Related papers: The Physicist's Guide to the Orchestra
An undergraduate level experiment is described to demonstrate the role of probabilistic observations in physics. A capacitor and a DC voltmeter are used to randomly sample an AC voltage source. The resulting probability distribution is…
A simple strobe setup with potential to study higher-order eigenmodes and multifrequency oscillations in micromechanical resonators is described. It requires standard equipment, commonly found in many laboratories, and it can thus be…
Simple optical instruments are linear optical networks where the incident light modes are turned into equal numbers of outgoing modes by linear transformations. For example, such instruments are beam splitters, multiports, interferometers,…
We study a periodic vibrating string composed of a finite sequence of string segments connected periodically, with each segment characterized by a constant linear mass density. The main purpose is to provide a configuration that can mimic…
Over the last few years, string theory has changed profoundly. Most importantly, novel duality relations have emerged which involve gauge theories of brane excitations on one side and various closed string backgrounds on the other. In this…
We describe a simple experimental apparatus which allows one to observe the wave properties of light in a new way. This apparatus also makes possible to introduce and illustrate, in a very suggestive way, some fundamental principles of…
The main task of an introductory laboratory course is to foster students' manual, conceptual and statistical ability to investigate physical phenomena. Needing very simple apparatus, pendulum experiments are an ideal starting point in our…
Solid materials may appear static, but at the atomic scale they are in constant vibrational motion. These vibrations, described by phonons, govern many key material properties, including structural stability, mechanical strength, optical…
Total computational costs of scientific simulations are analyzed between direct numerical simulations (DNS) and multiphysics simulations (MPS) for sound generation in musical instruments. In order to produce acoustic sound by a turbulent…
This paper describes a computational model of loudness variations in expressive ensemble performance. The model predicts and explains the continuous variation of loudness as a function of information extracted automatically from the written…
The possibility of consistency between the basic quantum principles and reduction (wave function reduction) is reexamined. The mathematical description of an organized macroscopic device is constructed explicitly as a convenient tool for…
In this work, we investigate the phenomenon of transverse resonance and transverse standing waves that occur within the cochlea of living organisms. It is demonstrated that the predisposing factor for their occurrence is the cochlear shape,…
Contamination of signals by pickup and interference is a recurrent problem in physics experiments, the suppression of which consumes much time and effort. Techniques are presented which allow the time-domain assessment of mitigation…
We will present a first step in design of a broadband physical model for microphones. Within the proposed model, classical directivity patterns (omnidirectional, bidirectional and cardioids family) are refound as limit cases: monochromatic…
In a causal graphical model, an instrument for a variable X and its effect Y is a random variable that is a cause of X and independent of all the causes of Y except X. (Pearl (1995), Spirtes et al (2000)). Instrumental variables can be used…
Quantum instruments are mathematical devices introduced to describe the conditional state change during a quantum process. They are completely positive map valued measures on measurable spaces. We may also view them as non-commutative…
The lock-in amplifier is a versatile instrument frequently used in physics research. However, many students struggle with the basic operating principles of a lock-in amplifier which can lead to a variety of difficulties. To improve…
Factoring the pressure field of a harmonic sound wave into its amplitude and phase profiles provides the foundation for an analytical framework for studying acoustic forces that not only provides novel insights into the forces exerted by…
We explore the potential of visualization to support musicians in instrument practice through real-time feedback and reflection on their playing. Musicians often struggle to observe the patterns in their playing and interpret them with…
Digital audio processing tools offer music researchers the opportunity to examine both non-notated music and music as performance. This chapter summarises the types of information that can be extracted from audio as well as currently…