9 Science Term 1 Student Experiment

Name: Isaac Goodman

Class: 09SCIC
Teacher: Ms Pappas

Title:
A simple wind instrument to show the relationship between the length of the instrument and the pitch of
the sound it creates.

Rationale:
Sound is produced when something vibrates back and forth causing the air around it to bunch together in
areas, known as compressions and spread apart in other areas, known as rarefactions. A sound wave is the
movement of alternating compressions and rarefactions moving away from the object which is vibrating.
Pitch is a characteristic of sound that most people are able to discern. What we differentiate as Pitch is
simply a change in the frequency of the sound wave. A high frequency corresponds to a high pitch, while a
low frequency corresponds to a low pitch. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz). It is measured as the
number of vibrations per second.

Musical instruments are designed to move through a variety of pitches. Guitars use strings of varying
thickness and tension to produce different notes. The guitarist moving their hand to lengthen and shorten
the string (by pressing it against the neck of the guitar) can also change the pitch of the sound being
created. Similarly, wind instruments are generally long tubes, the length of which can be altered by the
player to produce a variety of pitch (notes).

This experiment will investigate the relationship between the length of the musical instrument and the
pitch it creates.

Development of Research Question:

The independent variable whose variation does not change. And the dependant variable is the variable that
does change. Sound is a form of energy produced by vibrations. These vibrations generate sound waves
that travel through media like air, water, and wood. As an object vibrates, it creates movement in the
medium's particles. This movement is known as sound waves, and it continues until the particles run out of
energy. A wavelength is the distance between 2 successive waves. Pitch, as defined in music theory, is the
precise sonic vibration produced by an instrument. Musical pitch and musical timbre determine how a note

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sounds. Melodies are created when musicians blend pitch with duration, which is the amount of time a
note lasts before becoming silent or giving way to another note.

Research Question:

To what extent does the reduction of x amount of straw length effect the pitch?

Modifications to the Original Method:

Using different straws ever time will be changed because it makes collecting the sound more accurate as
you do not have to create a new mouthpiece every time.
Instead of measuring volume, length of the straw will be measured to investigate pitch.

Risk Assessment:

Identified Risk Risk Management strategy

Scissors Using the scissors with care and not through them
Blowing in a dirt straw Use a straw every time so you don’t get sick
Blowing so much are you pass out Not blow so much air and keep it controlled

Raw Data:
Table 1. Sound wave data collected for each instrawment.

Length of Trial Number of Initial Time (s) Final Time (s) Length of Time (s) Frequency (Hz)
Straw (cm) Repeating
Waves
1 11 4.860 4.875 0.015 733
20cm 2 9 5.600 5.615 0.015 600
3 10 1.500 1.515 0.015 666
Average Frequency (Hz): 666
1 13 2.85 2.865 0.015 866
18cm 2 17 3.9 3.915 0.015 1133
3 15 4 4.015 0.015 1000
Average Frequency (Hz): 1044
16cm 1 15 5 5.015 0.015 1000
2 17 1.2 1.215 0.015 1133

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 3 16 3.4 3.415 0.015 1066
Average Frequency (Hz): 1066
1 19 23.6 23.615 0.015 1266
14cm 2 22 3.9 3.915 0.015 1466
3 20 5.600 5.615 0.015 1333
Average Frequency (Hz): 1355
1 25 8.560 8.575 0.015 1666
12cm 2 27 1.3 1.315 0.015 1800
3 26 2.1 2.115 0.015 1733
Average Frequency (Hz): 1733

Processed Data:

Figure 1. Length of the straw (cm) versus the average frequency (Hz) of the sound it created.

Figure 1: Chart showing results from data table

2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0 5 10 15 20 25

Analysis of Data
The graph in figure 1 illustrates the change in frequency in relation to the length of the straw. This evidence
relates to the research question because it shows the steady increase of the frequency in relation to the
length of the straw, thus highlighting how the length of the straw does affect the pitch. Scientific evidence
suggests that the increase in frequency illustrated on the graph in figure 1 is result of the length of the
straw. The trend of the information displayed in figure 1 clearly expresses a steady increase in frequency in
relation to the length of the straw.

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Interpretation of Data
This graph displays, how, the reduction in straw length effects the pitch. Additionally, this evidence reveals
that the longer the straw the lower the pitch, and the shorter the straw the higher the pitch is. Furthermore,
this data presents a steady increase in frequency as the frequency is going up by about 200 every 2cm that
is cut of the straw. A decline in straw length will greatly increase the pitch, this is because the it has a high
frequency and for that reason the straw will it vibrate faster than if a longer straw was used in turn have a
higher frequency. For example, When the length of a string is changed, it will vibrate with a different
frequency.  Shorter strings have higher frequency  and therefore higher pitch.

Evaluation of Data
The evidence gathered was of reliable quality, the reason for this is because the evidence used to justify the
research question was of high quality as it was sourced from reliable experiments, sources and websites.
Some limitations experienced when finding data and information was that the data relating to this topic
was very scarce and the only data that could be used was from testing in the classroom, as the classroom is
not the ideal testing space for an experiment. To improve this investigation there would need to be better
resources and more reliable testing spaces and equipment. But overall, the sources were of high quality and
were not biased because the documents have been published in many scientific journals whereby other
researchers have also referenced, making them reliable.

Conclusion
The conclusion that can be made from this data is that the reduction in straw length increases the pitch. The
evidence supports the claim that the reduction in straw length increases the pitch. More resources, as well
as more dependable testing facilities and equipment, would be required to improve this investigation.
Nonetheless, the sources were of excellent quality and were not biased because they had been published in
numerous scientific publications, which other scholars had also referenced, making them reputable.

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References

Bibliography
Britannica. (n.d.). pitch. Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/pitch-music

inspritivr. (n.d.). Frequncy and pitch of sound. Retrieved from inpritivr: https://www.inspiritvr.com/general-
physics/sound/frequency-and-pitch-of-sound-study-guide

Masterclass. (n.d.). Pitch of music and sound explained. Retrieved from Masterclass:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/pitch-in-music-explained

Physicsclassroom. (n.d.). Pitch and frequency. Retrieved from Physicsclassroom:

https://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-2/Pitch-and-Frequency

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