College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
3D32.15 - Variable Pitch Whistles - Stadium Horn - Train Whistles - Relaxation Oscillators
See Also: Galton's Whistle 3C20.15.
The nose flute shows the resonance of an adjustable cavity. Blow through the nose to produce the whistle sound. By adjusting the opening of the mouth and throat the sound can be dramatically changed.
The train whistles will give several simultaneous tones. They are large enough to observe the major parts of a whistle.
Changing the tension of the pipe on the membrane of the stadium horn will change the pitch of the sounds the membrane will produce. Practice to play simple tunes.
We have a variety of relaxation oscillators available. Look at these webpages:
3A95.10 - Relaxation Oscillators
6-00.00 - Stroboscope (we have small variable frequency strobe lights available).
2B60.30 - Tantalus Cups
3D32.15 - Stadium Horn
4C30.25 - Geyser
4C31.30 - Drinking Bird
4C31.37 - Franklin's Pulse Glass Engine
5A40.70 - Kelvin Water Dropper
5F30.60 - Relaxation Oscillators - Neon Bulb, Doorbell, and Strobe Lights
10A06.10 - Relaxation Oscillators
13A10.10 - Perpetual Motion
- Thomas B. Greenslade Jr., "The Train Whistle", TPT, Vol. 62, #7, Oct. 2024, p. 555.
- Jay S. Huebner, N. Sundaralingam, "Simple Sound Demonstrations", TPT, Vol. 36, #1, Jan. 1998, p. 16.
- Martin Gardner, "A Puzzling Moo Horn", TPT, Vol. 32, #5, May 1994, p. 314.
- "Vibration in Pipes", TPT, Vol. 18, #5, May 1980, p. 383, also A Potpourri of Physics Teaching Ideas - Sounds, p. 253.
- Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., "Galton's Whistle", AJP, Vol. 80, #8, Aug. 2012, p. 687.
- Se-10, "Variable Pitch Whistle", Freier and Anderson, A Demonstration Handbook for Physics.
- W- 220: "Train Whistle and Flutes", DICK and RAE Physics Demo Notebook.
- S- 58: Richard Manliffe Sutton, Demonstration Experiments in Physics.
- A. D. Bulman, "A Galton Whistle and a Bamboo Pipe", Model-Making for Physics, p. 49.
- Don Rathjen and Paul Doherty, "Membrane Aerophone", Square Wheels, 2002, p. 45.
- Jodi and Roy McCullough, "Sound with Melody Pops", The Role of Toys in Teaching Physics, p. 4.134.
- Martin Gardner, "A Puzzling Moo Horn", Science Tricks, p. 58.
- Jearl Walker, "3.3, Whistles and Whistling", The Flying Circus of Physics Ed. 2, p. 147.
- Bobby Mercer, "Straw Trombone", Junk Drawer Physics, p. 58.
- Tom Senior, "McDonald Straw Slide Whistle", PIRA Resource Room Make and Take.
- Bobby Mercer, "Air Horn", Junk Drawer Physics, p. 73.
- "Power Oboe", Toys From Trash, www.arvindguptatoys.com, 12-4-2008.
- Joseph Frick, "#152 - The Organ of Voice", Physical Technics: Or, Practical Instructions for Making Experiments in Physics and the Construction of Physical Apparatus with the Most Limited Means", p. 152.
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