Mission SM7: Mathematics of String Instruments

Mission SM7 involves the mathematical analysis of string instrument. You will need to compute string length, frequency, wavelength, and speed for a variety of harmonic patterns. The mission consists of 32 questions organized into 8 Question Groups. You must answer one question from each Question Group to complete the mission. The learning outcomes for this mission are ...
 

Learning Outcomes

• The student should be able to determine the wavelength and frequency of a standing wave in a guitar string if given the speed, harmonic number and length of the string.
• The student should be able to determine the wavelength and the length of a guitar string if given the frequency of a harmonic, the wave pattern and the speed of waves in the string.

 

Launch Mission SM7

 

Getting Help

If you are not familiar with this topic, then you should first learn about the topic using our written Tutorial or our Video Tutorial:
 

The Physics Classroom, Sound and Music Unit, Lesson 5, Part b

• What is meant by fundamental frequency?
• How can the frequency and the wavelength of a guitar string harmonic be determined if the speed and the length of the string are known?
• How can one match the harmonic number to a given standing wave pattern?
• How can the length of a guitar string and the wavelength of the standing wave be determined if the speed of the wave and the frequency of the harmonic are known?

 

Video Tutorials:

None available at this time.

 

 

Question-Specific Help

Each Question Group has its own Help page with information specific to the question. You can access the Help page from within the mission by tapping on the Help Me! icon (textbook). For your convenience, links to those pages are provided below: