Blog Feed

Screenshots:

http://www.ctspanish.com/tyl/house/progress/progress.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/7.htm

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/rgshiwyc/school/curric/Spanish/Cam1Uni8/Cam1Uni8New/5.htm

Why can't I let myself succeed?
I do not know.
Will continually questioning myself in this fashion result in identity confusion that will eventually lead to the formation of a split personality?
Perhaps but maybe my new personality will have some answers.

My mom, like every other women in the U.S, worries about her weight. However, this is a pointless thing for her to worry about because the woman is in ridiculous shape. I mean she has a six pack. Anyways, this one day she said she was going to go on a diet (she says that a lot). Later that day her and I go out to do chores like dry cleaning, buying new batteries, getting face wash, etc. During our drive around we pass a Coldstone. Immediatly, my mom says
"Do you want Coldstone!?"
I tell her no, not really. She then gets upset and says,
"We'll i'm going to get Coldstone, but I'm only going to get a small!"
As soon as we get to Coldstone my mom has the biggest trouble selecting a flavor. Once she finally settled on a flavor, she then has the problem of picking the size of her cup.
"I don't want a small. It's to small. Maybe I'll get a medium. If I get a medium will you split it with me?"
I tell her no. I'm not hungry at moment.
She makes a sad face and then says,
"Whatever i'm getting a large. Fuck my diet!"
I'm really glad she got a large coldstone ice cream. She deserved it.

The instrument that I am very interested in is flute, but I am not sure that it will be my piece for the benchmark. 
Flute it basically a pipe, that has one closed end, one opened end, and multiple other air holes on the pipe, between the ends. Flute makes sound base on the pattern in which air is exiting, through the air holes. That is why, when playing flute, people always put their fingers on the air holes, as a way to control the sound. By this way, player can create variety in frequency that would result in different pitches.
The oldest flute was founded in Slovenia and traced back as far as 43,000 years ago. It was originally made out of Mammoth's tusk, and used to communicating when hunting. Over time, it had developed to become an authentic piece of cultural practice, especially during gathering and musical performances. 
Playing and watching people play flute generate the fundamental point of sound. That is sound is created as a vibration of air, in this case it is that of air through the air hole of flute. Sound waves' properties focus on a few essential parts: frequency, magnitude, wavelength, air pressure...To change the sound means to change on of these thing. Higher frequency create higher pitch sound. Changing amplitude would change the loudness of that sound. 

Listen to flute playing here

Today, is my birthday

Everyone celebrates except for me

Days pass, and go away

Am I the only one to see

 

I’m getting older by the day

Before I know it, my hair will go grey

But one thing will always be the same

Other then me being really lame

 

Age can’t stop who we are

or all the miles, we came so far

Age, is just a number in a book

A book, that someone already took

 

And all the pages, taken away

The only ones left say

We met, we loved, we live on

Past the front lawn

Past these simple lives

 

Today is my birthday

Everyone celebrates except for me

Days pass, and go away

But I’ll remember what you say

Past these simple lives

My birthdays today

Just to clarify for those who are confused the ukulele is not the guy, that is Elvis, it is the magical instrument he is holding.

For this benchmark I got pretty excited since I play guitar and we would be working with instruments so it was something I could defiantly relate to and have fun with, if  I do it correctly, but I should have fun with it. But even though I play guitar I wanted to do something slightly different so I could learn something new about a different instrument. But I did want to keep it in the string family since I know best how to play those more then any other instrument. So I finally thought of an instrument that was close to the guitar but a bit different and sounded like something interesting and fun to make and play. And the ukulele journey had began.

 The ukulele is played a lot like the guitar. Where you have to strum it to make any sort of sound. The only differences is the ukulele is much smaller, has only four strings and also creates a sort of different sound, like different pitch almost. A ukulele's neck is slim and straight but the body of it is almost hour glassed shaped. Because they use different strings for a ukulele then they do guitars.The way you change a note is by taking your fingers that are on the neck of the ukulele, the long part, and moving them to different positions and different frets, holding down your fingers on the different strings as you do so. The way this gets me thinking about how I can change and create sound is strumming something or plucking something, like s string, creates a sound. And holding down things certain ways and positions, like when you hold down the string on the different frets. They create a different pitch.


Here is a link of some cool guy playing the ukulele:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBFdrLu7o9w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MphdRo5_7Us
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Violinconsruction3.JPG

I am interested in playing the violent, to me its a very interesting instrument and its beautiful to me.  I am interested in learning the physics behind the instrument and i want to make my own violin after i research about the instrument.

The video is above is a video that shows people playing the violin. The use little guitar shaped instruments and use a stick with a soft edge that the rub against the strings of the instruments to produce the sound. They notes are changed by using your hands to make different keys like a guitar and also where and how the “stick” is moved. The violin is shaped like a mini guitar with more curves and cuts. The instrument looks beautiful and sounds beautiful.
When i look at the instrument i think if the curves and the way its shaped have anything to do with the sound, and i also think about why it has to be healed a certain way between the neck, why couldn't it be held like a guitar, and also does the length of the stick matter?

