Cause and Effect of sounds Why?

[lunaskye0]

What causes sound to be effected by the thickness and length of its vibrating object?

Is it that the length that the sound travels along giving more rotational room? assuming it is like a string plucked?
Does sound have a standard "length" that is compressed or stretched dependent on the distance to which its receptor that ables the sound to be produce?
Im not sure if this is making sense- but I just need to understand WHY length and thickness EFFECT the pitch of sound occurred. I know that the thicker and longer the transmission medium, the lower the pitch.

Also- the effects of different materials?

I am curious if there is a way to test the production of sound in a contained space and if that makes sound that would normally be lower in an open environment more restricted, frequency waves pushed closer together causing it to be higher?

So my knowledge on sound is really limited, I'm just trying to get an understand of the causes for the effects of thickness, length, and mediums.

Any information would be helpful! Thank you.

 

[Bobbywhy]

lunaskye0, Instead of trying to answer your specific questions, I would like to encourage you to experiment with generating sounds yourself. When you do this you will learn about what shapes, thicknesses, materials, and so on, that make sounds.

If you go to Google search and enter "sound experiments" you get many different sites, some better than others for your learning. Here are a few:
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiments/029
http://www.monstersciences.com/sound-science-experiments.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/exhibits/headlands/

More Google Searches related to sound experiments:

sound experiments for kids
sound science experiments
sound experiments for elementary students
sound waves experiments
sound experiments for middle school
easy sound experiments
sound travel experiments
sound energy experiments

After some experimentation if you have some questions or doubts, come back here to Physics Forums and ask away!

Cheers,
Bobbywhy

 

[Drakkith]

Let me ask you a question. What effect does the thickness and length have on the vibration of the string? What's the difference between a long thick vibrating string and a short thin vibrating string?