Tuning fork
From Free net encyclopedia
A tuning fork is a simple metal two-pronged fork with the tines formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic material (usually steel). A tuning fork resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and after waiting a moment to allow some high overtones to die out. The pitch that a particular tuning fork generates depends on the length of the two prongs, with two nodes near the bend of the U.
Currently, the most common tuning fork used by musicians sounds the note of A (440 Hz), but they are commercially made in all keys. This is because the Key of A is the standard concert pitch used by most orchestras.
The tuning fork was invented in 1711 by John Shore, Sergeant Trumpeter to the court, who had parts specifically written for him by both George Friderich Handel and Henry Purcell.
When struck, it gives out a very faint note which is barely audible unless held close to the ear. For this reason, it is sometimes struck and then pressed down on a solid surface such as a desk which acts as a sounding board and greatly amplifies the note.
Well-known manufacturers of tuning forks include Ragg and John Walker, both of Sheffield, England.
They are commonly used to tune musical instruments, although electronic tuners also exist, and some musicians have perfect pitch. Tuning forks can be tuned by grinding material off the tines (filing the ends of the tines to raise it or filing inside the base of the tines to lower it) or by sliding weights attached to the prongs. Once tuned, a tuning fork's frequency varies only with changes in the elastic modulus of the material; for precise work, a tuning fork should be kept in a thermostatically controlled enclosure. Large forks are often made to be driven electrically, like an electric bell or buzzer, and can vibrate for an indefinite time.
A number of keyboard musical instruments have been made which use tuning forks as their sound source. None of them have ever been popular, although the Rhodes piano, which has hammers hitting constructions working on the same principle as tuning forks, is widely used.
A tiny quartz tuning fork is used in crystal oscillators, the most notable use of which are quartz digital watches. The piezoelectric properties of quartz crystals cause a quartz tuning fork to generate a pulsed electrical current as it resonates, which is used by the computer chip in the watch to keep track of the passage of time. In today's watches, they generally resonate at <math>2^{15}=32{,}768</math> Hz. (See quartz clock.)
Tuning forks are sometimes used by medical practitioners to assess a patient's hearing. They are also used therapeutically in sonopuncture. John Beaulieu, a researcher on the therapeutic benefits of tuning forks, has recorded an album of music made entirely with tuning forks, called Calendula. Other researchers into the therapeutic benefits of tuning forks are Arden Wilken and Jack Wilken.
External links
- http://www.onlinetuningfork.com, an online tuning fork using Macromedia Flash Player.
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