Sonometer

Sonometer

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Description
A sonometer demonstrates the relationship between the frequency of the sound produced by a plucked string, and the tension, length and mass per unit length of the string. This example is a monochord, with only one string. It came from the Smithsonian Institution Instrument Room, and was probably made by Rudolph Koenig in Paris.
Ref: Rudolph Koenig, Catalogue des Appareils d’Acoustique (Paris, 1865).
David Pantalony, Altered Sensations: Rudolph Koenig’s Acoustical Workshop in Nineteenth-Century Paris (2009).
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
sonometer
Maker
Rudolph Koenig
Measurements
overall: 12.7 cm x 110 cm x 16.5 cm; 5 in x 43 5/16 in x 6 1/2 in
overall: 5 in x 43 in x 6 3/8 in; 12.7 cm x 109.22 cm x 16.1925 cm
ID Number
PH.314587
catalog number
314587
accession number
205890
subject
Science & Scientific Instruments
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Physical Sciences
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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