9781422284964

Music Science

SCIENCE 24/7

A nimal S cience C ar S cience C omputer S cience E nvironmental S cience F ashion S cience F ood S cience H ealth S cience

M usic S cience P hoto S cience S ports S cience T ravel S cience

SCIENCE 24/7

music Science

Jane P. Gardner

Science Consultant: Russ Lewin science and Math educator

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2016 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without per- mission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3404-4 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3412-9 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8496-4

First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Produced by Shoreline Publishing Group LLC Santa Barbara, California www.shorelinepublishing.com Cover Photo: Dollar Photo Club/Michael Jung

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gardner, Jane P., author. Music science / by Jane P. Gardner ; science consultant, Russ Lewin, science and math educator. pages cm. -- (Science 24/7) Audience: Grades 9 to 12 Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4222-3412-9 (hardback) -- ISBN 978-1-4222-3404-4 (series) -- ISBN 978-1-4222-8496-4 (ebook) 1. Mu- sic--Acoustics and physics--Juvenile literature. 2. Sound-waves--Juvenile literature. 3. Sound--Juvenile literature. I. Title. ML3805.G225 2016 534--dc23 2015004996

IMPORTANT NOTICE The science experiments, activities, and information described in this publication are for educational use only. The publisher is not responsible for any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages as a result of the uses or misuses of the techniques and information within.

Contents

Introduction

6 8

Chapter 1: Too Loud! Chapter 2: Earworms

12 16 20 24 28 32

Chapter 3: Here’s the Pitch

Chapter 4: Is That Me?

Chapter 5: Music Next Door Chapter 6: Helpful Music Chapter 7: The Physics of Music

Chapter 8: Green Music 36 Chapter 9: Conclusion: Concept Review 40 Find Out More 44 Series Glossary of Key Terms 45 Picture Credits 46 About the Author 47 About the Consultant 47 Index 48

Key Icons to Look For

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain in- sights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional in- formation to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used through- out this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher- level books and articles in this field.

Introduction S cience. Ugh! Is this the class you have to sit through in order to get to the cafeteria for lunch? Or, yeah! This is my favorite class! Whether you look forward to science or dread it, you can’t escape it. Science is all around us all the time. What do you think of when you think about science? People in lab coats peering anxiously through microscopes while scribbling notes? Giant telescopes scanning the universe for signs of life? Submersibles trolling the dark, cold, and lonely world of the deepest ocean? Yes, these are all science and things that scientists do to learn more about our planet, outer space, and the human body. But we are all scientists. Even you. Science is about asking questions. Why do I have to eat my vegetables? Why does the sun set in the west? Why do cats purr and dogs bark? Why am I warmer when I wear a black jacket than when I wear a white one? These are all great questions. And these questions can be the start of something big . . . the start of scientific discovery. 1. Observe: Ask questions. What do you see in the world around you that you don’t un- derstand? What do you wish you knew more about? Remember, there is always more than one solution to a problem. This is the starting point for scientists—and it can be the starting point for you, too! Enrique took a slice of bread out of the package and discovered there was mold on it. “Again?” he complained. “This is the second time this all-natural bread I bought turned moldy before I could finish it. I wonder why.” 2. Research: Find out what you can about the observation you have made. The more in- formation you learn about your observation, the better you will understand which ques- tions really need to be answered. Enrique researched the term “all-natural” as it applied to his bread. He discovered that it meant that no preservatives were used. Some breads contain preservatives, which are used to “maintain fresh- ness.” Enrique wondered if it was the lack of preservatives that was allowing his bread to grow mold. 3. Predict: Consider what might happen if you were to design an experiment based on your research. What do you think you would find? Enrique thought that maybe it was the lack of preservatives in his bread that was causing the mold. He predicted that bread containing preservatives would last longer than “all-natural” breads.

