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Natalie Sanchez

5/19/11
Blog #1

I am planning on building a guitar for my physics project. A guitar is played by plucking or strumming its strings. In order to change the note of a guitar, you must place your fingers on different strings of different frets on the fret board of the guitar. A (acoustic) guitar's body is shaped like a very wide "8" with a hole in the middle of it. I think that the a guitar creates sound because the sound waves that are produced when you pluck or strum its strings bounce into its sound hole and then re-bounce  out of the guitar to produce external sound. The guitar changes notes when you hold certain strings at certain points because the strings becomes more tense and produces a higher note than it would if you just play the string on its own. Maybe this also has to do with sound in that the sound wave is weaker than sound wave of a single chord so it sounds different when it rebounds out of the guitar. It could also just be that the string with pressure on the fret has a higher note than the string without pressure on the fret, and therefore just sounds the way that it does normally, only louder because of the sound hole. I like to connect sounds waves to ocean waves because they move in a very similar manner. The wave travels straight through said path and does not stop. The same thing happens with a sound wave. The wave is caused by an initial disturbance (as explained the in the beginning of the today's experiment) and then continues to travel throughout the path is started on. The sound waves in this case are created by the strings, go into the sound hole of the guitar, and then bounce back out of the guitar once they hit the back board of the body of the guitar, much like ocean waves do when they hit rocks; they bounce bounce back into the ocean. 
Links to guitar picture:
http://stringsattached.info/?p=463
link to guitar player:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lcmb4RplClQ

5/26/11:
Blog #2

1. How is sound produced by this instrument (now that you know more about sound, please try to refer specifically to the energy transfer and vibrations)?

My instrument (guitar) produces sound through its strings. The thiner the string, the higher pitch it will have, and the more the string is stretched, the higher its pitch. The thicker the string, the lower its pitch and the less it is stretched the lower its pitch. When it vibrates (the strings), it throws sound waves through the sound hole, which hit the back of the guitar, and then travel back out because it has a set boundary. 

2. Based on your understanding, how are you changing the pitch? What physical characteristics are important in this instrument?

The pitch changes according how thin/stretched the string is. The thinner/more stretched the string is, the higher the pitch and visa versa. The most important physical characteristics on the guitar is the sound hole, and the strings. 

3. What materials will you actually be using for your instrument and why? How will you play your instrument? What is your plan for constructing the instrument? 

I will be using a cigar box, wood, a wood cutter, cote hangers, guitar strings, smaller planks of wood, and tunners. These objects will serve as my body, strings, sound hole, and tunner for my guitar. I already know how to play guitar. I will play the guitar by strumming/plucking it according to the guitar chords that I have printed out. I am planning to buy the parts that I have mentioned and build the instrument at home. 

4. What outstanding questions do you still have?

How does what we learn in class have to do with a guitar?
Am I right about how sound travels from a guitar? please correct me if I am wrong. 
How can I measure the sound weaves coming out of my guitar?

Having a mini-heart attack because of prom tomorrow. Plus, I still need Lat to sign my sheet. I'm totally thrown off.

Six word story:
Got nails done for prom.....EEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPPPPPPP​

I watched THIS movie to observe my instrument: the Xylophone.

The xylophone is played by hitting wooden "keys" with wooden mallets (or metal keys and metal mallets). The sound comes from the vibrations the mallet makes on the key. The note is changed when the player hits different sized keys. The vibrations of the xylophone also allow for two notes to be played at the same time. The xylophone itself is a base with the flat, rectangular keys going from biggest to smallest. The biggest keys produce deeper notes than the higher ones. This set up makes me wonder why it is that a small key made from the same material and in the same shape, can create a different note. This is, also, similar in other instruments like the pan pipes. So, possibly, with less space for the vibrations to occur, the higher the frequency of the sound waves? As I watched the movie of xylophone players, I realized that the reason I was hearing them play was because sound waves were hitting my ear. I just assumed the keys were creating them. I also notice that the sound oscillates: it starts with a strong clear note, and fades to silence until it's hit again.   

There comes a time when you realize that pettiness doesn't matter, that sometimes your pride can be sacrificed, even if others may judge you for it and that although anger and rage feel good for an instant, they aren't productive in the long-run.  

This moment is called maturity; unfortunately, it hasn't hit you yet. 

·      May be triggered by a horrible event: Death of a loved one, break-up, failure at something like school. (This may make the person suffering from this cause suicide because they want to forget all of the pain or to want to be with the one they lost)

·      In teens, it is difficult to tell if they suffer from depression because they symptoms are close to the way normal teens are.(since no one can help them and they may suffering from the loneliness)

·      Signs of depression: doing worst in school, not doing well with friends and family, substance abuse, oversleeping, change in eating habits, breaking laws and obsession with death. (These are things to look out for so that you can help out the people who need it)

I didn't cry last night. 
Progress. 


(not a true story lol. has nothing to do with me.) 

"They're just so hopeful, all the time. If the world was about to end, and I looked at your eyes and they were still hopeful I'd know we'd be all right. But if I looked at them and they were scared or less bright, then we dying." 

I'm leaving school early anyway. 

What happens when you get involved? People start telling lies.

I really wish the lights would have stayed off so we could leave early. I have stuff to do.

Time on my hands, to sit and think about what I did wrong. As the days turns into nights, and nights back into days I sit alone.

The title explains it all.

Started a new job at Wendy's the other day. Lets see how this goes.

This power outage crap is annoying.

Can we please just leave early?

It's the day before prom for God's sake.  And I'm exhausted.

At least I get to miss a portion of Calculus.

:D

Jugo de Passion Frutas
Kyler
Es muy sabrosa, y dulce.

The staff was amazing, professional and seemed like they new everything about what they were doing, and absolutely loved their jobs.

My favorite dish was jugo e mango, I loved it, I don't even like milk, but it was amazing.

You owe me. I'll send the bill. 

1. My shoulder blades hurt. 
2. My hurts. 
3. My ribs feel like they hurt too. 
4. My shoulder blades hurt alot. 
5. I'm tired. 
6. There's alot to do. 
7. I'm itchy. 
8. The medicine didn't help for my shoulder blade. 
9. I'm still tired. 

"You don't hear about girls getting shot, that sounds like a guy thing." 

"Yeah, girls usually get stabbed." 

Why do I do this to myself 

The following is my story.

 

I’ll tell you now,

It’s not very happy,

It’s filled with a lot of shit,

But it has to be told.

As I’m writing this,

My thoughts are jumping.

The stories you are about to read
Are in no specific order.

They wander with my thoughts.

Even this intro was written

After writing half the book.

I just wanted to warn you

That you’re going to be in

My head, where anything

Can pop up.

No warning,

No rhyme or reason,

Just random thought.

And this book may not be

For you, so I won’t get

Offended if you toss it.

Just don’t expect it

To be like anything

You’ve read before.

It’s raw and truthful,

And probably shitty,

But hey, it might help

You learn that

If I got through it

You definitely can!

 

Oh and also,

The names have been

Changed to protect

The innocent,

The accused,

And the assholes.

If you think you know

These people,

Feel free not to tell them

They’re in this book,

Oh, and enjoy

 

:)