Labquest:  Sound Frequency (Pitch)

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Please read all directions carefully

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Items needed for this lab

Labquest

Microphone

Bells and Mallet

Printer

Directions:  One person is in charge of reading these instructions out loud,
step-by-step, as you complete this experiment. 

 

 

Power up Labquest - press in upper left

·         Note the Collect button (2) - you will be using this in just a bit
 

·         If the display doesn't come on, connect the power adapter.

 

Connect the microphone to the labquest

·         use the inputs at the top of the lapquest

Using the turquoise stylus that's attached to the back of the labquest, click the tab for GRAPHING

 

Now....

·         One person takes the mallet for the bells and gives the longest D bar on the bells a good and sturdy 'donk', trying to produce the loudest sound possible.

·         Another person quickly maneuvers the tip the microphone near the bar that was just 'donked'

·         At the same time one person presses the Collect button

·         A graph should show up.

 

To store this 'run' click the the File Cabinet Icon.  This will clear out the graph for a second run.

Now... do the same steps as in step #4 –

 

BUT this time, the person with the mallet / bells, hits the shortest D bar 

Click on Run and choose All Runs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the stylus on the labquest screen, highlight (click-hold-and drag) a small portion of the graph

(see diagram to the right. Btw: you won't see a red outline, but it will appear to be 'shaded')

Go to the Graph menu and select Zoom in

 

Again - highlight just a portion of the screen by click-holding-and dragging

 

And again, go to the Graph menu and select Zoom in

 

 

Connect the Labquest to the printer with the provided USB cable (coming from the printer)

 

Go to File / Print / Screen and then tap the Print button on the screen

 

 

Once the print comes out,

  1. Put your names on it and
  2. the title SOUND – PITCH

  3. Count how many 'crests' of the first run wave there were in the time period displayed.  Write that on your paper and label it Low D

  4. Count how many 'crests' of the second run wave there were in the time period displayed.  Write that on your paper and label it High D

  5. In one or two sentences, describe why there is a difference in the  'pitch' (frequency) of those 3 sound waves.

  6. Turn the paper in to your teacher