BLOG #2
Instrument- Trumpet

Math benchmark complete.
Time to complete it: 10 hours in 2 days
Time procastinating: 38 hours
Stress level: Very low
Food consumed: a shitload
How I feel now: stomach ache

I walked out of Storytelling, and everything went dark. *end of story*
No seriously this black out was like the best thing every, especially since it was the day before prom! I got so much done, and most importantly I got to sleep! While we were waiting to hear our fate, something else amazing happened... I finished my Pre-Calc Benchmark (kind of)! Today was just too great even if me and Alexis got in hail like rain on South St.

Just thought you should know that

Joe is a nice guy. Rancid, ugly, disgusting, horrible, mean spirited , but somewhat has a nice side to him. Could you figure it out?​

this is a poem i wrote in freshman year....yeahh
Now jimmy’s only 20 years of age.
He has a dead end job with minimum wage.
He has a girlfriend that has to lay,
15 guys for 60 dollars a day.
He dropped out of school to be with his honey
Now they got a child and they're running out of money
Life is so very dangerous and so it seems
The only place he’s safe is in his dreams
So jimmy nods his head, brushes his teeth, turns out the lights and goes to sleep
Praying one day he'll find a place with no worry or any type of haste.
Next thing he knows, he’s riding on a tiger
His girls on his left, their daughter right beside her
They're riding through the jungle, strong and fast
They ride off a cliff but the fall don’t last.
Now they're riding in a jet, sitting first class
With hearts full of hope, and pockets full of cash.
Now hey land inside a active volcano
He asks her hand in marriage, she really cant say no
Next it’s the wedding small and bliss
Its finally time, he goes for the kiss
emotions run deep. the good guy finally wins
Its his first and last chance to repent for his sins
He holds her tight. their souls begin to blend
But nothing after that. the dream just ends....

R.I.P Brian Jr

I'm picking out a macbook for college.
I got my nails done for prom today.
I can't wait to start dorm shopping.
I can't wait for six flags on saturday.
I love my life. This is great.

The school district cut our budgets so much that peco cut our electric.
Hahahahah<3.

5.19.2011

The instrument that I am interested in making would be either a violin or a small classical guitar.

A violin is played by rubbing a bow across a set of different strings and then placing your fingers across different sections of the violins strings to create a higher or lower pitched sound. A guitar is played in a similar way, except there is no bow, only the strumming against the guitar's strings with either a fingernail or picker.

You can change a note in a guitar and violin by either plucking/strumming a different string or by placing your fingers on different portions of the string to create a different sound.

A violin is shaped like a pear, it has a curvy top but an even curvier bottom and in the middle lies the plane of strings. Guitars are sometimes shaped like violins with a pear-like shape as well, however instead of having a just a long strip of strings, some guitars have small holes in the center which is unlike a violin.

The shape of these instruments makes me think that the way they are held could possibly affect the way that sound is created and transferred. I know that in order to play a violin you have to hold it upright and parallel to an outstretched arm on a shoulder, yet with a guitar you can be more relaxed. A cello and violin are shaped very similarly, however they both produce different sounds and are held different ways, so that makes me wonder if the shape or the way the instrument is held can make a big difference.

The connections that I see is that when you strum a guitar and a note is played, it isnt continuous because the sound waves/vibrations eventually stop and this is very similar to the lab we did in class with the slinkys because when I would push one side, there would be a wave that would go to the other side and then stop.

 I used to play the violin for about two or three years when I was in elementary school so I am somewhat familiar with the way it works and how to achieve different sounds, however, I have never played a guitar before.

Some helpful youtube videos:

Violin Basics -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_04rjPbZarE

How to hold a violin --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dFjpdCdbXs&feature=relmfu

Simple Guitar Basics -->

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RaXQKL-xbQ

I decided to focus on the wood blocks. I am not sure that it will end up being my final instrument, but I would love it to be if possible.

The wood blocks are played by taking a stick or a drum stick/xylophone stick and hitting it against the different blocks. To change a note, you have to hit a different block. They are very similar to xylophones with the exception that they are wooden. By hitting a block of a different size, a different note is produced. The wooden blocks are, as expected, shaped as a block. They are 3D rectangle boxes essentially. They have holes in the side and are hollow. This is what produces the sound. This makes me think about how size can affect sound. Using different sizes and shapes of holes, I can create different sounds and notes. I think this has to do with resonance. Hitting hollow blocks creates resonance which in turn creates sound. I think that I can connect this to what I know about waves by how they move. The construction of these blocks is going to be difficult because of the exact placement of holes and size to create the right notes. This is all based on the sound waves produced and the motion of those sound waves when the blocks are played.

​

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?

