The Science of Music Challenge

Tuesday, October 18, 2.5 hours

Scoring: This challenge is worth 20% of the finalists’ overall score

Part 1: The Challenge [120 minutes]

Finalist teams of three will have two (2) hours to solve a series of six (6) mini challenges to get codes to open a six-digit lock box with a prize inside.

In order to obtain the digits to their lockbox, finalists must solve for each mini challenge, and then present their answers and an explanation for how they arrived at their answer to the Code Masters. If answers are correct and accepted by the Code Masters, the teams will receive a single digit to the lockbox.

With the exception of mini challenge 1, there is no required order for finalists to complete the mini challenges. They may skip a challenge and can return to it later, so long as they can complete it within the allotted time.

The goal of this challenge is for the team to successfully open the lockbox, fully describe their solution for the mini challenge 6 (Fermi problem), and demonstrate the sounds made by the two instruments they designed while presenting to the judging panel.

• Teams will have three (3) minutes to present their solution to their Fermi problem

• Teams will then have one (1) minute to open their lockbox and play their instruments

• This will be followed by 3 minutes of Q&A with the judging panel

Please note: Finalists will have the support of mentor build teams during mini challenge 1. The finalists will be in charge of providing designs and approvals along the way, but all construction will be conducted by the mentor build teams with professional workstation assistance.

Challenge Presented to Finalists

Hello Finalists! Today your goal is to work with your team to open a lockbox to discover a surprise that is inside. The lockbox will only open with the correct six (6) digit code. You and your partner will earn these digits by answering six (6) mini challenges. For each correct mini-challenge answer, you will receive one (1) of the six (6) total digits for your lockbox codes.

Except for mini challenge 1, you may complete the other challenges in whichever order you’d like, you do not have to go numerically. Once you have completed a challenge, you must check-in with one of the Code Masters to provide the solution. If the answer is correct, the Code Masters will provide you one (1) digit to the code of a lockbox. Your team will repeat this process until you have received all six (6) digits.

During your presentation together, your team must:

· Present your solution to mini challenge 6 (Fermi problem) to the judges.

· Once your three (3) minute presentation is complete, your team will have one (1) minute to try and open your lockbox, remove the contents, and demonstrate your solution to mini challenge 1.

· Following your presentations, you and your partner will have three (3) minutes of Q&A with the judging panel.

Mini Challenge 1: Recycled Materials Instrument

Focus: Engineering

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

Background: Percussion instruments are defined as those that create sound by striking, shaking, plucking, or scraping. Examples of percussion instruments include: Ocean drum, bongos, djembes, gong, pandeiros (tambourines), kalimbas (thumb pianos), dholak, pancake and monkey drums, vibratone, afuche cabasa, glockenspiel, buffalo drum, tambour, bodhran, cymbals, maracas, rainsticks, cowbell, woodblocks, agogo, castanets, tulip woodblock, triangle, bells, claves, finger cymbals, rhythm thang, shakers, dustbin and lid, hammer handles, broom handles, and more!

When percussion instruments are shaken or struck, a vibration produces sound. The type of sound produced helps divide percussion instruments into two subcategories: definite pitch instruments and indefinite pitch instruments. Definite pitch instruments are able to produce one or more notes or pitches. The pitch can be determined by the size of what is being struck. Indefinite pitch instruments are not able to produce a certain pitch or note. The sound they produce is a result of the materials they contain, such as materials that are stretched tightly. (Think: many kinds of drums!) In both categories, musical sound is produced by striking the instrument in certain places.

Percussion instruments began by humans hitting things together to produce sound. Drums eventually evolved from this idea in around 6000 BC and were eventually used by almost all major civilizations. Today, drums can be found in nearly every culture around the world. In addition to being used for fun, they also have ceremonial, sacred, and symbolic associations.

Another instrument with these important associations is the rainstick, which is traditionally used in the Native American culture. While it’s not known how far in history rain sticks date back to, it is known that they are traditionally made from the skeletons (or hollow tubes) of cacti to recreate the sound of falling rain in order to encourage rain to come.

