Sound is Electrifying!

Purpose      The purpose of this project was to determine what type of sound waves will produce the most amount of energy using a homemade device that is able to convert sound into energy.  

question What type of sound wave(bass drum size and pitch ) will produce the most energy using a homemade device?

Abstract      The purpose of this project was to discover what waves of sound would produce the most energy. The hypothesis was that the higher pitch would produce more energy compared to the other, lower pitches. To conduct the experiment, a contraption was created to convert sound into energy. After many attempts and readjustments,  a device was made using a speaker head and a wooden box. During the duration of the experiment, the box was kept at the same distance from the drum (two inches). The mallet was also consistently five inches away, for each strike. The experiment was repeated three times with each drum which  was hit twenty times per trial and the highest number was recorded. In all three trials, the largest bass drum exceeded the other drums in amount of decibels produced. Therefore, our hypothesis was rejected because the largest drum preformed the best. It is concluded that with tweaks to the design and materials used, this experiment could become an effective energy source wherever loud noise is present.

Hypothesis      If a sound wave (using the smallest bass drum) has a higher pitch, it will produce the most energy. This will happen because higher frequencies vibrate more, creating more energy.

Prior Research       There is energy contained in sound and it has a much overlooked potential. Trains, subways, concerts, freeways, parades, and loud festivals not only create noise, but vibrate their surroundings. The intent of this project is to find what sound wave will produce the most energy. The variable to be tested and changed is the music (vibration or sound wave) produced by a bass drum.  By using different sizes of drums, we will be able to produce different sound waves (the different sizes produce a slightly different pitch and different frequency). Pitch is the quality of sound  and frequency is the number of oscillations (up and down and back) per second. Higher frequencies also vibrate more than lower frequencies. Any changes will be noted by measuring the amount of decivolts produced. The research will show what sound waves have the most potential for electricity. Check iv and dv

Materials Speaker head (must include magnet inside) A box to fit the speaker when set inside (wooden) A device that measures decivolts Mini bass drum Standard (Medium) bass drum large bass drum Music stand or flat table Bass drum mallet Wood glue or epoxy  Ruler Painters tape

Procedure 1. Cut hole in the bottom of the box, a centimeter less than the diameter of the speaker head. 2. Place speaker head in box, so the bottom part with the magnet hangs out of the hole. 3. Glue speaker head to box, using wood glue. 4. Place box two inches away from the mini bass drum. 5. Measure 5 inches away from the bass drum, using a ruler and mark using painters tape      on either the wall or the floor. 6. Play mini bass drum for a length of twenty beats, making sure that the mallet does not       pass the line of painters tape that marks 5 inches.  7. Record the average of the decivolts. . Click to add text

Procedure continued 8. Repeat steps 6 and 7, two more times. 9. Place box two inches away from medium bass drum. 10. Measure 5 inches away from the medium bass drum and mark with tape (make sure that the speaker head is a little lower than the center of the drum. A music stand or flat surface may be needed). 11. Play medium bass drum for a length of twenty beats. 12. Record the average data. 13. Repeat steps 11 and 12, two more times. 14. Measure 5 inches away from the large bass drum and mark with tape (make sure that the speaker head is a little lower than the center of the drum. A music stand or flat surface may be needed). 15. Play large bass drum for a length of twenty beats. Record average data

Data Table Bass Drum Size Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Big Bass Drum 10 DCV Medium Bass Drum 4 DCV 5 DCV 6 DCV Small Bass Drum 3 DCV 2 DCV

Graph

Discussion of Results The purpose of this investigation was to determine what waves of sound have the most potential energy. It was proposed that a higher pitch would produce the most amount of energy because it has more vibration. The data showed that the lower pitch produced the most energy. The results indicated that the contrary was true. The hypothesis was rejected. Prior research indicated that the results were unexpected, but were determined to be reliable because the experiment was a valid test of sound being converted into energy  because the results were actual and changed with pitch.

Conclusion The effect of sound and electricity was investigated in this experiment by testing the sound produced by different bass drums. The hypothesis was proposed that higher pitches would produce more energy. The hypothesis was rejected because the lower pitch created the most energy. This experiment was not found recorded online before testing, so no prior information was available to predict the outcome of the experiment. The results are significant because measurable decivolts were produced, and the measurements changed with the pitch of the bass drum. The potential for future experiments and application to real life circumstances is possible.

Future Research The current hypothesis could be refined to reflect the observations made during the investigation to focus on more real life sounds and circumstances. This could be tested by using a bass car speaker with a bass-rich song.  With tweaks to the design, the device (using soundwaves) could be a reliable source of energy to power portable lights at loud concerts and events. If placed underneath railroads or by freeways, vibrations could provide energy to a variety of machines or devices.

Experimental Design

Works Cited   “Home.” Mit Engineering, 15 Nov. 2011, engineering.mit.edu/engage/ask-an-engineer/can-sound-be-converted-to-useful-energy/.