The Sounds of Science

Posted March 19, 2021 | By ale_bellot

Digital Education Programming Presented by the
Center for Health & Wellbeing

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Buzz, crackle, bang! Whether we enjoy life’s simple symphony of sounds or not, it is all around us. Critical to our way of life, the sounds we hear have a science behind it that is powerful and deafening; musicians have studied the science of these vibrations to create the musical masterpieces we enjoy today. In this program, Rollins College Physics Professor Thomas Moore shares these findings and an introduction to the science of sound through the study of musical instruments. Professor Moore also discusses how musical instruments make sound and why some combinations of notes sound pleasing and some don’t.

By watching this program, you can expect to also learn:

  • how sound is produced by moving air;
  • how sounds can interfere with each other;
  • and why some sounds “fit together” well and are pleasing to listen to and some do not.

This program is presented by Thomas Moore and is hosted by the Winter Park Health Foundation.

About the Program Presenter
Professor Thomas Moore is the Archibald Granville Bush professor of Science and a professor of Physics at Rollins College. Dr. Moore is a graduate of Stetson University and holds a Ph.D. in optics from the University of Rochester as well as a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. He is a fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and was the 2013 Florida Professor of the Year. Before coming to Rollins, Dr. Moore served 21 years as an officer in the U.S. Army, was a research associate at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and taught physics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Professor Moore’s diverse research interests range from the physics of musical instruments to the effectiveness of face masks in reducing the spread of COVID-19.