Oboe Straw Experiment

Name: Faaiua And Calvin

Title of experiment: Straw oboe experiment

Question:

(What do we want to find out?)

We want to find out if the oboe straw will make a funny noise. We also need to find out if the pitch goes higher or lower when we cut the holes in the straw. We also need to find out what is making the noise?? Plus we want find out what makes the straw lower when we add the straw on each straw.

Hypothesis:  (what do you think will happen?)

I think that the straw is going to make the funny noise and when we cut the tiny holes the pitch is going to go higher.

Procedure:

How will we find out?

(Step by step)

First step : flatten the back or front end.

Second step : cut the front or the back of the straw but make sure the end is pointy.

Third step : Blow the into the straw as hard as you can and it will make a funny noise if it doesn't that means you're not blowing hard enough or you cut it wrong.

Extra for experts : make little tiny holes in your straw and play it like a Saxophone or an flute.

Results:

What actually happened?

Once we got our straws, we flattened the end of the straw. After we got the scissors, we pierced through the flattened end and then when we unflattened the end of the straw. It looked very good. I held it up and then inserted it on my mouth. We blew as hard as I can into the pierced part. It did not work...... We blew again and guess what..... IT WORKED!!. Couple of minutes after everyone did it which then went annoying. But it still works.

Conclusions:

What did we learn?

I learnt a lot of stuff today. The first thing I learnt to make was an oboe straw. Second thing I learnt was that the vibration of air tubes is the mechanism for sound production in virtually all wind instruments. Plus when adjusted properly, the flattened of the straw will vibrate as air flows over them.

Questions:

1. What is producing the sound?

The air. Thats going inside the straw and the vibration of air tubes is the mechanism for sound production in virtually all wind instruments.

2. What pitch did we get when all holes were closed, compared to when the holes were open?  When the holes were closed the pitch was low. But when the holes were open it was annoying and high.

3. What does opening or closing a hole in the straw really mean in terms of vibrating an air column? When the holes are open and you blow it, the bottom of the straw is vibrating which travels out high sound waves. And when the holes are closed it still vibrates but it sends out low sound waves