Rule Organ: Musical Device Made From Rulers


Photo: Steven Goodwin [Flickr]

Every kid knows that if you place a ruler over the edge of a desk and flick it, it'll "twang" - and by changing the amount of the overhang, you'll change the pitch.

Steven Goodwin of Blue Dust blog turned this basic idea into a fun (and cheap!) science project you can do with your kids: make a "Rule Organ" out of a set of rulers:

We start by determining the length of each overhang. By knowing how much is needed for the lowest note, C in our case, we can calculate the others mathematically. Finding the lowest note is done in typical school kid fashion by experimenting, unless you have a keyboard, guitar, or other musical instrument and an extra pair of hands, er, to hand.

You will notice that some lengths do not produce notes at all. Very short distances just produce a click, while very long ones make no sound at all. To make a complete octave, the overhang of the lowest note will need to be twice as long as the shortest (highest note), so if the rules you're using only make sounds between 5cm and 8cm you won't get a full octave.

TIP: Hold the rule to the desk as tightly as possible to produce the best audio fidelity (read: twang) possible.

Link - via Make


Newest 5
Newest 5 Comments

Very cool! What you've made is a basic lamellophone. Big like this and you're in "marimbula" or "rumba box" land. Make it smaller and you're looking at an mbira, sanza or likembe. Not only a nice way to teach math, but you might tell your students about musics in the world that actually use instruments like these.

Again, very cool.
Abusive comment hidden. (Show it anyway.)
Login to comment.




Email This Post to a Friend
"Rule Organ: Musical Device Made From Rulers"

Separate multiple emails with a comma. Limit 5.

 

Success! Your email has been sent!

close window
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
 
Learn More