These are just two examples of how percussion instruments were--and continue to be-- important around the world. Not only are they used to create music and songs like those we hear on the radio, but they are also used in ceremonies and rituals in all different cultures.

Challenge:

Today’s society provides tons of cool sounding material resources for making percussion sounds. What works? Just use your ears! Beautiful sounds can also come from everyday objects all around you.

Part 1: Work with your team to:

• Come up with a plan of how to use the materials available to create two different percussion instruments.

o One instrument should have a definite pitch

o The second instrument should have an indefiniate pitch

• Finalists should test the different materials to get a feel for the sounds they can make and sketch a prototype for each of the instruments.

• After 10 minutes, your team will need to share this plan, including design and material instructions, with your assigned mentor build team.

o Please note: mentors will have access to a basic workshop with sawing, drilling, sanding, hammering and nailing capabilities.

Part 2: Your mentor build team will then:

• Use the materials and meet with the workshop team to confirm that they are able to create the instruments as designed.

• Mentors will refine and present revised plans based on the information that they learn from testing and from their workshop consultation.

• 40 minutes into the Challenge finalists will meet with their mentor team to approve or correct the modified design.

• Once approved, the mentors will build the instrument using the agreed upon sketch and instructions as a guide.

• At the 90-minute mark, one finalist should check on the instruments to confirm that the instruments have been constructed according to the designs.

o If they are approve, one mentor should assist the finalist in taking the instruments to the team’s workstation.

o If adjustments need to be made, mentors will need to make the changes and deliver the instruments to their team’s workstation as soon as possible.

Have your answer? To receive a code from the Code Masters, your team will need to play your instruments and be able to explain which instrument has a definite pitch, and which has an indefinite pitch, and why.

You should also describe in what situations your instrument could be used (e.g. pop songs, religious ceremonies, traditional dances, etc.).

Mini Challenge 2: Metronome

Focus: Physics

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

Background: Musicians often use metronomes when they are practicing to help them play at the right tempo (or beat). A mechanical metronome, like the one pictured here, is an inverted pendulum. Rather than having the pivot at the top and the weight at the bottom like a normal pendulum, mechanical metronomes have the pivot at the bottom and the weight at the top. The weight can be moved up and down along the rod, which will change the tempo--or the pace at which it swings back and forth. At the base of the pendulum rod is a second weight. This weight is hidden in the metronome case. Together, this double-weighted pendulum performs SHM (or simple harmonic motion) and will continue to beat back and forth on tempo indefinitely unless stopped by friction or another force.

All pendulums work by converting energy between kinetic energy and gravitational potential energy. The equation to the right demonstrates how T (how many seconds it takes for the pendulum to complete one back and forth motion) relates to L (the length of the rope in meters). In this equation, T and L are variables, and π and g are constants. π = 3.14 and g = 9.8m/s²

Challenge: Design a single-weighted pendulum model that shows how the rate at which the pendulum swings can be used to demonstrate the tempo of music. You will need to answer:

● Does the weight of the pendulum affect the tempo? If so, how?

○ Each member of the team should take turns testing a different weight to get your answer to this question. Compare your answers and discuss to reach a consensus on the correct answer.

● Does the string’s length affect the tempo? If so, how?

○ Each member of the team should take turns testing a different length. Compare your answers and discuss to reach a consensus on the correct answer.

● Lastly, tempo is measured in beats per minute (bpm).

○ The orchestra would like to play a song with a bpm of 120. How could you create this tempo? Be exact.

○ The band would like to play a song with a beat of 150 bpm. How could you create this tempo? Be exact.

Be sure to consider:

● Division of labor: How can you each gather different evidence to answer the question?

● Controls: What must be consistent between how you each do the experiment?

● Variables: Does the weight of the washer or the length of the sting affect the tempo of your metronome?

● Tempo: Tempo is measured by one swing of the metronome (for instance: from left to right) and not the full back-and-forth motion.

