiated food and the benefits:

Noise Pollution Report

By: Blaise Sevier

What is noise pollution?

The sound of a jackhammer or the honk of a car is not like Beethoven’s 5^th symphony, it is more like an annoying noise that continuously pesters your brain. Noise pollution is a displeasing and or disruptive sound that can come from machinery and humans. Music is different from noise because it is a set of tones that are combined in exotic ways that are very enjoyable to listen to. Noise is just the opposite, it is a set of sounds that don’t fit together that usually sound very bothersome.

When I lived in Colorado I lived out in the country, out there we didn’t have to worry about noise pollution. We had to worry about the mountain lions that came out at sunset. However, when we lived in Egypt, noise was everywhere! Egyptians are very fond of honking, when a driver is annoyed they honk, when a driver is happy they honk. In Cairo, there are about twenty million people that live in the city. There are about 10 million cars in the city alone, imagine how much noise is made when the drivers honk!

Who does it affect, and what is the problem or issue with noise pollution?

Did you know that even one honk from a passing automobile can be just enough to raise your blood pressure? I wonder how much your blood pressure will rise when you hear something louder than that. Studies show that noise pollution negatively affects humans and animals. Besides how annoying noise is, studies show that a constant disruptive noise can boost your blood pressure and make you less concentrated.

It can also lead to other serious problems like becoming partly deaf.  Not only does noise have an effect on humans it also has an effect on our environment- not that it’s already going through enough. Researchers say that noise pollution has had an effect on some of the growth of plants, reproduction of animals, and disturbances of the feeding and breeding process of nature. Some tests show that when an animal is influenced with high percentage of decibels the amount of milk they produce is significantly lower. When using sonar underwater the high sound frequencies that it gives out discomforts marine life. These are just examples of what noise pollution can do to animals. In our environment noise causes a variety of hazards, some of which many of us are not aware of. To protect you from noise pollution, use ear plugs when around noisy places such as a construction site or train stations.

Noise pollution is an issue in our world because in populated cities like Hong Kong and Mumbai the amount of people who have been effect by noise pollution has sky rocketed. Mumbai is not as developed as maybe New York or Hong Kong, but that doesn’t mean that the noise pollution isn’t as bad. In Mumbai there are about 13 million people living in the city, this is the second most populated city in the world. When a city is that populated the city’s noise can get very loud, which means many people are at risk of becoming partially deaf because of the loud noise. It could also be damaged because of the high about of pollution in the air. This includes car exhaust pollution, noise pollution and light pollution. Many people, who live in Mumbai, are not aware of the long term effects from noise pollution. It is our job to educate them. We all have to educate each other in order to live in a safe environment.

How is science/technology involved in solving these problems?

To prevent noise pollution governments around the globe have put up campaigns trying to stop noise pollution. They have put up signs about noise pollution around the cities, trying to get people to notice what the benefits are when not having noise pollution. Laws have also been made to help stop noise pollution because of the effect on animals. In Times Square, New York there is now a honk free zone. This has helped lessen the sound coming from the New York Streets and circulating into Central Park, where all the plant and animal life are settled.

Another way to prevent the noise from traveling to your neighbor’s front door is to sound proof walls and ceilings. This has been invented to help keep the noise down in your house.  Forty-nine years ago a man named Ray Benner invented the silicone ear plug. This is a technology that has improved the lives of many people, the ear plug has prevented hearing loss by drowning out all the excessive and unwanted noise. In the 1970s, life was full of rock and roll, no one really paid attention to long term effects of hearing loss. Now thousands of people worldwide are having problems interpreting speech and sounds. To solve this problem, scientists have created the hearing aid. This helps people who can hear minimally.  

What limitations or benefits to this solution.

If you want your neighbors to be happy, you would turn down your boom box, or put head phones on. This is one problem that we have not found a solution for, if you keep your boom box on it will contribute to the noise pollution (and annoy your neighbors), but if you put the head phones on, you might be damaging your ears. What to do? Do you lower your boom box volume? This is one of the problems and or limitations that we have in this world. What is worse? Contributing to sound pollution or damaging your ears? These are all the questions we have to ask ourselves before we turn down that boom box or listen to music with our head phones on.

Vrooooom, Vrooooom! In the city when I listen to the sounds all around me, I notice the sound of motorcycles the most. My dad used to own a motorcycle, but he always put on the muffler, he never liked the sound of what the motorcycle made. Motorcycles around the city are a big cause to noise pollution. When they don’t have a muffler attached to the bike, a loud high sound is produced. Because the motorcycles are so loud, laws were made preventing the natural sound of the bike. This is one of the benefits to our society. When the muffler was created, a new technology enabled motorcyclists to ride without being too disruptive to the public.

