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toc = = = **__Music Box Surfaces__** =

Broad Question

 * What material creates the most acoustic amplification for a music box?**

Specific Question
**What surface, Steel, Plastic, or Wood, creates the most acoustic amplification for a music box?**

Hypothesis
I hypothesize that steel will create the most amplification, followed by wood, finally plastic.

Experimental Design
I will be conducting my experiment in school at given times. It will require only myself to conduct the experiment. It will take me about fifteen trials, five for each surface. I will be recording my data on a spreadsheet which I will then transfer to a computerized spreadsheet. I will include my own observations on a small note section below my spreadsheet, recording my own hearings of sound and anything else I notice. I will take pictures of the experiment to prove that I did it.

Materials List
**Detailed Procedure**
 * Music box (small, can be down to 18 notes) [[image:mwvsciencefair/diy_music_box.jpg width="154" height="128"]]
 * Steel surface (8 inches wide, all others have equal width/length) [[image:mwvsciencefair/stainless_steel.jpg width="109" height="109"]]
 * Wood surface[[image:mwvsciencefair/Oak_laminated_wood_board.jpg width="91" height="91"]]
 * Plastic surface [[image:mwvsciencefair/LexanThermoclear.jpg width="191" height="108"]]
 * Quiet area
 * 2 Styro-foam blocks (to suspend the surface in the air so there’s no interference with table surface
 * Sound Measuring Device (dB)
 * 1) Print out spreadsheet
 * 2) Go to quiet room
 * 3) Set up styro-foam blocks so that they will hold the surface
 * 4) Set up sound recorder at the base of the styro-foam blocks (it will be in the same place throughout the procedure)
 * 5) Place surface on blocks
 * 6) Place music box on surface
 * 7) Wind music box up
 * 8) Record dB results from the sound recorder on spreadsheet
 * 9) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f20000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Complete steps 5-8 with another surface
 * 10) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f20000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record data from step 9.
 * 11) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #f20000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Complete steps 1-9 for 5 trials.

Background Research
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1. Sound is energy caused by vibrations. Sound waves must flow through a sold liquid or a gas (a medium) to be heard. Pitch is the frequency in which the sound waves vibrate, making a higher or lower sound. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Resonance is one of the most essential building blocks in the scien <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ce of physics. It is one of the most common things, as playgrounds, music TV, and Tesla Coils, etc., use it. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Archimedes was among the first to consider density as one of matter’s properties. Density is the relationship between mass and volume (how compound an object is subatomically. All objects have different densities. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000080; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">4. dB’s (Decibels) are used to measure the intensity of sound. Continuous exposure to sounds over 80-85 dB can cause hearing loss. Normal conversation equates to about 60-70 dB. At 120 dB, the sensation of hearing is replaced by a feeling of pain.

Conclusion
<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #008000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The original purpose of this experiment was to see which soundboard created the most acoustic resonance by placing a music box onto three surfaces (steel, wood, and plastic) and recording the amplitude with a decibel level meter. The results of the experiment were that Steel had the most resonance, with an average of 59.04 dB, followed by Wood, with an average of 58.16 dB, and with the lowest dB level, Plastic, with 54.84 dB.

**Discussion**
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #0000ff; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My hypothesis was that Steel would be the most resonant surface, followed by wood, and plastic. My results do support my hypothesis. There is not a relationship between my independent and dependent variables. I think the tests I did went smoothly, with some problems at the start. This is because the first music box that I had broke, so I had to look for a new one. If I could improve my experiment I would probably make sure that I have the right kind of music box that won’t break. The right music box for me would simply be the music mechanism, not the full box, as there would be nothing in between the music’s vibrations and the soundboard. An interesting future study might involve seeing if a larger or smaller soundboard makes a deeper or higher sound.