GUIDE QUESTIONS:

1. In the length measurement of vibrating string, the segment close to the stylus was not included. Why? The segment close to the stylus was not included to minimize the error in counting all the number of distinct segments formation.

2. What effect does increasing the tension have on the number of segment formation? Justify your answer. Increasing the tension in the string raises the speed of the waves along it and thus raises the natural vibrational frequencies. The speed of waves along the string depends on the string. If the tension is constant, the speed of waves is also constant. Moreover, we can easily and visibly see the number of segment formations on the string while the tension is being increased by the electrically driven string vibrator.

3. All strings on the acoustic guitar are of the same length. What characteristic differences do they have that gives them different pitch (different frequencies)? Discuss other procure that can be done to change the frequency. The distinctive sounds of different musical instruments depend on the harmonic content of the sound waveforms produced by the instruments and on how the waves are excited--being plucked, stuck or bowed. A guitarist can change the length of the vibrating string by pressing the string against the neck of the instrument with his fingers. A plucked string vibrates in a complicated way, with many of its harmonics contributing to its motion. In fact, it is the combination of harmonics that gives a vibrating string its distinctive sound. The vibrational length of the string can possibly be shorten and thus increase the fundamental frequency in varying amounts by pressing the string down at different points on the fingerboard as what have mentioned above. That is how a musician is able to play many different notes with a string and other strings. The fundamental frequency is the lowest resonant frequency of vibration of the guitar string and the resonant frequencies that are integer multiples of fundamental frequency are called the harmonic frequencies. The fundamental frequency is the first harmonic; the frequency that is double this value is the second harmonic and so on. All resonant frequencies higher than the fundamental, whether they are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency are called harmonic frequencies.

PROBLEMS:
1. A string has a mass per unit length of 3x10 g/cm and is attached to an electrically driven vibrator of frequency 100 vps. How long is the string if the number of segments produced is 2 when under a tension of 0.2 kg?

= 3x10 g/cm F=100 vps T= 0.2 kg = 200g x 980 cm/s = 196,000 dynes n= 2 f= n/2L 2Lf=n  L= n/2f  L= 80.83 cm

2. A 2- meter long wire vibrates with a frequency of 330 Hz when the tension is 500 N. What is the the new frequency if the tension on the wire is reduced to a factor of 0.5?

: L= 2m f = 330 Hz T = 500 N T = (0.5) T= (0.5) (500) = 250 N Required: f=? f f=k k= f/ f/ f = f = f/ / f = 330 f = 233.35 Hz /

ANALYSIS
On Table 1- Determining the frequency of vibration (constant linear mass density), we had the liberty to select any size of the guitar string. We did not consider the segment near the stylus to minimize the error in counting number of distinct segments formation and their lengths. From Trial 1 up to 5, the tension T (mass added+ mass of pan x 980 cm/s) gets higher and higher due to simultaneous which is perpendicular to other components of the experiment---finding the number of segments, length of string with complete number of segments, L frequency of vibration. The average frequency of vibration is 106.85 Hz and the actual value of frequency of vibration is 114.9 Hz. However, the percentage of error we got was higher than the expected 5% of error which is 7%. I must say that even though we had that kind of error percentage we are almost there to the expected 5% error and we know ourselves that we tried our very best. The factors why we had that percentage error of 7% are may be because we have errors in measuring the length of the string with complete number of segments or the number of segments we counted. Moreover, the constant diameter of wire used was 0.002 in and the linear mass density is 0.0184 g/cm. On Table 2-Determining the frequency of vibration (variable linear mass density), the diameter of wire is changing every trial, there is specific diameter in every trial as well as linear mass density which is perpendicular to each other. The results in tension T are the same on the tension on this table. However, the results we got on the number of segments n, are 3 and 4 only but to compare on the table 1 the results are 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3---changing every trial. The percentage error we got was higher than the percentage error on the table 1 which is 8.33 %. This may be due to the factors of not accurately measuring the length of string (with complete number of segments), L or the computations done manually on calculator or maybe our carelessness. The average frequency of vibration is 105.33 Hz and the actual value of frequency of vibration is 114.9 Hz.

CONCLUSION
I must say that on this experiment, we had determined the frequency of vibration of a stretched string and studied how the frequency of vibrating string is affected by tension and linear mass density. The dependency of frequency to the linear mass was determined. For a given string, the speed of waves is along the string depends on the tension in the string. If the tension is constant, the speed of waves is also constant. If the string is driven periodically, it responds by vibrating at the frequency of the driving force. However, the amplitude of the vibration will be much greater if the string is driven at a resonance frequency. On the other hand, if the string is struck sharply and thereafter allowed to vibrate on its own, only the resonant frequencies will persist. Although, we didn t attain the less than 5% percentage error, we tried our very best to achieve that percentage error or less than of that. I must say that we carelessly measure the length of the string with complete number of segments or the wrong number of segment segments counted.