In conclusion to prevent noise pollution is a very hard task, even though it is hard we must try to prevent it for the sake of others and the environment. Some solutions for preventing noise pollution are planting trees. The trees help absorb the unwanted sounds from the road. If you live in an apartment think about sound proofing your house so when you have the loud parties, your neighbors won’t we complaining the next day. Instead of listening to music out loud that might possibly annoy your neighbors, try listening to your music with headphones, with the volume not very high and at a limited duration. One of the most problematic noise polluters is the automobile. To prevent noise pollution from your car keep tabs on the condition of our car. This will make the car less likely to produce unwanted sounds. These are all tips to keep you from losing your hearing, and losing more of the environment. What is most important is to spread awareness on this topic, educate people about the effects of noise pollution so we all can live in a peaceful and quiet world.

 Bonus!

What an I-pod can do to your ears!

Did you know that an estimated 55 million people have some sort of hearing loss in the America? This is a new study from Archives of Internal Medicine. Many people are astonished on how many people have hearing disabilities. A doctor from the Children’s Hospital in Boston has concluded that the listening of loud music through headphones can cause hearing damage. When listening to music from an I-pod you’re not aware of what is going on around you. You can damage your hearing by turning up the sound too high, and listening to music for a relatively long time, or it could just depend on how sensitive your ears are. Studies show that people who listen to music way too loud, for way too long have a higher risk of hearing loss. Nowadays some people have been losing their hearing as young as twenty-eight years old. In our world today there is a whole range of hearing loss.

 During the years of 1960 and 1970, employees were not required to wear ear protectors when working in very noisy jobs. Now, forty-one years later people who were influenced with the loud noises everyday for a long period of time, now have a very hard time hearing. Researchers say that the reason why hearing loss is so common is because of the excessive damage in the inner ear. In the third section of your ear there is a small shell-like cavity that is nestled in between the nerves and the stirrup. This is called the cochlea. The cochlea is filled with minuscule hairs that react to sounds vibrating from the stirrup. When the hairs inside the cochlea are working to long they become literality worn out. When they are overworked too much they sometimes stop working, which makes everything around you hard to hear. If this happens continuously then sometimes these little hairs stop working all together. The little hairs are irreplaceable.

 This problem doesn’t only occur with I-pods, damages can occur with any sort of listening mechanism. Now the next time that you are going to listen to your I-pod or MP3 remember listening too loud music can have a huge impact on the rest of your life.

Bonus!

Sites Used:

"How Bad Are IPods for Your Hearing? - TIME." Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

Noise Pollution." Green Living Tips. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

Gokhale, Justice. "Noise Pollution | Cause and Effects of Noise Pollution | Source and Effect of Noise Pollution | Noise Pollution- the Effect on Health and Well-Being | Sources of Noises and Harmful Effects of Noise- Rights and Remedies | Firecracker Noise Levels | Noise Pollution Forum | Www.karmayog.org." Karmayog .org | NGOs | Volunteers | NGO Services | CSR | Social Causes |Get Involved in YOUR City and Locality | For Concerned Citizens | Latest News from Newspapers | Times Of India | Indian Express | DNA | Mumbai Mirror | The Hindu | Economic Times | Business Standard | Free 

"GovHK: Noise Pollution in Hong Kong." GovHK - One-stop Portal of the Hong Kong SAR Government / 香港政府一站通. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

"Ways To Prevent Noise Pollution." Definition for Global Warming - Global Warming Facts - Effects of Global Warming in the Caribbean. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

Kirk, Billy. "How Motorcycle Mufflers Work | EHow.com." EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles | EHow.com. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .

How does the density of a material affect the properties of sound traveling from a tuning fork?

Guiding Question:

 How does the density of a material affect the properties of sound traveling from a tuning fork?

Hypothesis: The more dense the surface the lower the pitch

Controlled Variable

Tuning fork- G 384

Force- one medium hit

Manipulated Variable

Object- we are using four different types of materials.

Materials

·         Tuner

·         Notebook

·         Glass

·         Wood

·         Aluminum

·         Locker material

Tuner – G-348

Surface	Pitch Loudness
Aluminum 2800 kg/m3	Aluminum is the densest material that we tested. The observations that we made were Aluminum I produced the softest sound out of all of the objects that we tested.
Glass 2500 kg/m3	A lot louder that aluminum material, it had an annoying sound. This would be considered noise not music. When I was listening on the glass, Roy could hear the noise from the outside.
Wood (oak) 600 kg/m3	This is a lot louder than glass and aluminum and glass- softer than the locker sound.
Locker (steel) 222.260	This material was loudest out of all the materials, this material was the least dense. It had a very annoying sound, very high pitched, and Roy could hear the noise when I was listening to the locker.

