Easily measurable non-linear physical relationships.

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SUMMARY

This discussion focuses on designing experiments to measure non-linear physical relationships, specifically highlighting examples such as the splash radius of a water balloon versus drop height, and the pitch of a violin string in relation to tension and density. The pitch of a violin string is defined by the formula pitch(f) ∝ (1/l)√(T/ρ), indicating its dependence on string length (l), tension (T), and density (ρ). Participants suggest using a Newton spring scale for measuring tension, although concerns about its limitations with high tensions are raised.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of non-linear relationships in physics
  • Familiarity with basic experimental design principles
  • Knowledge of tension measurement techniques
  • Basic mathematical skills to interpret physical formulas
NEXT STEPS
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Students, educators, and hobbyists interested in physics experiments, particularly those exploring non-linear relationships and measurement techniques in physical science.

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I've been trying to think of a really good experiment in which the data gathered would be non-linear. The only ideas I've managed to come up with were either way to simple and boring, or way to hard for me to set up and measure accurately. Some examples of experiments include splash radius of a water balloon vs. height of the drop, number of Mentos in pop vs. height of eruption, consumption of fuel vs. velocity of vehicle, and degree of curve/deviation vs. magnitude of spin on a ball in a fluid. These are just some of my ideas. The first two being rather simple, and the latter two being a bit too difficult.

Anyways, I was wondering if any of you have a cool experiment idea for me. Even if someone could list some non-linear physical relationships that might inspire me to design an experiment around it, it would be very appreciated.

Thank you!
 
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The pitch of a violin string is proportional to the square root of the tension ans inversely proportional to the square root of the density, so you could investigate vibrating strings.

[tex]pitch(f) \propto \frac{1}{l}\sqrt {\frac{T}{\rho }}[/tex]
 
That's a great idea! Something I could definitely attempt. Any suggestions on how I could measure the high amount of tension accurately with limited tools? I was thinking just a Newton spring scale, but I have a feeling a violin string would max the scale out.
 

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