The Best Resonator

CONWAY 6.16 ENG MM

Question
Which material and length of dowel rod
will resonate the best?

Abstract
In my science fair experiment I am trying to find which dowel rod
resonates the best out of two materials with three lengths each.
The purpose of this experiment is to find how objects resonate on
earth and to prevent destructions. I hypothesized that the metal
76.2 centimeter rod will resonate the best because it is not too
long or too short and the material will help it resonate it better. To
do this experiment you need to drill three holes in a wooden
baseboard. Then you need to stick the three different lengths of
wooden dowel rods, with weights on them, in the holes. After
doing this you need to shake the wooden baseboard at a constant
speed. Then you take the weights and put them on the metal
dowel rods and stick them in the wooden baseboard them shake
them at the same constant speed. Whichever length and material
of the rod vibrates the most has the most resonance. . In my
experiment the wooden 76.2 cm dowel was the best resonator
because of its flexibility and length. The more flexible an object is,
the better tendency it has to move. So, overall my hypothesis was
disproved or not supported.

Hypothesis
If I test 3 different wooden dowel rods of
different lengths for their resonance
then repeat the experiment with plastic
and metal dowels of different lengths
the metal 76.2 cm dowel rod will have
the greatest resonance because it is not
too long or too short and it matches to a
consistent frequency of the moving
board.

Procedure
Procedures
1. Place your 5cm 10cm wooden board on a safe work surface.
2. Drill 3 holes in the wooden board about 10 cm apart.
3. Take one super ball and place it on one of the wooden dowels
4. Repeat step 3 for the other two wooden dowels.
5. Insert each of the wooden dowels in holes that are drilled in the
wooden board.
6. Shake the wooden baseboard at one constant speed
7. Observe which dowel vibrates the most violently and record in data
notebook (The amplitude can be measured by just looking because the
stronger the rod vibrates the more resonance it has.)
8. Take out the wooden dowels and place aside.
9. Take the super balls out of the wooden dowel rods
10. Reattach the superballs on to the metal dowel rods
11. Insert the metal dowel rods into the holes in the holes drilled on the
wooden board.
Repeat step 6 and 7 (The speed must be the same as the speed in step
7)

Materials
1. 1 76.2cm wooden dowel rod (6 mm)
2. 1 76.2cm metal dowel rod (6mm)
3. 1 45.72cm wooden dowel rod (6mm)
4. 1 45.72cm metal dowel rod (6mm)
5. 1 60.96cm wooden dowel rod
6. 1 60.96cm metal dowel rod
7. 1 5cm10cm wooden board
8. 3 super balls (bouncy balls)
9. 1 strong pair of scissors
10. 1 pair of PVC cutters (optional)
11. 1 pair of safety glasses
12. 1 drill
13. Adult help

Experiment

Materials

Hammeri
ng down
the rods
so they
stay in
place

Testing
the
metal
dowels.

Testing the wooden

dowels.

How I measured

Wavelength
from center
placement

Results and Data

Approximate distance of
the wooded dowels
wavelength

The best
resonator
here was the
76.2
centimeter
metal dowel.

The best
resonator here
was the 76.2
centimeter
wooden dowel.

Approximate distance of
the metal dowels
wavelengths

Graph
Metal dowels vs Wood dowels
comparison chart

wavelength
4 wavelength
5

wavelength

Wavelength of the metal

dowels
Wavelength of the wooden
dowels

10

Conclusion
Overall, my hypothesis was not
supported. The 76.2 centimeter dowels
were the best lengths in both of my
trials. When I narrowed down my results
for the best length down to material, I
found out that the best resonator was
the 76.2 centimeter wooden dowel. This
dowel was the best resonator due to its
flexibility and its length.

Work Cited
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Schirber, By. "New Way to Kill Viruses: Shake Them to Death."

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<http://www.livescience.com/7472-kill-viruses-shake-death.html>.

"Non Destructive Testing in the Aerospace Industry." Non Destructive

Testing in the Aerospace Industry. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.theengineer.co.uk/manufacturing/non-destructive-testingin-the-aerospace-industry/1007190.article>.

"Resonance." Resonance. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/Lesson-5/Resonance>.

"Resonance - Real-life Applications." Real-life Applications. Web. 18 Sept.

2015. <http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Physics-Vol-