How will the length of a straw affect the pitch of sound that is produced when one blows air

over its top? Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether or not changing the length of a straw will alter the pitch produced by blowing air over the end of the straw. Straws of various lengths (the straws are otherwise identical) will be tested. The person who conducts the experiment will blow over the top of the straws, one at a time, in order to produce a pitch. The pitch will be recorded with a tuning device. After noting the pitch on the tuner, the person who conducts the experiment will record the data for that particular length of straw. Hypothesis: If the length of the straw is decreased, then the sound produced by blowing over the end of the straw will increase in pitch. Background: Pitch* is the degree of height or depth of a tone or of sound, depending upon the relative rapidity of the vibrations by which it is produced. The independent variable is the length of the straw. The dependent variable is the pitch produced by blowing over the end of the straw. The following variables are to be controlled for: the straw's diameter, the material composing the straw, the texture of the straw on the inside and outside, the placement of the tuning device, the currents of air in the room, and the force of breath used to blow over the top of the straw. *Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/+pitch?s=t Materials and Equipment: 16 identical non-bendy straws (20 cm in length and 0.5 cm in diameter) 1 ruler (at least 16 cm in length) 1 marker 1 pair of sissors 1 tuning device capable of calculating units of pitch Procedure: On the first straw, measure with the ruler from the end of the straw and make a mark at 16 centimeters with the marker. After marking the length, draw a dot, an "x", small star, or other mark on the measured part of the straw. This will tell you which part of the straw to discard and which part of the straw to keep after the straw has been cut. Repeat this process using the second straw, but make a mark at 15 cm instead of 16 cm. Don't forget to make a mark denoting which part of the straw to keep. Continue to repeat this for each of the straws, decreasing length in 1 cm each time. When all 16 straws have been marked, carefully cut along the marked lines with a pair of scissors. When all straws have been cut, carefully remove the pieces of straw without the dot, "x", small star, or other mark. Discard the removed pieces. There should be 16 straws of varying length, the smallest being 1 cm long, and gradually increasing by 1 cm per straw, leaving the longest

straw 16 cm long. Check to make certain all controlled variables not yet accounted for are accounted for (i.e.: air currents, etc.) and fix them so that they will not interfere with the experiment. After having checked the controlled variables, place the tuning device in a spot where it will not be moved. Hold the longest (16 cm) straw as if ready to blow over the top of it. While doing so, use the ruler to make certain that the end of the straw is exactly 5 cm away from the tuning device. When the length from the tuning device to the straw has been verified, carefully blow over the top of the straw. While doing so, take note of the force at which you are blowing. While blowing, take a mental note of the pitch measured by the tuning device. Record the pitch measured. Repeat this process for the remaining 15 straws, recording the findings each time. Precautions: Scissors are made to cut things, and therefore should be handled with care. They can cut flesh just as well as they can cut paper. Do not make contact to the blade with your skin. If a cut or minor laceration does occur, one should seek medical attention immediately. In addition, the pointed end of a pair of scissors can cause a puncture wound. If something of this nature occurs, seek medical attention immediately. Blowing too hard or for too long can result in a loss of oxygen in the bloodstream, which in effect leads to potential syncope or loss of consciousness. Take caution and do not exceed the body's limitations.

Straw #

Data Analysis: It is clear that there is a correlation between the length of the straw (independent variable) and the pitched produced by blowing over the top of it (dependent variable). As the length of the straw decreases, the pitch produced increases fairly steadily. Likewise, increasing the length results in a decrease of pitch. There were irregularities for straw #6 and straw #11; these irregularities might have been caused by an inconsistency in the controlled variables. If there were air currents caused by fans or air conditioning at the time of the experiment, the speed at which air was blown may have been affected, resulting in a change in pitch. To reduce the possibility of this, one may move to a room without fans or AC or simply turn the fans or AC off. If one were to blow over one straw at a different velocity than he/she had blown over another, an inconsistency may occur. In order to re-establish the appropriate velocity of air blown, one might measure the pitch of a previous straw and match the velocity to the pitch previously recorded, taking a mental note of the velocity of blowing. After re-establishing the appropriate velocity, the experimenter could continue with the next straw. Conclusion: The objective of this experiment was to discover if a correlation between the length of a straw and the pitch produced by blowing over the top of the straw existed. Inconsistencies were reduced by eliminating change in controlled variables, and by doing so, a connection between length and pitch was recognized. A longer straw will result in a lower pitch, and a shorter straw will result in a higher pitch, the reason being that when air was blown over the straw, it had a certain distance to travel to the bottom of the straw. In the longer straws, the air had to travel farther to get to the bottom of the straw, resulting in a lower pitch. In shorter straws, the distance traveled by the air was lessened, causing the pitch to increase. The hypothesis was correct. Suggestions for further investigation: At the end of the experiment, it was recognized that there is a direct connection between straw length and pitch produced by blowing air over the top of the straw. In the experiment, the only variable changed was the straw length, while things like the diameter of the straw, the velocity of the air blown, and the material of the straw were kept constant. It would be interesting to see how the straw's diameter, the air's velocity, and the material composing the straw affect pitch. What I learned: I now understand how certain woodwind instruments, such as a flute, work, and how covering the holes can produce a different pitch.