Sound Waves Labs
The following PDF files represent a collection of Lab write ups pertaining to the topic of Sound Waves. The Labs are synchronized to readings from the Tutorial, missions of the Minds On activities, and more. Teachers may print these Labs and their related Ruberics and use them freely with their classes. Learn more about creating a Lab Notebook for these activities as well as Reporting and Guidelines.
Available Labs
Select a Lab below to learn more about it, or download the teacher guide and other supporting documents.
Listen Up! Lab
How would the intensity and the pitch of a sound observed by an observer change when the source of sound moves towards and away from an observer?
Mach 1 Lab
What is the speed of sound? (using distance-time data)
Natural Frequency and Standing Waves Lab
What are the natural frequencies at which a lab pole vibrates at and how can these frequencies be related to the standing wave pattern established in the pole?
Closed End Air Column Lab
What is the speed of sound? (closed end air column)
Open End Air Column Lab
What is the speed of sound? (open end air column)
Guitar String Lab
How does doubling, tripling and quadrupling the length of a guitar string effect the collection of harmonic frequencies at which it naturally vibrates and the speed at which waves travel within it?
Music in a Bottle Lab
How is the length of the air column in a pop bottle mathematically related to the frequency of the sound which it produces?
Musical Intervals Lab
How do the sounds produced by two nearby keys (within seven half-steps apart) on the piano keyboard sound when played together? Are certain frequency ratios more pleasing than others?
Musical Scales Lab
How are the frequencies of the sounds produced by the keys on the piano keyboard mathematically related?
Timbre Lab
What is the relationship between the richness of an instrument and the quantity of overtones within the sound? How can instruments be grouped according to their richness and purity?
Who Can Hear Monte Tone? Lab
What is the relative loudness of sound which results when sound from two sources are heard at a given seat location of an automobile?