Units and Measurement

This is the beginning of an interactive outline for the course "Physics of Music and Speech". The general content of the course is described in the following list.

Course content outline:

  1. Nature of sound and its propagation
  2. Simple vibrating systems
  3. Mechanics of the ear and hearing
  4. Acoustics of musical instruments
  5. Acoustics of rooms, auditoriums, etc.
  6. Discussion of microphones, amplifiers, loudspeakers,and other electronic devices associated with sound reproduction.

The course begins with a quick overview of the basic physical quantities which are necessary for the the study sound and acoustics. The outline will quickly move into topics which are more specifically sound-related.

What quantities must you measure to describe completely the motion of a ball tossed into the air?

What units are used to specify these quantities?

What are the three most commonly used systems of units?

What are the three fundamental mechanical quantities which form the basis for all mechanical measurement?

What are the prefixes used with powers of ten to denote 1000x and 1/1000? 		Index
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Physical Quantities

What are the three fundamental mechanical quantities which form the basis for all mechanical measurement?

What is a force and what are the units of force?

What is the role of each of Newton's laws in describing and predicting motion?

What is the difference between mass and weight?

How are the terms work, energy, and power related?

What are the conditions for periodic motion?

What terms are used for the description of periodic motion?

 *Motion Concepts

*Mechanical quantities

*Newton's Laws

*F = ma

*Application of F = ma

*Force example

*Mass and Weight

*Work, energy, power

*Periodic motion

*Mass on spring

*Measuring periodic motion

 Index
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Periodic Motion and Traveling Waves

What are the conditions for periodic motion?

What terms are used for the description of periodic motion?

How are traveling waves produced?

How are velocity and wavelength related to frequency for a traveling wave?

Describe the transformation of energy which occurs when a mass bobs up and down on a spring.

What can be determined from a plot of a wave as a function of distance? What can be determined from the plot of a wave as a function of time?

How can the wave velocity be obtained from wave plots? What does the velocity of sound depend upon?

How does the velocity of sound change with temperature? Does it also change with atmospheric pressure?

What is the difference between longitudional and transverse waves?

 *Periodic motion

*Mass on spring

*Measuring periodic motion

*Traveling waves

*Wave on pond

*Wave in air

*Wave relationship

*Energy in periodic motion

*Energy for mass on spring

*Graphs of waves

*AM radio

*FM radio

*Oscilloscope display

*Velocity of sound

*Longitudinal waves

*Transverse waves

*Geologic wave example

 Index
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