Harmonic frequencies and Standing Waves

The Harmonic Frequencies and Standing Waves Video Tutorial uses numerous examples and diagrams to explain what harmonics are and how they can be associated with standing wave patterns. The mathematical patterns are also discussed.

The video lesson answers the following questions:

What is a harmonic and how are they related to standing waves?
What are the mathematical patterns derived from standing wave patterns?

Video

You can watch the video below, or click here to watch on YouTube (opens in a new tab).

To improve the effectiveness of the learning experience, The Physics Classroom has provided the following tools:

Additional and Related Learning Tools

Physics Interactives, Waves and Sound: Standing Wave Maker
Don't have a Slinky or rope to shake? No problem! You have the Physics Interactives. This simulation allows you to investigate the formation of standing waves, the vibrational patterns associated with the various harmonics, and the difference between transverse and longitudinal standing waves. Use our Student Activity Sheet as a guide and the corresponding Concept Checker as a self-assessment.

Minds on Physics, Sound Waves and Music Module: Mission SM5 - Resonance and Standing Waves
There's nothing like a Minds On Physics mission for insuring understanding. This one pertains to resonance (discussed in an earlier video of the series) and standing waves (discussed in the this video). It will provide awesome practice. Use the Help button when you get stuck.

Minds on Physics, Sound Waves and Music Module: Mission SM6 - Harmonics for String Instruments
Need practice with Standing Wave patterns and frequency relationships for harmonics? You won't find better practice than 10 minutes spent on this mission of Minds On Physics. When you get stuck, the Help button will be your friend. Give it a try!!

Concept Builders, Waves and Sound: Name That Harmonic (Strings)
This Concept Builder will sharpen your skill at recognizing relationships between the standing wave patterns for a vibrating string and the frequencies and wavelengths of the various harmonics.

Physics Tutorial, Sound Waves and Music Chapter: Lesson 4
Our video tutorials are motivated by the existing written tutorials on our website. The entire Lesson 4 (particularly the last two pages) provides a great review of the video.

Teacher Resources

Curriculum Corner, Sound: Resonance
Try our Curriculum Corner for a Think Sheet or a whole unit of Think Sheets and get your students thinking about waves. You will find a Think Sheet here on the topic of resonance. Many of the examples used in the video are presented in the Think Sheet; as such, this makes a very applicable follow-up to the video. This is free curriculum for the taking. And for a few extra bucks, you can obtain the source documents and purchase a license to place them and any deriviative from them on your password-protected course management pages; see the Solutions Guide.

Physics Interactives, Waves and Sound: Standing Wave Maker
Follow up your lessons and demonstrations with this Physics Interactive. Te simulation allows students to investigate the formation of standing waves, the vibrational patterns associated with the various harmonics, and the difference between transverse and longitudinal standing waves. Download our free Student Activity Sheet to guide students through the simulation and use the corresponding Concept Checker as an assessment of understanding.

Minds on Physics, Sound Waves and Music Module: Mission SM6 - Harmonics for String Instruments
Do your students need practice with standing wave patterns and frequency relationships for harmonics? You won't find better practice than this mission from Minds On Physics. If you have a Task Tracker subscription for MOPs, you can customize it to your liking, set up scoring rules, and retrieve student scores.

Concept Builders, Waves and Sound: Name That Harmonic (Strings)
This Concept Builder will sharpen student's skill at recognizing relationships between the standing wave patterns for a vibrating string and the frequencies and wavelengths of the various harmonics. And it works well with Task Tracker.

Science Reasoning Center, Waves: Standing Waves on a Rope
Looking for something different? This activity describes a collection of three experiments investigating the possible effect of three different variables upon the speed of a standing wave. The frequency-wavelength-speed data for three experiments are presented in tables. Questions target a student's ability to understand the design of an experiment, to combine results from two or more data presentations in order to draw appropriate conclusions, to interpolate and extrapolate from data in a table, to predict the results of an additional trial, to translate information from a data table to a graph, and to make predictions based upon a model.

Lesson Notes

Download (opens in a new tab) or view below

Slides

Do you like the slides we used? They are available in our low cost Teacher Presentation Pack, along with other updated materials used in our presentation.