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4. Develop aHypothesis: A hypothesis is a possible answer or solution to a scientific prob- lem. Sometimes, they are written as an “if-then” statement. For example, “If I get a good night’s sleep, then I will do well on the test tomorrow.” This is not a fact; there is no guarantee that the hypothesis is correct. But it is a statement that can be tested with an experiment. And then, if necessary, revised once the experiment has been done. Enrique thinks that he knows what is going on. He figures that the preservatives in the bread are what keeps it from getting moldy. His working hypothesis is, “If bread contains preservatives, it will not grow mold.” He is now ready to test his hypothesis. 5. Design an Experiment: An experiment is designed to test a hypothesis. It is important when designing an experiment to look at all the variables. Variables are the factors that will change in the experiment. Some variables will be independent—these won’t change. Others are dependent and will change as the experiment progresses. A control is nec- essary, too. This is a constant throughout the experiment against which results can be compared. Enrique plans his experiment. He chooses two slices of his bread, and two slices of the bread with preservatives. He uses a small kitchen scale to ensure that the slices are approximately the same weight. He places a slice of each on the windowsill where they will receive the same amount of sunlight. He places the other two slices in a dark cupboard. He checks on his bread every day for a week. He finds that his bread gets mold in both places while the bread with preservatives starts to grow a little mold in the sunshine but none in the cupboard. 6. Revise the hypothesis: Sometimes the result of your experiment will show that the original hypothesis is incorrect. That is okay! Science is all about taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from them. Rewriting a hypothesis after examining the data is what this is all about. Enrique realized it may be more than the preservatives that prevents mold. Keeping the bread out of the sunlight and in a dark place will help preserve it, even without preservatives. He has decided to buy smaller quantities of bread now, and keep it in the cupboard. This book has activities for you to try at the end of each chapter. They are meant to be fun, and teach you a little bit at the same time. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to design your own ex- periment. Think back to Enrique’s experience when you start designing your own. And remem- ber—science is about being curious, being patient, and not being afraid of saying you made a mistake. There are always other experiments to be done!

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1 too loud! Z eke looked up from his science homework. “ Here comes William ,” he thought to himself. He could hear music playing as his friend turned the corner in the library. “Hey Zeke. Let’s go,” said William as music blared out of his earbuds. Zeke could bare- ly hear William over the sound. He shook his head and said, “Bill, you’ve got to turn that down.” “What?” Zeke shook his head again and pointed to his ears “Turn. It. Down.” “Oh, yeah. Great song, huh?” “You’re going to ruin your hearing, you know,” Zeke told his friend. “Your music is too loud.” William didn’t agree. “No way. These earbuds are designed so that I don’t need to turn up the music as loud.”

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“Bill, that’s not true. Earbuds don’t keep the outside noise out. You turn them up louder to block out the noise around you.” “Well, I wasn’t wearing them that long.” William started to get defensive. Zeke opened his science book to the chapter on sound. “Look at this. This chart shows the decibel levels of different sounds. Loudness is measured in decibels. According to this, a whisper is between 15 and 20 decibels. Normal conversation, like we are having now, is around 40 or 50 decibels.” William leaned in to get a better look. “Yeah. And a rock concert is around 120 decibels. But I’m not at a rock concert. I am listening to my own music through headphones.” Zeke looked at him. “But I could hear it when you came in. In fact, I knew that you were coming before I saw you. What is your volume set on?” William checked the dial. “Uh, it’s at six.” “I read the other day that if earbuds, the kind that go inside your ear, are set at higher than five for more than fifteen minutes, then it can lead to hearing loss.” William was not convinced. “How can that damage my ear? I don’t get it.” Zeke found a diagram of the ear in his textbook. “Here is your ear. Right here in the inner ear are tiny hairs. These are actually nerve endings that send impulses to your brain. These tiny hair cells can be damaged by loud noises. In fact, it is pretty easy to damage them. A damaged hair cell means that the messages will not get to your brain. Which means you will suffer hearing loss or hearing damage.” “Okay, smarty. What is too loud?” “Actually,” Zeke continued, “it’s not just about volume. It’s also a question of how far away you are from the source of the sound. In your case, with those earbuds in, you can’t get much closer. You have to be concerned about how long you are exposed to the loud music, and how often.” William looked a little worried. “And with our band, I guess we are exposed to loud music more than a lot of people.” “Yeah. And, it has to do with

your family, too. If your parents or grandparents have a history of hearing loss, then you might be more susceptible to it.” “I had no idea.” Zeke gathered his books and put them in his backpack. “Certain jobs or hobbies are

decibel a unit used to compare the loud- ness of sounds, using the symbol dB impulses electrical signals that travel along nerves in the body Words to Understand