Most woodwind instruments are tubes. The sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube. The player makes this column of air vibrate in one of several ways:

By blowing across an edge, as in the flute, recorder, whistle, and root beer bottle

By blowing between a reed and a fixed surface, as in the clarinet and saxophone

By blowing between two reeds, as in the oboe, bassoon, sarusaphone and bagpipes

--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this) 

Woodwind pitch depends on the volume of air that is vibrating. A larger volume vibrates more slowly, for lower pitch; a smaller volume vibrates more quickly, for a higher pitch. For most woodwinds, the player changes pitch by opening and closing holes along the instrument's length. Without keys, there can only be as many holes as the player has fingers to cover them with. Adding keys allows the number and complexity of holes to be increased. Increasing the blowing pressure past a certain critical point (called the "break") causes the air column to resonate at a higher harmonic (see the harmonics section, below) and raises the pitch of many woodwinds by a large interval. In most cases this interval is an octave (e.g. middle C to high C), but in the clarinet it is a 12th (e.g. middle C to the G above high C). With minor variations this is the way woodwinds achieve large ranges.

--How is it shaped?

At one time, most woodwinds were made of wood; hence the name. The easiest way to characterize them now is as wind instruments (that is, you blow into them) which aren't played by buzzing your lips together.

--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?

i think that if you put your fingers on different holes it will kinda make it fun trying to play different notes because it is so easy to play the recorder. 

--What connections (if any) do you think you can draw between what you are observing and you might already know about waves?

its like a vibrating sound that really makes the music from your fingers to your mouth with you blowing the air into the instrument.  

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)?

The air vibrates over then under the fipple by the Bernoulli principal causing a vibration in the tube of air inside the recorder. The pitch is regulated by covering holes which in turn lengthen and shorten the length of vibrating air.

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

The recorder is distinguished from its cousin, the transverse flute, by the whistle mouthpiece built into the instrument. This mouthpiece channels the air stream through a "windway" and against an "edge" where the tone is produced, doing automatically what a flute player must learn to do through coordination of the lip muscles. The windway is an air channel carved into the "block" (of wood or plastic) which closes off the top of the instrument's tube. This block is also called a "fipple." The "window" is the rectangular opening on the front of the instrument where the edge and the bottom opening of the windway can be seen. you can really chang the pitch by the way you play the notes. 

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? 

- White pipe pice 69.5cm long

- I will drill the holes in and also one at the top i might have to turn it around a bit because of materials and turn it into a flute. so there will be one big whole at the top like a flute has to it can be played. 

- Exactly the same posture needed for good singing, either standing or sitting, is needed for good recorder playing. The back should be straight but relaxed, and the shoulders, arms, hands and fingers should all be relaxed. Tension anywhere in the body can result in poor breath support, poor tone quality, problems with intonation, or fingers that are stiff and unresponsive. The second basic element of recorder playing includes breathing and breath control. The breathing that produces a focused, unforced, non-vibrato vocal sound for children is the breathing that produces a focused, unforced, non-vibrato recorder sound. A student who can sing in tune and control the breath sufficiently to shape phrases can transfer those skills directly to the recorder.

4. What outstanding questions do you still have?

How many holes are in a Recorder? 

There are 7 holes in a recorder, plus a thumb hole on the back, which makes 8!

When will we start building these instruments?

Monday!

​

--How is it played? What does the person have to do to produce sound?

Most woodwind instruments are tubes. The sound comes from a vibrating column of air inside the tube. The player makes this column of air vibrate in one of several ways:

By blowing across an edge, as in the flute, recorder, whistle, and root beer bottle

By blowing between a reed and a fixed surface, as in the clarinet and saxophone

By blowing between two reeds, as in the oboe, bassoon, sarusaphone and bagpipes

--How do you change a note? (you might have to watch very carefully to see this) 

Woodwind pitch depends on the volume of air that is vibrating. A larger volume vibrates more slowly, for lower pitch; a smaller volume vibrates more quickly, for a higher pitch. For most woodwinds, the player changes pitch by opening and closing holes along the instrument's length. Without keys, there can only be as many holes as the player has fingers to cover them with. Adding keys allows the number and complexity of holes to be increased. Increasing the blowing pressure past a certain critical point (called the "break") causes the air column to resonate at a higher harmonic (see the harmonics section, below) and raises the pitch of many woodwinds by a large interval. In most cases this interval is an octave (e.g. middle C to high C), but in the clarinet it is a 12th (e.g. middle C to the G above high C). With minor variations this is the way woodwinds achieve large ranges.

--How is it shaped?

At one time, most woodwinds were made of wood; hence the name. The easiest way to characterize them now is as wind instruments (that is, you blow into them) which aren't played by buzzing your lips together.

--What does this make you think about how you can create and change sound?

i think that if you put your fingers on different holes it will kinda make it fun trying to play different notes because it is so easy to play the recorder. 

--What connections (if any) do you think you can draw between what you are observing and you might already know about waves?

its like a vibrating sound that really makes the music from your fingers to your mouth with you blowing the air into the instrument.  

I was talking to this 10th grader about college (she didn't want to go) and the conversation soon turned away from that topic and into our life stories. She said something that struck a cord with me. I notice that she is a very outspoken, happy individual and she told me that that's because "she feels like she has to be happy for every person that she knows who is sad." That a huge burden. But I guess not to her. 

Well, since the world is supposed to end on saturday and all, I say we make prom night crazy as hell and go out with a bang.

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?