Violin
A violin demonstrates standing waves on vibrating strings. Students observe how tension, length, and linear mass density determine fundamental frequency and overtones when strings are bowed or plucked.
Instruments Topic
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Special Organ Pipes
Three specialized wooden organ pipes designed to illustrate open vs. closed pipe resonance and visualize standing wave nodes using sand and cork dust. **Note: All three pipes are currently non-functional …
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Whirling Tubes
Demonstrates harmonics of an open pipe. Spinning a corrugated tube faster excites successively higher harmonics, producing discrete pitch jumps rather than a continuous glissando — a vivid illustration of standing …
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Ruben's Flame Standing Wave Tube
Visualizes standing acoustic waves using a propane-filled tube with rows of small flames that respond to pressure variations. Students directly observe nodes and antinodes as differences in flame height, connecting …
Wind Instruments
A collection of recorders, PVC flutes, and a Xaphoon demonstrates air column resonance and standing waves. Students hear how instrument length determines pitch and can compare edge-tone (recorder/flute) and reed-based …
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Variable Length Resonators
Demonstrates acoustic resonance in open and closed air columns. Students hear how resonance depends on tube length and driving frequency, distinguish open vs. closed pipe harmonic series, and can measure …
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Spinning Whistler
A hollow metal cylinder with a longitudinal slit is spun on a string, producing a high-pitched whistle. Faster spinning raises the pitch, demonstrating the relationship between edge velocity and sound …
Xylophone
Demonstrates pitch dependence on bar length: shorter bars produce higher frequencies. For free bars,, in contrast to strings where.
Tune Playing Blocks
Demonstrates the relationship between bar length and resonant frequency for solid bars. Wooden blocks of different lengths are knocked off a support to play "Home, Sweet Home," making the length-pitch …
Resonance in a Rod
Demonstrates how holding position on a vibrating rod selects which longitudinal standing wave harmonics can persist. Students hear the pitch rise as the hold point moves to positions that enforce …
Tuning Forks
A collection of tuning forks demonstrates how physical dimensions determine resonant frequency. Use them to show resonance, beat frequencies, sympathetic vibration, and musical intervals.
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Giant Tuning Fork
Stroboscopic illumination makes the 128 Hz vibrations of a giant tuning fork visible to the eye. Students observe simple harmonic motion in slow motion and connect mechanical oscillation to sound …
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Electronic Keyboard
A versatile tool for nearly any topic in sound and music. Use it to discuss pitch, volume, intervals, keys, or instrument voices. Connect the audio output to an oscilloscope and …
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Theremin
The theremin demonstrates how capacitance depends on geometry. The performer's hands act as grounded capacitor plates; moving them closer to the antennas changes the capacitance, which shifts oscillator frequencies to …