Brief descriptions of several of the laboratory experiments which have been incorporated into an acoustics course for music majors. Includes vibratory motion and sound generation, nature, speed, and pitch of sound, spectrum analysis and electronic synthesis of musical sound and some conventional sound experiments. (Author/TS)

Describes an undergraduate optics laboratory experiment to verify the law of intensity in the Fesnel diffraction of a thin wire. A gas laser as light source and a photocell as detector scan the diffraction pattern. The agreement with the theoretical pattern is remarkably good. (Author/TS)

A discussion of linear collisions between two or three objects is related to a junior-level course in analytical mechanics. The theoretical discussion uses a geometrical approach that treats elastic and inelastic collisions from a unified point of view. Experiments with a linear air track are described. (Author/TS)

Discusses the contributions of Bloch and Houston to the electron theory of metals. Contains (1) a biographical note on W. V. Houston, (2) a review of the development of the electron theory of metals, and (3) a discussion of gravitationally induced electric fields. Bibliography. (LC)