======Falling Rhythm======


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**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Gravity Beats
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Cut two lengths of string, each about 3 meters long.  
  - On String 1, attach weights at equal intervals: 50 cm, 100 cm, 150 cm, 200 cm, 250 cm.  
  - On String 2, attach weights at increasing intervals: 10 cm, 40 cm, 90 cm, 160 cm, 250 cm (distances follow square numbers).
  - Hold String 1 so its bottom just touches the floor, then release it. Listen as the rhythm speeds up.  
  - Repeat with String 2. Notice that the rhythm stays even, despite the uneven spacing of the weights.



====Links==== 
Class demo- dropping weights attached to a string - UNSW Physics: 
{{youtube>X5fkMd9kUUI?}}\\

📄 Falling Rhythm - Exploratorium : [[https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/falling-rhythm]]\\


====Variations====
  * Try longer or shorter strings to hear different rhythms.  
  * Use different sounding surfaces (metal, wood, plastic) to change the tone.  
  * Try adding more weights to explore additional rhythmic patterns.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Use caution when working from height - use a step stool safely if needed.  
  * Ensure weights are securely fastened to avoid them flying off.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why do evenly spaced weights make a rhythm that speeds up? (Because falling objects accelerate under gravity, so the intervals between impacts get shorter.)  
  * Why do unevenly spaced weights create a steady beat? (Because their spacing matches the square of the time intervals, compensating for acceleration.)  
  * What does this experiment tell us about how distance and time are related in free fall? (Distance fallen is proportional to the square of the time.)  
  * How does this connect to music? (It shows how mathematics and physics can create rhythmic patterns.)