The invention of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) 30 years ago opened up a visual window to the nano-world and sparked off a bunch of new methods for investigating and controlling matter and its transformations at the atomic and molecular level. However, an adequate theoretical understanding of the method is demanding; STM images can be…

When working on an oral history project, my brother recommended that I download a free audio recording and editing program called Audacity[R]. I have since discovered that it is a fantastic tool for students to visualize sound waves and to understand the meaning of amplitude, frequency, and superposition. This paper describes a collection of…

Differences in insect morphology and movement during singing provide a fascinating opportunity for students to investigate insects while learning about the characteristics of sound. In the activities described here, students use a free online computer software program to explore the songs of the major singing insects and experiment with making…

In this article, we show the implementation of a computer-based digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) and function generator (FG) using the computer's soundcard for off-campus acoustic experiments. The microphone input is used for the DSO, and a speaker jack is used as the FG. In an effort to reduce the cost of implementing the experiment, we examine…

Readily available software designed for the production of music can be adapted easily to the physics classroom. Programs such as Apple's GarageBand access large libraries of recorded sound waves that can be heard and displayed both before and after alterations. Tools such as real-time spectral analysers, digital effects, and audio file editors…

From MP3 players to cell phones to computer games, we're surrounded by a constant stream of ones and zeros. Do we really need to know how this technology works? While nobody can understand everything, digital technology is increasingly making our lives a collection of "black boxes" that we can use but have no idea how they work. Pursuing…

A major strand of science and technology studies in recent decades has related to the social construction of technology (SCOT) movement, whose adherents maintain that technological systems are determined just as much by social forces as by technological ones. Taking this SCOT notion as a starting point, and putting a focus on the user, this paper…

Much like a physical prism, which displays the frequency components of a light wave, Fourier analysis can be thought of as a mathematical prism that can tell us what harmonics or frequency components are contained in a recording of a sound wave. We wrote the MacScope II program so that the user could not only see a plot of the harmonic amplitudes…

What follows is a description of a simple experiment developed in a non-mathematical general education science course on sound and light for fine arts students in which a guitar is used with data collection hardware and software to verify the properties of standing waves on a string.

Today computer music is the dominant form of reproduced music and computers are widely available in the home and in science laboratories. The advent of new technology prompts us to rethink not only how we teach, but also what we teach. In this article I present a possible new approach to the teaching of sound based around these new technologies.…

Describes four physics experiments including "Investigation of Box Resonances Using a Micro"; "A Direct Reading Wattmeter, DC or AC"; "Exercises in the Application of Ohm's Law"; and "Hysteresis on Gas Discharges." Discusses procedures, instrumentation, and analysis in each example. (CW)