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Strings, standing waves and harmonics
What makes a violin sound like a violin and a flute sound like a flute? These waveforms give us a clue. They were generated using recordings of a violin (upper waveform) and tin whistle (lower waveform) playing the same note, yet the shapes of the waveforms are very different. Learn more about the qualities of musical sound here.
Violins and flutes produce sound in very different ways. See how stringed instruments work at Strings, standing waves and harmonics , and compare strings with woodwinds after reading How Do Woodwind Instruments Work?.
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PhET Simulation: Fourier: Making Waves
Learn about many aspects of the physics of sound with these fun activities:
-- Download PhET Simulation: Fourier: Making Waves to learn how the mathematics of waves determine what you hear.
-- Build your own speaker out of a soda bottle at Soda Bottle Speaker. (Have an adult help you with the hot glue.)
-- Explore sound using just a rubber band at Echo in my Head.
-- For even more ideas, check out The Soundry. Their Interactive Sound Lab contains many more applets to explore the physics of sound.
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