hSound Wave Properties

Physics Activity

Sam Fetzer

NAMES:

Andy Bennett

Much like waves in water, sound in air is produced by the vibration of an object. These vibrations produce pressure
oscillations in the surrounding air which travel outward like the ripples on the pond. When the pressure waves reach the
eardrum, they cause it to vibrate. These vibrations are then translated into nerve impulses and interpreted by your brain as
sounds. These pressure waves are what we usually call sound waves. Most waves are very complex, but the sound from a
tuning fork is a single tone which can be described mathematically using a sine function. In this activity you will analyze
the tone from tuning forks by collecting data with a microphone.
Equipment:

Lab Pro
Computer with Logger Pro
Microphone probe
Striker
Electronic keyboard (will have to share)
Tuning forks: C-256, C-512, and two forks VERY close
in numeric value and only one letter apart in the
alphabet (such as A 440 and B 480)

PART 1: Sound waveforms and the equation that matches!

1. Connect a Vernier Microphone to the Channel 1 input of the LabPro. Connect the LabPro to the laptop computer using
the USB cable. Do not forget to plug your LabPro into an outlet for power!
2. Launch Logger Pro. From the FILE menu, open the folder Physics with Vernier. Then open the file 32 Sound
Waves and Beats.
3. To center the waveform on zero, you must zero the microphone channel. With the room quiet, click
4. Notice that data will only be collected for 0.05 seconds! So strike the tuning fork BEFORE you hold it to the
microphone and collect data!
DATA PART 1: Collect data for the C-256 and C-512 tuning forks. Place a sine curve fit on each graph by using
the Curve Fit button,
and selecting sine from the list. Then copy and paste your graphs into these text boxes:
Place C-51

Place C-256 Graph here

2 Graph here.

PART 1

DATA:
TUNING FORK
period (s) = get time for 5
cycles and divide by 5
amplitude = height of a
crest OR trough from 0
frequency = 1/ period
Curve fit A Value (just
number)
Curve fit B/(2)

C-256

C-512

.003753

0.001964

.0486

0.0901

266.4535039

509.1649695

0.02987

0.08407

255

513

RECORD the following information from your curve fit or from the graph in Logger Pro:

QUESTIONS PART 1:
ANSWER THESE WHILE YOUR GRAPH IS STILL VISIBLE!!
1. The amplitude of a sound wave increases with the loudness of the sound. Which curve fit parameter above
represents the amplitude of your sound wave? Explain below how you could alter the amplitude value if you
repeated this investigation. Then try your method and see if it works!
Curve fit A. Hit the instrument harder.

2. Pitch is associated with the frequency of the tuning fork. A higher pitched tone would have a higher frequency.
What relationship was there between the 512 and 256 tuning fork frequencies and pitches? How did the curve fit
B/(2) relate to the frequency?
The 256 was very close to half of the 512. It showed us how the frequencies are calculated.

PART 2: Beats! Use the tuning forks which are only ONE
letter apart and the same Logger Pro file.

Place Beats graph with clo

1. For the two tuning forks which are close in value,

record them ringing at the same time. It is best to
get them both ringing and THEN hit collect. SAVE
YOUR GRAPH IN LOGGER PRO and then
COPY AND PASTE YOUR GRAPH BELOW.
2. Record your tuning fork values and determine the
beat frequency between the loudest points (1 beat
in how many seconds). SHOW in the space provided
how you determined this value and fill all
information into the data table below:
Tuning fork values
440 A

440 B

se tuning forks here:

# of full beats seen in graph

3

Beat frequency (# beats/sec)

30

QUESTION PART 2:
How does the calculated beat frequency relate to the individual frequencies of the tuning forks?
The two frequencies join each other and create waves together

PART 3: MATHEMATICS OF MUSIC: From the FILE menu, open the file 23 Mathematics of Music.

Using an electronic keyboard, play the keys marked below into the microphone and record the
Peak frequency.
Key #

Note

Peak Frequency
(Hz)

Ratio to C4

C4

522

1.0

E4

664

1.27

G4

783

1.5

13

C5

1049

2.01

25

C6

2100

4.02

QUESTION PART 3: What do you notice about the ratios of these notes to C4? Do you see any pattern
between the C values?
They are multiples of each other and c6 is twice as much as c4