Physics 3100: Sounds of Music

Fall 2008

Lecture: 11:45-13:10 TTh, Room 245, Physics Building

Lab 1: 11:45-13:45 M, Room 115, Physics Building

Lab 2: 11:45-13:45 W, Room 115, Physics Building

Lab 3: 9:35-11:35 T, Room 115, Physics Building

This is a 4 credit course. This course is an introduction to the physical basis for the production, propagation, and perception of sound with special emphasis on musical sounds.

3 Exams or 2 Exams and one paper (75%)

There will be two exams during the term and one as the final exam. One five page paper can be written on a topic agreed upon with the instructor instead of taking one of the three exams. The paper is due on the day of the exam that it will replace.

Laboratory(25%)

Ten two hour labs are scheduled. Grades are based on written lab reports that are turned in at the start of the next scheduled lab. The lab of the week is given below. Note that during the weeks of exams no labs are scheduled.

Final Exam

The final is Tuesday 16 December at 10:40. This will be the third of the exams.

Reading Summaries

There are 25 lectures with reading after the first class. Turning in a summary of the reading will be worth 1.0 points, and a good one will be worth 2.0 points. Reading summaries are due at the start of each lecture. Late reading summaries will not be accepted. These points are not simply additions to the total, but reduce the weight of the other requirements. For example if 50 points were earned in Reading Summaries then the contributions would be Reading Summaries 50%, Exams and Paper 37.5% and Labs 12.5%.

Problems

Each lecture is associated with some problems from the book. These are not required, but highly recommended. The book questions will form the basis of the exams.

Day by Day in Class

Date	Topic	Chapters	Problems	Lab
2 Sep	Introduction; Simple Harmonic Motion	1.1-1.3	Q1.1, Q1.4, Q1.5, P1.2	No Lab
4 Sep	Damped, Driven, and Combined Oscillations	1.4-1.5	Q1.6, Q1.7, Q1.10, P1.6	No Lab
9 Sep	Wave Basics	2.1-2.2	Q2.1, Q2.3, Q2.4, Q2.5, P2.5	Simple Vibrating Systems
11 Sep	Wave Behavior	2.3-2.5	Q2.7, Q2.9, Q2.12, Q2.15	Simple Vibrating Systems
16 Sep	Extreme Waves	2.6-2.9	Q2.17, P2.8	The Oscilloscope
18 Sep	Standing Waves and Resonance	3.1-3.2	Q3.2, Q3.5	The Oscilloscope
23 Sep	String and Tube Waves	3.3-3.5	Q3.3, Q3.4, Q3.6, Q3.10, P3.1, P3.2, P3.4, P3.6	Properties of Waves
25 Sep	Complex Waves	4.1-4.2	Q4.1, Q4.2, P4.1, P4.2, P4.5	Properties of Waves
30 Sep	Tone Quality	4.3-4.4	Q4.3, Q4.4, Q4.5, Q4.7, Q4.9, P4.7	No Lab
2 Oct	Exam 1	1-4	-	No Lab
7 Oct	Synthesis of Musical Sounds	5.1-5.2	Q5.1, Q5.2, Q5.3, Q5.4	Beats, Tuning and Pitch
9 Oct	Electronic Music	5.3-5.4	-	Beats, Tuning and Pitch
14 Oct	Human Hearing 1	6.1-6.4	Q6.1,Q6.2,Q6.3,Q6.5,P6.1,P6.2,P6.3	Standing Waves in Strings
16 Oct	Human Hearing 2	6.4-6.11	Q6.7, Q6.8, P6.5	Standing Waves in Strings
21 Oct	Human Voice	6.12-6.14	Q6.10, Q6.11, Q6.18	Standing Waves in Air
23 Oct	Microphones	7.1-7.3	Q7.1,Q7.2,Q7.3,Q7.4,P7.1	Standing Waves in Air
28 Oct	Speakers and Amps	7.4-7.7	Q7.8,Q7.10	Sound Levels
30 Oct	Sound Recording	7.8-7.10	P7.2,P7.3,P7.4	Sound Levels
4 Nov	Room Acoustics	8.1-8.5	Q8.1,Q8.2,Q8.6,Q8.10	No Lab
6 Nov	Exam 2	5-8	-	No Lab
11 Nov	Pitch 1	9.1-9.4	Q9.1,Q9.2	Ear Sensitivity
13 Nov	Pitch 2	9.5-9.8	-	Ear Sensitivity
18 Nov	Woodwinds 1	10.1-10.5	Q10.6,P10.1,P10.3	Musical Instruments
20 Nov	Woodwinds 2	10.6-10.9	Q10.11,Q10.12,P10.6,P10.7,P10.8	Musical Instruments
25 Nov	Brass	11.1-11.6	Q11.1,Q11.5,Q11.10,P11.4,P11.6	No Lab
2 Dec	Stringed Instruments	12.1-12.4	Q12.1,Q12.2,P12.1	Musical Intervals
4 Dec	The Piano	13.1-13.4	Q13.1,Q13.3,Q13.8,P13.1,P13.3,P13.4,P13.7	Musical Intervals
9 Dec	Percussion Instruments	14.1-14.4	Q14.1,Q14.3.Q14.5,P14.1	No Lab
16 Dec	Final	9-14	-	No Lab
Date	Topic	Reading	Problems	Lab