Have your answer?

To receive a code from the Code Masters:

- Explain whether the string length and/or the weight of the pendulum affects the tempo

- Provide the approximate string length that gives you a tempo of 120 bpm and 150 bpm.

Mini Challenge 3: Instrument Corrosion

Focus: Chemistry

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

STOP: Before you proceed with this Challenge, put on your provided Safety Glasses

Background: Metals, including copper, steel, and zinc, are used in all kinds of musical instruments, from guitar strings and tubas to cymbals and bells. Brass, which is an alloy (or mixture) of copper and zinc is used to make the brass section of orchestras, which include the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba. Steel is used to make many drums, as well as guitar strings. While these metals contribute to the pleasing sounds that these instruments can produce, they also carry the risk that they may dull or rust over time.

Challenge:

Follow the instructions below as you work together to investigate what happens when an instrument corrodes.

Experiment Instructions:

1. Place the salt and vinegar in the provided empty container. Stir until the salt dissolves.

2. Dip one penny halfway into the liquid for 10 seconds, and examine it when you pull it out.

3. Place all the pennies into the liquid. After five minutes, take half of them out and put them on a paper towel to dry.

4. Take the rest of the pennies out of the liquid. Rinse them well with the provided clean water, and place them on a second paper towel to dry. Write "rinsed" on this paper towel.

5. Place one nail and one screw into the liquid. Lean a second nail against the side of the bowl so only part of it is wet. After 10 minutes, observe the nails and the screw.

You May Make the Following Assumptions:

· The pennies looked dirty because they were covered with copper oxide. The copper atoms of the penny combined with oxygen atoms from the air to make this copper oxide.

· When pennies are a blue-green color, it is often from malachite: a compound formed from copper, oxygen, and the chlorine from salt.

Have your answer?

To receive a code from the Code Masters:

· Describe why the vinegar and salt cleaned the pennies, and how this connects to brass instruments.

· Explain what happened to the nail and screw, and how this could connect to steel instruments.

Mini Challenge 4: Slinky Sound Waves

Focus: Physics

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

Background: Mechanical waves are waves that require a medium, which means that they must have some sort of matter to travel through—such as air, water, or solids. These waves travel when the molecules in the medium oscillate (move back and forth). As the molecules hit each other, they pass on energy. Examples of mechanical waves include soundwaves, water waves, and seismic waves (think earthquakes!)

Without a medium, these waves cannot exist. Think about outer space, for an example. Sound does not travel at all in space because there is no air! You could be sitting next to an explosion in space and you would hear nothing. Because outer space has no air to vibrate, there is no sound.

To better understand sound waves and how they travel, take a look at the following vocabulary:

● Amplitude: Measure of the wave’s height. Waves with more energy have higher amplitude.

● Longitudinal Wave: A wave called a longitudinal wave has a repeating pattern of compressions and rarefactions. A compression is the area of the wave where the air particles are closer together (high pressure). A rarefaction is the area of the wave where the air particles are farther apart (low pressure).

● Transverse Wave: A wave called a transverse wave has a repeating pattern of troughs and crests. A crest is the highest point of a wave. A trough is the lowest part of the wave.

● Frequency: Measures the number of waves that pass through a fixed point in one second.

● Wavelength: One wavelength is measured from crest to crest (or trough to trough) on a transverse wave or compression to compression (or rarefaction to rarefaction) on a transverse wave.

Challenge:

Transverse Waves move up and down, like hills. Ripples in water and earthquake waves are examples of transverse waves. Follow the instructions below as you use your slinky to experiment with transverse waves. Select one group member to take the lead and the other two group members to be the assistants. (You’ll swap positions later!)

● Question 1: Can you make a transverse wave with your slinky? Once you are successful, draw it in the space below with the following labels: crest, trough, amplitude, wavelength.

● Question 2: Can you increase the frequency of your slinky’s wave? Once you have been successful, draw it in the space below.

