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Re: Organ Pipes



You only have to do a calculation to see that the tuning effect lies almost
entirely with the temperature dependence of the speed of sound in air. The
expansion/contraction of the instruments contributes minimally.

Rick

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Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
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www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
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www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/ENERGY_PROJECT/ENERGY2100.htm
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Dan MacIsaac" <Dan.MacIsaac@NAU.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2003 8:14 AM
Subject: Re: Organ Pipes


On Monday, April 21, 2003, at 10:59 PM, Brian Whatcott wrote:

I idly remarked that I recalled that the metal pipes are uniquely
temperature
sensitive.
He agreed of course, remarking that the tone is flat at low
temperature,
and so he would turn on the heating until the temperature reached
about 70
degF then switch to air conditioning.

Caught unawares, I offered (wrongly) that surely pipes would be sharp
at low
temperature?

He reminded me that temperature (and humidity too) determine c in air
(of course...).
Ethernet!

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

...as an amateur trumpet player, I can assure you that outdoor cold
(E.g. winter) weather wreaks havoc on tuning for brass instruments.
They start real cold, change temp as they are played and cool down
during rests. Cold is flat for trumpets; colder is way flat. Playing
Christmas Carols can be pretty nightmarish tuning-wise, particularly if
the music has significant rests.

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics, SUNY-Buffalo State College
222SCIE BSC, 1300 Elmwood Ave , Buffalo NY 14222 USA 716-878-3802
<macisadl@buffalostate.edu> <http://PhysicsEd.BuffaloState.edu>