Musical Instruments

Tuning Forks

[M | t | ★★]
Selection of mounted tuning forks and rubber hammer.

[In-Depth Description]

Tuning Forks and Baffle

[S | t | —]
Sounding a tuning fork with and without a baffle demonstrates its purpose and effectiveness.

Organ Pipes

[M | t | —]
Selection of single organ pipes, open and close-ended, to blow through.

[In-Depth Description]

Sonometer

[M | t | ★★★]
Frequency vs string length and tension are explored on this string instrument, a.k.a monochord

[In-Depth Description]

Harmonics

[M | t | —]
Harmonics are generated on the monochord with the application of appropriate boundary conditions.

Siren Discs

[M | t | —]
Spinning disks, perforated with holes, "sing" when air is blown through the holes.

[In-Depth Description]

Bell Plates

[S | t | ★★★]
Pieces of sheet metal ring like a bell when struck with a beater while other similar shapes go "clunk."

[In-Depth Description]

Semimusical Blocks of Wood

[M | t+ | ★★]
Drop blocks of wood onto the floor in rapid succession to obtain the notes of a musical scale.

[In-Depth Description]

Musical Bottle

[S/M | t | —]
A beer bottle becomes a Helmholtz resonator when air is blown across its mouth.

[In-Depth Description]

Variable Whistles

[S | t | —]
Variable frequency Galton whistle.

Fourier Synthesizer

[L | t+ | —]
Nine harmonics can be used to generated wave forms seen on a oscilloscope.

Fourier Analyzer

[L | t+ | —]
Frequency power spectrum of sounds is measured and displayed.

[In-Depth Description]

White/Pink Noise Generator

[M | t+ | —]
A special machine to make...noise.

Contact Us

Mailing Address: Lecture Demonstration Services, Science Center, Rm B-08A, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Campus Location: Science Center B-08A | Tel: (617) 495-5824 | Email: scidemos-at-fas.harvard.edu