● Question 3: Can you increase the wavelengths of your slinky’s wave? Once you have been successful, draw it in the space below.

Longitudinal Waves are flat and have high pressure points and low-pressure points. Sound waves are examples of longitudinal waves. Follow the instructions below as you use your slinky to experiment with longitudinal waves. Switch roles so that a new Finalist takes the lead and the other two Finalists are the assistants. (You’ll swap positions again later!)

● Question 1: Can you make a longitudinal wave with your slinky? Once you have been successful, draw it in the space below with the following labels: compression, rarefaction, amplitude, wavelength.

● Question 2: Can you increase the frequency of your slinky’s wave? Once you have been successful, draw it in the space below.

● Question 3: Can you increase the wavelengths of your slinky’s wave? Once you have been successful, draw it in the space below.

Sound waves can move through each other. This means that (unlike solid objects) sound waves can be in the same place at the same time!

When two waves are in the same place at the same time and their crests and troughs line up, this is called constructive interference. When this happens, the waves’ amplitudes are added together, and they form a new wave that is the size of the two original waves combined.

When two waves are in the same place at the same time and their crests and troughs don’t line up (e.g. the first wave is up while the second wave is down), this is called destructive interference. When this happens, the amplitudes of the waves cancel each other out and they add up to zero. In other words: There is no wave left!

Follow the instructions below as you use your slinky to experiment with constructive and destructive waves. Switch roles so that the third Finalist takes the lead and the other two Finalists are the assistants.

● Question 1: Can your team work together to demonstrate constructive interference with your slinky? Draw a picture below of what happens when the two soundwaves meet.

● Question 2: Can your group work together to demonstrate destructive interference with your slinky? Draw a picture below of what happens when the two soundwaves meet.

Have your answer?

To receive a code from the Code Masters, provide your answer to these final questions.

Both types of waves involve displacement (or movement) of particles as they move through a medium.

1. In longitudinal waves, which direction are particles displaced? How does this compare to how the wave travels?

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2. In transverse waves, which direction are particles displaced? How does this compare to how the wave travels?

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3. Can you provide a real-life example of constructive interference and explain what happens when this type of interference occurs?

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Mini Challenge 5 – Doppler Effect

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

Background: Have you ever noticed that when noisy things pass by quickly, their sounds are different as they approach than when they drive away? Picture a car that is driving towards you down the road. If it were to honk, the pitch of its horn would be high! But then—if it continues to honk as it passes you by—the pitch drops. This phenomenon is called the Doppler Effect.

As you know, sound is a vibration that travels through the air. When sound leaves the car (or anything else that is moving), it travels at a constant speed through the air --- no matter how fast the vehicle is moving. If the vehicle is moving quickly, it can catch up with the sound waves that it sends forward.

So as the car approaches and passes you, the wavelengths are shorter, which makes the sound seem higher. Once the car has passed you, it begins moving away from the soundwaves that it sends out. This makes the wavelengths longer and the horn sounds lower.

Challenge:

There are various equations that can help us understand the Doppler Effect. Read about the equations explained below and then answer the questions that follow.

As you work on these questions, you and your partners will take turns collaborating and taking the lead. Decide who will be Finalist 1, Finalist 2, Finalist 3 before you begin.

Question 1: The frequency of sound is measured in Hertz (Hz) and counts the number of sound vibrations in one second. Ears can hear sounds between 20 Hz (very low frequency sounds) and 20,000 Hz (very high frequency sounds).

The Wave Equation states that v=λf

In this equation:

v = Speed of the soundwave

λ = Wavelength

F = Frequency

How does this equation connect to the car horn explanation provided above?

Finalist 1: Take the lead on this problem!

Answer: ____________________________________________________________________

Question 2:

The following equation can be used to figure out the different frequencies of the horn, as heard by the person it approaches and then drives away from.

f₁ = f(v/v+v_s)

In this equation:

f₁ = the frequency of the car horn, as heard by people on the street

f= the horn’s original frequency

v = speed of the soundwave

v_s = speed of the vehicle (This number is negative as the vehicle approaches someone and positive as it drives away)

Finalist 2: Take the lead on the math for this problem!

