Acoustics Comparison: Carpet and Vinyl Flooring

What are the acoustic properties of flooring? The following sound samples from SoundCloud can be used to compare these two common flooring options!


Sound Samples

• Carpet Floor
• Vinyl Floor

Questions

1. Describe the sound in each sample.
2. On a scale of 1 (none) to 10 (highest), rate the amount of each of the following in each sample:
1. Resonance
2. Echo
3. Damping
4. Decay
3. Which of the following tone qualities applies most to sample 1? Sample 2?
1. Mellow
2. Harsh
3. Bold
4. Jazzy
5. Buzzy
6. Loud
7. Metallic
8. Edgy
9. Smooth
10. Tinny
4. Which flooring is better for recording music? Why?
5. Bonus Questions:
1. What is the instrument?
2. What is the name of the tune?

Learn more about the science of music with books and multimedia from Schottenbauer Publishing!

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Harmonic Overtone Series Lesson Plan

The harmonic overtone series is essentially related to music performance, but may easily be overlooked in music lessons or classes. Lesson plan material is available in several books on the science of music offered by Schottenbauer Publishing. Relevant information includes calculations, diagrams, graphs of real data from various musical instruments, and graphs calculated from mathematical formulas.

Consider the following pages, excerpted from Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 1 (Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved). 

Discussion Questions

1. Identify the relationship between harmonics and overtones, using words.
2. Express the relationship between harmonics and overtones, using a mathematical formula.
3. Draw a three-octave keyboard on paper, using a light gray color for the black keys. Make 12 copies on a printer or copier. Label each page on the top with a different chromatic note (A, A#/Bb, C, etc.). Starting on each chromatic note, color the entire harmonic overtone series. List the names of each note on the keys.
4. Using a keyboard, any musical instrument, or voice, practice playing each harmonic overtone series. Begin on the lowest note possible, to ensure enough range to complete the task.

The resources below provide additional sources of information for learning about harmonics and the overtone series:

Auditory Demonstration of Harmonics

• YouTube Video
• Introduction to the Harmonic Overtone Series 
• Audio Recordings
• Multimedia Ear Training Program

Math of Harmonics & Tuning Systems

• Mathematical Formulas
• Appendices, Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 2
• Graphs
• Appendices, Where Does Sound Come From? Volumes 1, 3, & 4

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Decibels & Hearing

Decibels are the measurement unit for the level of sound. Noise level is measured on a logarithmic scale, with the threshold of hearing at 0 decibels. On this scale, a typical conversation is approximately at 60 decibels, a vacuum cleaner at 70 decibels, and a jackhammer at 100 decibels. 

According to OSHA, high sound level exposure is linked to hearing loss, particularly if the exposure to loud noises is prolonged over time. OSHA's permissible exposure limit is approximately 90 decibels.

Are musical instruments safe to perform? Consider the graph below, excerpted from Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 2, Revised Ed., from Schottenbauer Publishing:

Discussion Questions

1. Approximately what is the decibel level of the ambient sound in the room?
2. Approximately what is the decibel level of the trumpet?

Decibel readings are the theme of Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 2, Revised Ed., from Schottenbauer Publishing. Students can use these measurements to understand the nature of sound, by comparing and contrasting graphs from 27 musical instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, plus voice.

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What is Sound? The Problem of Averaging a Messy Graph

Graphs provide a unique perspective into the nature of music and sound. Graph-reading skills can be integrated into music classes, supplementing traditional science and math curricula. 

For example, consider the following two graphs, excerpted from Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 1 from Schottenbauer Publishing. These graphs shed light on a perplexing problem pertaining to averages.

Discussion Questions

1. Does the graph suggest (a) the presence of wind, (b) random differences in gas pressure in the room, or (c) error of the measurement device?
2. Is it accurate to state that the gas pressure is: (a) 99.8, (b) 99.825, (c) 99.85, (d) constantly changing?

Discussion Questions

1. What are the initial maximum and minimum sound pressures in the graph?
2. By the end of the graph, what are the maximum and minimum sound pressures?
3. Using a solid line, trace the maximum values of the sound pressures.
4. Using a solid line, trace the minimum values of the sound pressures.
5. Is it appropriate to average the minimum and maximum values on this graph, in order to show the true sound pressure reading? Why or why not?

Additional graphs of sound pressure, gas pressure, wind speed, and physical vibrations (force) are available in the lab manual Where Does Sound Come From? Volume 1 from Schottenbauer Publishing. Students can use these measurements to understand the nature of sound, by comparing and contrasting graphs from 27 musical instruments, including strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, plus voice.