Conclusion

 To conclude this lab we found that the material with the least amount of density had the loudest sound. The winner of this experiment was the material steel from our lockers. It turns out that what I thought (sound waves produce louder sounds in a dense material) was not correct. What I have now learned is that sound waves produce a louder sound when in a less dense material. Now I know why lockers sound so loud when you slam them.

Further Inquiry

                I think if I were to do this experiment again I would definitely include many different materials, such as a live tree or a brick. I would be very interesting to test this experiment on a living thing, (not harming the living thing) seeing whether the sound travels faster through biotic rather than abiotic things. This would also be interesting to see what the sound would sound like under water. If you bang the tuner on a dry surface then gently place the tuner on the surface of the water, would it be different or would it be the same?

Guiding Question:

 How does the density of a material affect the properties of sound traveling from a tuning fork?

Hypothesis: The more dense the surface the lower the pitch

Controlled Variable

Tuning fork- B 480

Force- one medium hit

Manipulated Variable

Object- we are using four different types of materials.

Tuner- B -480

Surface	Pitch Loudness
Aluminum 2800 kg/m3	Super high, but a very soft and discrete sound. The highness made the sound very intense.
Glass 2500 kg/m3	This is a little louder than the aluminum material, still having that very intense sound.
Wood (oak) 600 kg/m3	This has a softer sound compared to the steel locker, but it still has a very intense ringing.
Locker (steel) 222.260	Surprisingly this material was way louder than any of the other materials, even with a shorter tuner it was a very loud and intense pitch and sound.

Conclusion

                As the other lab that we completed this was very much the same. Roy and I used a different tuner; we used a higher and shorter tuner. We wanted to figure out if we got the same results as the time before. We did. Roy and I found that with a shorter and higher tuner the sound of the material was louder in a material that is less dense. The steel locker was out winner again! With a different tuner, it made a very different pitch but it you could really tell that the steel material was a lot louder when listening.

Further Inquiry

                What about a lower pitch? What would the pitch sound like now? Maybe a very low, but intense sound, who knows I guess we will never know until we try. I am very interested in knowing what the sound would be like when having the shortest/highest tuner, I think it might hurt my ears. What about a rock material? Many rocks are very dense, some aren’t, it would be cool to test the difference in sound and pitch with different types of rocks. 

Listening to Sounds Lab

Purpose: to determine a way to amplify sound traveling to your ear.

Procedure:

1. Tie 2 strings to the handle of a metal spoon. Each string should be about 40 cm long.
2. Hold one end of each string in each hand. Bump the bowl of the spoon against a desk or other hard, solid object. Listen to the sound. 
3. Now wrap the ends of the string around your fingers. 
4. Put you index fingers up against your ears and bump the spoon against the object again.

Conclusion:

1. How does the first sound compare with the sound you heard with your fingers up against your ears?

The first sound without the string in the ear is sort of a twang, it sounded like a spoon hitting a hard object.
The second sound was more of a ringing of a bell, it sounded like bells because the vibrations from the spoon was ringing up the string and into my ear.
The third sound, Julia and I used a different material, we used a wire with felt on it. This was a lot shorter than the string, so it was louder because the vibrations has a shorter ways to travel.

1. How did the sound travel to your ears when you had the string touching you ears?

The sound that was made by the spoon hitting the desk traveled through the string and up to my ear.The vibrations from the spoon hitting the desk caused the metal to vibrate, causing the string attached to it-also to vibrate. This is the reason why I could hear the sound coming from the disturbance from the spoon and the desk.

This is a picture of a sound wave.

1. Why do you think it was easier to hear the sound when you put the strings by your ears?

It was easier because it the vibrations and waves had a shorter path to travel to my ear. When the string was longer, it had a low sound because the wave had to travel long from the desk to my ear. Also the reason I could hear the sound from the string to my ear is because the sound from the spoon hitting the desk travels through metal and string a lot faster and louder than traveling through air. This is the sure reason why I could hear the twang when not having the string up close to my ears. And the reason why I could hear the sound of church bells is because the wave could travel a lot faster through the string and metal than air.

Current Event- Japan's Nuclear Plant Damaged!

