• Column Editor’s Note: The following simple, but very engaging, pieces of apparatus are examples of devices that make teaching physics such a joy. Inexpensive and easy to construct, they are certain to delight students at all levels while making a variety of acoustical concepts accessible to just about anyone. I can attest to the popularity of the devices since I frequently use them in teacher workshops and science shows. They never fail to elicit smiles and applause.
With resurgence in the popularity of vinyl records, we can again look at this venerable method of capturing and reproducing sound in our classrooms. With a few simple materials we can make a “gramophone” to play the 33-1/3, 45, or 78 rpm “platters” rescued from our local thrift store or found in the attic. These materials include:
Gramophone construction details:
You can also create your own voice-powered Lissajous figures using a laser...