Finalist 3: Double-check their calculations.

Someone is in a rush and blaring their horn! The car’s horn produces a sound with a frequency of 400 Hz. If the car approaches a person with a velocity of 20 meters per second (m/s), what frequency of sound does the person hear? Assume that the velocity of the soundwave is v=343 m/s.

(Note: 20 m/s = 45 mph)

Answer:____________________________________________________________________

Finalist 3: Now it's your turn to do the math.

Finalists 1 and 2: Be sure to check their work!

Now calculate the frequency of sound the same person hears as this car drives away at the same speed.

Answer:____________________________________________________________________

Question 3:

Pretend that the high school marching band in your hometown is about to compete in a national competition. Their judges will be sitting on the side of the road as the band marches by. Now that you understand the Doppler Effect, would you advise that marching bands consider it in order to score as high as possible? Work as a team to develop an answer.

Answer:____________________________________________________________________

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Have your answer?

To receive a code from the Code Masters, you must present all of the answers above.

Mini Challenge 6 – The Fermi Problem

Estimated time to complete: 30 minutes

This estimation technique is named after physicist Enrico Fermi who was known for his ability to make good approximate calculations with little or no actual data. Fermi problems typically involve making justified guesses about quantities and their variance or lower and upper bounds. The Fermi Process is a technique that allows you to formulate an answer to a problem based upon a series of logical assumptions where no exact answer (likely) exists.

Your Fermi problem to solve with your team is:

How many musical notes are played on your favorite music streaming platform in a given year?

**NOTE – This will be the focus of your presentation to the judging panel!

Your team must provide a 3-minute collaborative pitch of your solution that includes:

● Question: State the question and clarify the interpretation.

● Wild Guess: Make a wild guess involving no calculations.

● Educated Guess: Make an educated guess involving a chain of reasoning and calculations based on everyday experiences and estimates.

● Variables and Formulas: Define variables and create a formula to solve the Fermi question.

● Gather Information: Perform experiments, make measurements, and compile information to improve estimates and to find a smallest reasonable value, a largest, reasonable value, and a most likely value for the answer to the Fermi Question.

● Conclusions: Summarize the overall conclusions, possible sources of error, interesting facts learned and possible directions for future investigation.

Have your answer?

To receive a code from the Code Masters you must share your answer and demonstrate that you have followed all six steps in arriving at your conclusion.

Judging

Finalists will pitch their solution to the judges as a team. Each finalist is responsible to present on two of the Fermi Problem components (Question, Wild Guess, Educated Guess, Variables & Formulas, Gather Information, and Conclusions).

Once your three (3) minutes for your presentation is complete, both your team will have one (1) minute to try and open your lockbox and take out the contents and to play your musical instruments for the judges.

Following your presentations, you and your partners will have three (3) minutes of Q&A with the judging panel.

Judge Questions & Rotation

Below is the recommended question rotation for this challenge. Where one judge leaves off for each team, the following judge will pick up with questions. Judges should use the Q&A portion to ask about the mini-challenges and how finalists executed and collaborated within each of those challenges. If judges don’t have a question to ask, they may skip, but we highly suggest having standard back up questions available to ask as needed. Please see your judge's digital booklet for suggested questions.

Judge Question Rotation

Rotation order to follow

Student presentations must:

· Ensure that each finalist contributes to the presentation and has a speaking role.

· Include a blueprint that explains the solution to the Fermi problem, ensuring they include the question, wild guess, educated guess, variables/formulas, gather information and conclusions.

o Finalists will use this blueprint as their visual support as they walk the judges through the process.

o Highlight how they collaborated as a team to come up with their Fermi problem solution.

· Show one member of the team attempting to open their lockbox. If successful, finalists must show the contents of the box.

· Include a demonstration of the musical instruments that they designed

Rubric for the challenge here.