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About Singing Rods
Our "Singing" Rods make a great addition to your lessons on sound and waves. Just like the Singing Sword of legend, these magical rods will "sing" for you...if you know the secret. Simply hold a rod between your thumb and forefinger at one of the three marked nodes. Place a little of the included special rosin on your other hand. Then rub that hand along the rod from middle to end. As you stroke, friction creates a standing wave pattern that emits a tone that grows louder with each stroke. The resulting high-pitched ringing is sure to wake up everyone in the room! The rod is marked at the quarter and halfway points. Holding at the halfway point makes that spot a nodal point and creates the first harmonic. Moving your hand to a quarter point forces the second harmonic and a higher pitch! A must for explorations of sound and waves, these rods are an easy way to demonstrate longitudinal waves as opposed to transverse waves. They're ideal for teaching about nodes and anti-nodes in standing waves. And they're a great follow-up activity to see if students really understand sound and waves. You get two rods (75cm and 50cm), so you can demonstrate the relationship between pitch and length.
