Physics EE ideas for topic connected with sound waves

[Marazm]

Hello everyone!

This is my first post on that forum, and as many other users I've registrated to get some help while doing my IB course. I am taking my examinations in 2014 and now I am in first "grade" of IB class.

I want to write my Extended Essay in Physics. I am interested in playing the guitar, so my area of interest in EE topic are sound waves. The problem I struggle with is the creation and choice of topic. As I said above I like music, but I really can't the topic I would like to examine.

Two topics/research questions I have invented are:

1) How does the choice sounds affect the tone of the chord?

2) How does the quality of guitar affect the duration of harmonics?

The problem in first topic is that "harmony" is not a physical unit. It is not measureable. So there is high probability that my EE could go too much into music, not physics. And my supervisor asked me what I would really like to research/measure in that topic. "Because while playing three sound waves you will hear net wave, and... so what? What will you learn from this, what will you discover?"

My opinion about second topic is that it looks too simple. But I haven't discussed it with my SV yet.

Could you provide me with some interesting topics on area concerned? My area of concern are:

-sound waves,

-something that can be done using the guitar,

-guitar can be examined object

I have also found an interesting RQ in this thread: http://www.ibsurviva...s-rq-critique/.

The RQ is: "What is the relationship between the length and diameter of a guitar string and the wavelength and frequency of the first harmonic it produces?"

Do the IB rules say something about working on the same topic?

EDIT: What do you think about this topic: "What is so characteristic in sound spectrum that causes some sounds to fit each other (e.g. C and G) but others not (e.g. C and B)?"

Note that this is the very first version of topic. If it is needed, it will be rephrased. But I hope you got the meaning of my message. IF sth is ununderstandable I will explain it to you.

Edited December 2, 2012 by Marazm

[Realnerd101]

I dont know much about music nor physics...but this may help you understand..... http://blogs.adams.edu/thepawprint/the-mutual-harmony-between-music-and-physics/

Check out this book below:

Measured Tones:

The Interplay of Physics and Music, Third Edition