The Physics Classroom: Sound Waves and Music: Sound Is a Pressure Wave

Students explore and discover how sound is created through longitudinal waves.

Through illustrated diagrams and interactive practice examples, students explore the physics of sound in open-end air column musical instruments.

Through illustrated diagrams and interactive practice examples, students explore the physics of sound in closed-end air column musical instruments.

For musical instruments and other objects that vibrate in regular and periodic fashion, the harmonic frequencies are related to each other by simple whole number ratios. Students learn why these whole number ratios exist for a musical...

The focus of this physics tutorial is on the application of mathematical relationships and standing wave concepts to musical instruments in three general categories of instruments: instruments with vibrating strings, open-end air column...

Using diagrams and animations, students discover how the anatomy of the ear and the physics of sound waves work together to allow us to hear.

A guitar string has a number of frequencies at which it will naturally vibrate. These natural frequencies are known as the harmonics of the guitar string. Students work through several example problems.

Use this interactive physics tutorial to introduce students to the concepts of pitch and frequency in sound waves.

Students explore intensity of sound waves and the decibel scale in this interactive physics tutorial.

Students study animations and diagrams to learn about the reflection behavior of sound waves.