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Easy Science of Music Experiment

With the assistance of a computer, microphone, and free program download, anyone with a musical instrument can explore the science of music! Even with a plastic soprano recorder costing $5 or less at a local music store, students can gather meaningful data for a school project or summer academic enrichment activity. Simply follow the steps below, to begin to collect and analyze data.

Science of Music Activity

1. Download Audacity, a free internet program for recording and mixing sound.
2. Open the program, and use a microphone and a musical instrument or voice to record a few notes. You may also record music with other software, and then open the file in Audacity for editing. It may be necessary to convert the file first to a format read by Audacity. Converting files is easy with a program such as DVDVideoSoft's Free Audio Converter.
3. Explore the sound wave, using the zoom function (magnifying glass icon). What does the wave look like?
4. Use these steps to compare several sound waves. Try comparing different notes or different instruments. Or, try comparing an instrument to voice.

Example: Flute Solo

The following flute solo was recorded and opened in Audacity.

Using the zoom function several times provides more detail, but the sine waves are still obscured.

Further use of the zoom function reveals the sine wave.

Individuals interested in comparing the sound waves of musical instruments may benefit from the following publications from Schottenbauer Publishing, which, as a group, contain samples from typical Western strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboard instruments, plus voice and conducting:

• Where Does Sound Come From? A multi-volume series with data on sound
• The Science of Music: An Anthology of Graphs A concise collection of graphs illustrating central concepts
• Ear Training: Tone Quality A series of multimedia containing sound samples labeled with verbal descriptions of tone quality, for training and/or testing

Other science of music publications from the same publisher include:

• How Do You Play That Thingamabob? The Science of Music Performance A multi-volume series on the forces and motion required for producing sound
• Bow Science & Exercises for the Violin & Viola A series of books containing practical science, applied directly to exercises

These educational tools can be integrated into music education curricula from late elementary school through high school and college/university. Additional information is available on the Schottenbauer Publishing website, and from the links below. A free pamphlet from the publisher is also available on the website.

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The Science of Music Performance

Science of music is easy and fun to teach and learn with several new book series from Schottenbauer Publishing! M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D.'s books of graphs provide a visual analysis of both sound and musical performance technique. Music instructors can use these graphs to add a dimension of understanding to traditional musical concepts. For instance, teachers can now use these books of graphs to show students the differences between smooth wave functions and the "wobbly" nature of uneven tone, the "edginess" of a bad note entrance, or the "droopiness" of a note going flat at the end. These books may be particularly useful in band, orchestra, or choral classes, where it is inconvenient or prohibitively expensive to use scientific equipment to illustrate concepts on individual student performance.

The book series by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D., currently contain data from common band and orchestral instruments, plus recorders, keyboard, voice, and conducting. The samples include both good and bad sound and technique, thus providing a comparison and contrast for educational purposes. 

• Where Does Sound Come From?
• Volume 1: 27 Instruments plus Voice
•  Gas Pressure Sensor
• Wind Speed Sensor
• Dual-Range Force Meter
• Sound Pressure Meter
• Volume 2, Revised Edition: Over 20 Instruments
• Continuous Sound Level Meter
• Diagrams of Tuning Systems
• Volume 3: Classical & Folk Guitars
• Gas Pressure Sensor
• Wind Speed Sensor
• Dual-Range Force Meter
• Sound Pressure Meter
• Volume 4: Violin, Recorder, Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, with a Focus on Phrasing, Articulation, and Tone
• Sound Pressure Meter

• How Do You Play That Thingamabob? The Science of MusicPerformance
• Volume 1: Over 20 Instruments
• Dual-Range Force Meter
• Force Plate
• Motion Detector
• Gas Pressure Sensor
• Wind Speed Sensor
• Air Volume Bag
• Volume 2: Over 20 Instruments, plus Voice and Conducting
• Goniometer
• Spirometer
• Volume 3: Over 20 Instruments, plus Conducting
• Video Analysis

• The Science of Music: An Anthology of 28 Graphs for Kids,Teens, & Curious Adult

• Bow Science & Exercises for the Violin & Viola
• Basic Science
• Preliminary Exercises

In addition to the above books, M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D. has been writing short textbook-style volumes about the science of each family of musical instruments. These short textbooks are written in big print with diagrams so as to be particularly suitable for children, as well as beginning students of any age. 

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With Kindle Unlimited ($9.99/month) at Amazon.com, you can read all e-books from Schottenbauer Publishing for no extra charge! Amazon offers Free 30-Day Trials of Kindle Unlimited. With this deal, trial members can read all Schottenbauer Publishing e-books free! This includes the Bow Science & Exercise Series, plus all the geometry workbooks, "The World in a Graph," "Alphabets of the World," all the e-book puzzles, and the educational novels by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D.