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When a harp string is plucked, it begins to vibrate. That vibration is what produces sound.
Vibration: A repeated back-and-forth motion. Plucking a string causes it to vibrate.
Pitch: How high or low a sound seems to your ear.
Frequency (Hz): How many vibrations happen each second. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz).
Amplitude: The size of a vibration. Bigger amplitude usually sounds louder.
Wave: A disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another.
Transverse wave: A wave where the material moves perpendicular to the direction the wave travels.
The vibrating string is a transverse wave.
Longitudinal wave: A wave where the material compresses and spreads parallel to the direction the wave travels.
Sound moving through air is a longitudinal wave.
Plucking a string transfers energy to the string and starts its vibration.
The vibration pattern on a string is a type of standing wave, because the wave reflects back and overlaps with itself on the fixed ends.
The frequency of the vibration is what determines the pitch you hear.
Different strings can vibrate in different ways depending on physical factors such as length, thickness, and tightness (tension).
In this simulation, thickness and tension are kept the same so you can focus on how changing one factor affects pitch.
Click/tap a string to pluck it. Or use the buttons below with your keyboard.
Use Claim Evidence Reasoning to answer the following question:
How does the length of a harp string affect the pitch (frequency) of the sound it makes?
Write one clear sentence that answers the question.
Example starter:
When the string length __________, the pitch/frequency __________.
Use data from the simulation to support your claim.
Include at least two specific examples (string lengths + frequencies/notes).
Example starter:
In the simulation, when I plucked a string with length ___, its frequency was ___ Hz.
When I plucked a shorter/longer string with length ___, its frequency was ___ Hz.
Explain why the pattern you observed happens, using science ideas about vibrations. Connect string length → vibration rate → frequency → pitch.
Example starter:
This evidence supports my claim because __________.