Top 10 Demonstrations with Tuning Forks are on the Slow Mo Guys video.

I have been using tuning forks in my classroom for 10 years and have discovered several new tricks.I hope you learn a lot from this publication.

The tuning fork will vibrate wildly when struck.Imagine clapping and putting your arms above your head.The proper motion of a tuning fork is shown here.It is wobbling at the "elbows."After hitting the fork, you can get rid of the unwanted noises by touching near the joint.When used properly, the tuning fork should be almost silent.You will hear it clearly if you hold the tines near your ear.If you want to avoid metal on metal, hit the tuning fork on a knee or ball of your hand.When tuning forks become chippy, they will vibrate at different frequencies.As you listen, notice that the fork is loudest between the tines.Constructive interference.

One of the best ways to get students used to handling a tuning fork is to put it in water.Every student should receive a tuning fork.Put the cups of water in a container.Students will be surprised to see the splash.The tuning fork is a fun toy and requires some getting used to, but the sensation of hearing the tines vibrating is new and frightening.The base of the tuning fork should be placed against the boxes or desks that have been cleared for students to use.

A fun demonstration is to put the tuning fork in front of a light.The strobe light can be adjusted to make it appear slower.It works better on a larger fork.The strobe must be very close to the tines.

The strobe light "animating" the fork slowly through time by only making it visible after almost full cycle has passed"The fork will look like it has only moved a little.The perceived rate of vibration is determined by the difference between the strobe rate and tuning fork frequencies.Because of its trace across the screen, the CRT monitor can act like a strobe light.

An oscilloscope can be used to verify the tuning fork's frequencies.The speaker is removed from its housing and connected to the scope's leads.You will need a proper connection to get this.You can use a microphone.To adjust the settings, hold the tuning fork up to the speaker.The fork's tone is a pure curve.Compare this to the human voice or other instruments.Try to compare tuning forks of different frequencies.

If the noise is loud enough, two tuning forks can be made to sound the same.I prefer the large box-mounted versions for this purpose.Most large glass or wooden objects have many resonance frequencies.There are tuning forks that are different."Forced vibration at natural frequencies causes resonance" is an important phrase to understand.Where "resonance" is high.It makes our voice sound purer in tone when we sing in the shower because the longer notes resonance better.When our wheels are not aligned in the car and we drive at the natural frequencies of our shock springs, our car will vibrate up and down, but only at specific velocities.

Attach a solar cell to a set of computer speakers and use a laser to demonstrate the transmission of sound.This is similar to radio signals that we listen to.The laser's color doesn't matter.Smoke is sometimes added to enhance the demo.You will get a less distorted sound if the fork is further into the beam.It may take some trial and error to clip the speakers.The tip of the male end of a stereo cable goes to the left speaker, while the middle ring and inner metal go to ground.You have to clip the other end of the solar cell to the ground.A guitar amplifier is probably even better.The guitar cord has a plug.

Demonstrating interference is important because it is a property of all waves.The phenomena called "beats" are being shown in this case.Sometimes beats are used to tune musical instruments.The note you hear is the average of the two original frequencies.

The pattern can be achieved by heating one of the tuning forks with a fire.In the introduction to the video, I demonstrate this.It's a good idea to wear a hot glove.The Young's modulus of the aluminum is reduced by the heat.Even if you don't have a musical ear, you can tell the difference.

It is easy to measure the speed of sound with a tube and some water in a bowl.The whole wave doesn't have to fit inside in order for this to happen.The bottom is usually sealed, but the top is open and the air can vibrate.A 14 wavelength is the smallest fraction of a standing wave that can fit here.The sound is usually within 1% error with multiplying wavelength and Frequency.If you don't have a glass tube, you can use a graduated cylinder that is being filled with water until resonance is achieved.

It is possible to reflect light from the end of a tuning fork.As the reflected light is projected across the room, we can see the motion of the fork.Smoke is added to the video to help you see the beam.The tuning fork's motion can be traced when it is not in motion at a point far away.

Lissajous Figures are an old method of tuning forks.The fork was shaved off.These days, Lissajous Figures are mostly used to analyze LRC circuits, but originally they were produced by tuning forks reflecting light that is pointed at two mirror loaded forks vibrating at 90 degree angles.You get a Lissajous Figure when the frequencies are in a ratio.They are shaped like donuts, pretzels, fish, and other items.If you want to increase the size of the figures and reduce aiming difficulties, you should have the forks close and the wall far away.

There are tuning forks in different frequencies.They can be used to inform students that music is a branch of physics.You can use help to play songs with your students.There are certain ratios between notes that are in harmony.There is a fifth between G and C.There is a 5/4 ratio between E and C.There is a 6/6 ratio between C and A.The middle C and the next C are separated by a doubling of the frequencies.It is a fun game to try to find the scientific and musical ratios by reading your tuning fork labels.

A tuning fork can be used to tune an instrument.The tuning fork is usually held to the body of the instrument.If the strings are already in tune, the fork can be used to vibrate them.A completely different method is to strike the note and listen for beats as the sound from the instrument affects the tuning fork's sound.Until they are matched with no beating, they will beat less and less frequently.

The scientific tuning forks don't match the musical frequencies.The musical and scientific notes are different.My guitar tuning fork is thought to be flat by a half step in the figure.The scientific scale is arranged around middle C, which is 261.6 Hz on the musical scale.The setting of the musical scale was done by German musicians in the early 20th century.When all C notes are a multiple of 2, the scientific scale is convenient.There are many whole numbers in the other frequencies.

In the past few years, James Lincoln has won several science video contests and worked on various projects.James consulted on TV's "The Big bang Theory" and "This vs. That" as well as the UCLA physics video project.

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