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dangerous to hearing. Musicians need to protect their ears with earplugs. So do people who operate machinery or work with explosives, or near airports.” “Uh, let’s stop and get some earplugs before we go practice. We can’t have the lead singer of Smog Free suffering from hearing loss,” William said sheepishly. “Good plan.” may actually seem too loud. People with hearing loss may find that they start to turn down the volume of the television or radio at times. Sometimes it is easier to hear men talking than it is women. And other people may sound like they are mumbling. These could be signs of hearing damage or loss. A doctor should be consulted when these symptoms occur. Signs of Hearing Damage Believe it or not, there are other signs of hearing loss or damage to your hearing other than simply not being able to hear as well. Some sounds

Ear (and eye) protection is important when working with loud electric power tools.

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Try It Yourself

Earplugs are one device that can be used to protect your hearing. But which types are the best? Compare and contrast some of the different available types to see which blocks the noise but allows you to still hear. Materials: • Different types of earplugs, including foam ones, earmuffs, and ones that are inserted into the ear • MP3 player of iPod • Quiet room

1. Devise your hypothesis.

2. What is your procedure? List the steps.

3. How many trials will you do? What is your controlled variable? Your indepen- dent variable?

4. Predict what your results will be.

5. Explain what you think you would see.

6. Draw a conclusion.

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earworms 2 A s they left the library and headed to their band practice, Zeke hummed under his breath. “Stop humming! What is that song anyway?” William asked. “Ahh! This song has been stuck in my head all day,” said Zeke. “You obviously have an earworm,” chuckled William. Zeke turned to him. “I have a what?” “An earworm. That’s the word for a song or a commercial jingle that gets stuck in your head.” The librarian overheard them as they were talking. “Uh, gentlemen? Please lower your voic- es. And do you realize that you are not alone, Zeke?” “I’m not alone in what?”

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“Getting songs stuck in your head. It is actually pretty common to get earworms.” Zeke shook his head. “I still think it sounds like I need to get some sort of medicine from the vet when you say that.” The librarian laughed and explained, “Apparently almost all of us, about 90 percent of all people, will get an earworm at least once this week. And you know what it’s like. A song gets stuck in your head when you aren’t even trying to think of the song. It repeats itself over and over again. But what do you notice about your earworm right now?” Zeke thought for a moment, looking off into space. “Well, it’s not the whole song. It’s just part of it.” “Is it the tune or the words?” William asked. “Right now, it’s the words.” “But,” the librarian broke in, “sometimes it’s just the tune.” “Why does it happen?” “No one knows for sure, William,” the librarian admitted. “I’ve read studies where scientists and psychologists are trying to figure out the reason. They have asked the general public to help them by identifying the songs or tunes that get stuck in their heads and the circumstance that led to it. But it is not well understood.” William wanted to know more. “But they must have some idea.” The librarian smiled at his insistence. “They have found some common triggers. For exam- ple, they know that recent and repeated exposure to a song or tune can lead to earworms.” “Yeah, like those annoying car and insurance commercials on TV,” Zeke pointed out. “That’s right.” The librarian continued, “There are word and people triggers, too. Sometimes just hearing a word can make a song pop into your head. For example, for me, whenever I hear the word “rainbow” I start thinking of …” “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” William and Zeke said together. The librarian nodded. “Yes. And that can get pretty annoying. My grandmother always used to hum “Raindrops Keep Falling onMy Head” so now whenever I think of her or see her picture that song pops into my head, too. And sometimes it is there a while.” “This all makes sense,” said William. “Are there other triggers?” “Things like stress, or dreams, or being distracted and having your mind wander while you “That’s as much a mystery as the cause. Try thinking of another song. Some people say if you actually listen to the song or jingle you are hearing in your head it will go away. Distract yourself.” “Well, whatever you do, just don’t give it to me!” William said, half serious. “I don’t want that stuck in my head.” are trying to focus on something like homework can do it, too.” Zeke still had the song in his head. “Then what can you do?”

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Those Songs There is no guarantee that everyone

has the same earworms. But when polled, many listed the same songs, over and over. Do you ever get these song stuck in your head? YMCA. Yellow Submarine. It’s a Small World. Who Let the Dogs Out. Applause. Super-

califragilisticexpialidocious. Gangnam Style . What songs stick with you?

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