Complex Sounds Analysis. An Experimental Approach to Implement in Secondary Level Teaching

Abstract

The teaching of sound in secondary level education, in Portugal, is incipient and without methodologies capable of promoting the effective learning of students, with respect to the concepts of pure and complex sound. This work presents an experimental methodology that allows students to learn effectively about the concept of complex sound using “PicoScope 6” software. The analysis of the sounds collected allows the students to verify the multiplicity of the various harmonics relative to the fundamental sound. Thus, it is possible to explore the concepts of stationary waves, wave interference and harmonic series as conceptual levers of complex sound.