# Help me out, about resonance frequency and oscillation....

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 26, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030 "2003-09-26T19:44:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![eyedea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@eyedea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eyedea)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030/1 "2003-09-26T19:44:44Z")

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I have to do a science project. I want it to be on the effects of sound on other objects. I have an experiment where I am going to put a pith ball against a glass and play the frequency that the glass resonates to through my computer. The glass will resonate, making the ball jump and move proving that sound affects objects…

What I need to do is write a paper and I’m having trouble finding information. What should I research? What should I know? Where can I find it? Books, websites, anything. thank you

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**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030/2 "2003-09-26T21:04:04Z")

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I would think just about any college physics textbook would do. You could also do some google searches on topics using the key words such as

“Resonate frequency”  
“Mechanical resonance”  
“Harmonic vibration”  
Node  
Anti-node  
Resonance  
Resonate  
Q-factor

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**Author:** ![Qburn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/bc79bd/32.png) [@Qburn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qburn)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030/3 "2003-09-26T21:26:22Z")

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What _is_ **sound**? How does **human hearing** work? What’s the relationship between **pitch** and **frequency**? Whats the nature of how air, liquids and solids **conduct** sound?

What frequencies conduct best through glass? Does it’s thickness change the conductive qualities? Does the type of glass make a difference?

There are a couple of good sites, ‘How Stuff Works’ and ‘How Things Work’ you might google for, then look up some of this stuff.

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**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-out-about-resonance-frequency-and-oscillation/204030/4 "2003-09-26T21:37:20Z")

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You might try this with water in the glass and look at the surface of the water. Remember the scene in Jurasic park when the T-Rex was walking towards the jeep and they could “see” it coming by watching the ripples in the glass of water? Way cool…

You should do well with the advice given so far. If you’re in High School, though, you might want to get a HS physics book instead of a college one. No need to deal with calculus unless you have to.