ROCHESTER PHY 103 - Lab Manual - Copper Pipe Xylophone and Gongs

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Physics and Music PHY103 Lab Manual Copper Pipe Xylophone and Gongs EQUIPMENT • Copper pipes in a scale at ½” diameter • Different diameter pipes with same lengths • Mallets • Weather-strip coated board stands for the copper pipes • Tuners • Rulers or tape measures • Microphones, stands, preamps connected to computers running Adobe Audition. • Band saw • Jigs for cutting slots in copper pipes • Pipe cutters • Wire, wire cutters • 3/4” diameter copper pipe for gongs (1 foot per gong, enough for one gong per station) INTRODUCTION For a guitar string or a column of air, the pitch of the fundamental tone sounded is proportional to the length of the string or length of the column of air. However for other systems the pitch of the fundamental tone may depend on the length in a more complicated manner. For example the pitch of the fundament al model may depend on the square of the length or the square root of the length. In this lab we will experimentally measure the way that the fundamental tone of a bending copper pipe depends on its length. We can write where f is the frequency of the fundamental tone, L is the length of the pipe and is a power that we can measure. The symbol means “is proportional to”. For guitar strings and flutes, , and the pitch of the fundamental tone is inversely proportional to the length of the string or column of air. If we take the log of the above equation we find On a plot of log f vs log L the exponent would be the slope of a line. ↵ ⇡1Safety warnings: It is possible to loose a finger if you let your fingers get near the blade on the band saw. We are using jigs to hold the pipe while cutting a slot in the copper pipe so that our fingers never get near the blade. Please remember to keep your hands away from the blade at all times. If you see a colleague using the band-saw unsafely don’t just watch hoping that they won’t hurt themselves – prevent the injury before it happens. Shut the band saw down and complain loudly until your colleague uses the band-saw safely. Wear goggles when using power equipment! Make sure others watching are also wearing protective eyewear. log f = ↵ log L + constantPhysics and Music PHY103 Lab Manual For a guitar string or a column of air, the overtones are integer multiples of the fundamental tone. However there are vibrating systems where the overtones are not integer multiples. This contributes to their timbre. Bells, drums and copper pipes are examples of instruments that have a complex spectrum of overtones. In this lab you will measure the frequencies of these overtones, fn and their ratios to that of the fundamental or fn/f1. Here fn refers to the n-th partial or overtone. As explored in the book by Hopkins the ratios of the frequencies depends on the shape of the vibrating object. By shaving off material from regions of a metal or wood bar, the ratios of the frequencies can be varied. Figure 1. This figure shows motions for first three modes of a steel bar. The steel bar is not help fixed at either end. Based on a Figure by Bart Hopkins. The frequencies of the modes excited in a copper pipe depend on the speed of sound in the pipe and the stiffness of the pipe. A different diameter pipe should have a different stiffness (harder or easier to bend) and so should have different frequencies of vibration. A copper pipe has bending modes similar to those in a steel bar shown above. By measuring the frequencies of the fundamental bending mode for copper pipes of different lengths we can determine experimentally how the fundamental model frequency depends on pipe length. Specifically we can measure the exponent α in Equation 1 or 2 above. When a copper pipe is hit it moves with bending modes (shown above) that have frequency that depend on pipe length. We would expect that all three modes shown above would have higher frequencies when the pipe is shorter. However the pipe can also deform in other ways. For example two sides of the pipe could approach each other while the opposite sides move away (see Figure 2) . The frequencies of these modes would not depend on pipe length, though they would be sensitive to pipe thickness and diameter. In thisPhysics and Music PHY103 Lab Manual lab we can look at the spectrum of a copper pipe to see if we can find mode frequencies that don’t depend on pipe length. Figure 2. Possible vibration modes looking down the end of a copper pipe. This type of motion could correspond to a mode with frequency that does not depend on pipe length. If a slot is cut in the end of the pipe then the ends of the pipe an also move away from each other, in a way similar to a tuning fork (see Figure 3). Figure 3. This figure shows motions for a tuning fork. We expect a lower fundamental mode frequency if the fork prongs are longer. A copper pipe with a slit cut in the end has many possible modes of vibration leading to a rich spectrum and possibly a pleasing sound. In this lab we will look at how the spectrum of a copper pipe changes as a slit is cut into its end. Figure 4. Spectra of a ¾” diameter, 9” long copper pipe. On the left no slit has been cut. From the left to the right each spectrum corresponds to the pipe with a 1cm longer slit.Physics and Music PHY103 Lab Manual Low frequency modes are seen when the slit is large enough that slow tuning fork modes are possible. The last spectrum with the 6cm slit had a nice sound. Perhaps two modes coincide and the lowest frequency mode is particularly strong as a consequence. Because I liked the sound I stopped extending the slit. PROCEDURE A. Pitch as a function of length. 1. Using the ½” pipes at different lengths set up as a xylophone playing a scale. Hit the pipes and measure the frequencies of their lowest tones. 2. What notes are played? 3. Measure the lengths of the pipes. 4. What is the relation between pipe length and pitch? Plot pipe length vs pitch for the 8 pipes. Plot log pipe length vs log pitch for the 8 pipes. On which of these plots do the points lie on a line? 5. Does the frequency depend linearly on the length of the pipe? What is your best estimate for in equation 1? The line that best goes through your data points should determine your best estimate (measurement) for . B. Pitch as a function of pipe diameter and material 1.


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ROCHESTER PHY 103 - Lab Manual - Copper Pipe Xylophone and Gongs

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