Radiation Leaps after Japan’s plant blasts

By Taiga Uranaka
and Ki Joon Kwon

Web Article

Posted: March 15, 2011

After an 8.9 earthquake hit Japan on March 11, 2011 hit about 150 kilometers away from Sendai. Numerous tsunamis have hit the shores of Japan causing a big crisis along the shores. The reoccurring tsunamis have destroyed many different villages and farmlands. The earthquake and tsunami has also damaged a nuclear power plant off the cost of Fukushima. The radiation levels have risen in the last few days. In total, two reactors have been damaged causing low-level radioactive gas to come out of the plant. Many predict that in just a few hours the low-level radioactive gas combined with the wind will reach Tokyo, Japan’s capital. The problem with radio activity is when you are exposed to radiation for a long time it can cause cancers and leukemia; hopefully this mess will be cleaned up in time. Officials have recommended that people stay indoors and conserve energy. The damage that the earthquake and tsunamis have upon Japan is huge; it has majorly affected its economy. Japan’s stocks have fallen less that 20% in the last few days. Representatives say that the result of the natural disasters has wiped about 600 billion dollars off the market!

This earthquake has a huge effect on Japan. Thousands of cadavers have been washed up on Japans shores. Business, land and buildings have been destroyed from this natural disaster. This devastating quake shook Japan economy, the question remains- will it be able to bounce back? About 900,000 houses have been destroyed from the quake and tsunami; the survivors are now living in freezing weather with no electricity. This just shows us what can happen to a very industrial country when faced with a natural disaster. Should Japan be more take more precautions?

When I first read about what happened to Japan, I was in shock! Japan is a very industrial country and the fact that some villages were completely wiped out is utterly amazing! Not to mention that the earthquake was so big and strong that it shifted the earth’s axis? All these natural disasters are occurring, what can we do to prevent so many causalities? Should countries require more safe-structural foundations? I think that the last few natural disasters are a big wakeup call saying it is time to take those safety classes about earthquakes, or it is time to finally screw the book shelves on to the wall. Our earth is constantly changing and moving, we need to be prepared for every shot that takes to defend everyone around us.
Sites Used:
Saoshiro, Shinichi. "NewsDaily: Japan Braces for Potential Radiation Catastrophe." NewsDaily: Your Best Source for Breaking News. 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2011. .

Properties of Sound Lab- Experiment 2

Thicker the Rubber Band	It sounds like a low drum beating constantly.
The thinner the Rubber Band	The pitch of the rubber band increases causing the sound to higher.

Experiment 2- Frequency

Procedure:

·         Have two partners each hold one end of the thicker rubber band and pull until the rubber band is not loose.

·         Pull the rubber band about 2 cm away from starting point, let it go. Observe and describe the sound.

·         Repeat steps 1-2 with the thin rubber band and describe the difference in the chart below.

·         Now, take the thicker rubber band again. Repeat 1-2.

·         Now pull the thicker rubber band a little bit tighter and repeat steps 1-2. Observe how the sound changes.

·         Pull the rubber band even tighter and repeat steps 1-2. Observe how the sound changes.

·         The last experiment. Have two partners hold the thick rubber band just like in step 1. Repeat step 2 and observe the change in sound.

·         Repeat step 8 two more times, make the rubber band shorter every time. Recored the observations every time.

Length of Rubber Band	Description of Sound
Shortest	Higher the pitch, and the softer the sound of the rubber band.
Long	Has a high pitch, higher than the “shortest” rubber band sound. Has a higher sound than the “shortest rubber” band.
Longest	High pitch and the loudest of them all.

Tightness of Rubber Bans	Description of Sound
Tightest	Higher Pitch- but the same sound as the “long rubber band”
Tight	Louder sound, but higher pitch than the “shortest” rubber band.
Loose	Super low, the pitch sounds very low.

 

Conclusion

1.       How did the sound change when you changed the amplitude (how far the rubber band was away from the middle point)?

The pitch of the rubber band increases, when you change the amplitude of the rubber band. When listening to the rubber band is sounds like a beat of a drum, steady but with a tang at the end.

2.       What happened when you changed the thickness, length, and tightness of the rubber band?

·         The thicker the band- the lower the pitch of the sound. Sometimes it is very hard to hear the rubber band because the pitch is so low.

·         The thinner the band, and when you pull the band far away from its original\

3.       Sally is playing the guitar and notices that one of her strings is flat (pitch is too low). What can she do to fix this?

If Sally wants to tune her guitar she has to tighten the string. This will make the guitar have a louder sound and pitch. Sally has to be careful of tightening the string to much, if she does this will make the guitar sound awfully high.