1. Purpose
Visualize the wavelike nature of sound by using a sound-to-voltage transducer (otherwise known as a microphone….).
Measure the speed of sound in a variety of ways.

2. Activity I: The Nature of Sound
Microphone (converts sound to electric voltage)
Sound 
Pasco 750 Interface
Computer/Data Studio : Used as an oscilloscope

3. Data Studio as a 1-Channel Oscilloscope
adjust vertical axis by
clicking on black triangles
adjust trigger level
here by sliding triangle
up or down
adjust horizontal axis by clicking on black triangles

4. T (period)
1ms

5. Activity IV: Measuring the Speed of Sound with an Echo
Clap !
Microphone 1
(plugged into port A !!)
Stand d
Table
Hollow cardboard tube

6. Identify a repeated pattern…you may need several attempts
Echo
First passage

7. Activity 5: Standing Waves and the Speed of Sound
tuning fork
Procedure:
Adjust pipe location until the sound from the tuning fork is amplified.
Measure L as shown on the left.
Think about the relationship between the wavelength l and the length L.
Determine wavelength l.
Calculate the speed of sound using L
Note: f is written on the tuning fork.

8. % Difference (e.g., Problem 8)

9. Important
We will need to use “Data Studio” instead of “Capstone” in this activity. The file cannot be loaded from the website. You need to go to the desktop of your computer and find the shortcut “Physics Lab”. Then click your way through the folders to the Data Studio activity called “Sound”.
Whenever you launch a new Data Studio file, you must first close all other existing Data Studio files and all Capstone activities. Then launch the new Data Studio Activity. Still, sometimes the “Start Button” won’t work. If that happens, close the file and launch it again.