ENG EK 131/132 Fall 2012, Section EB,

Instructor: P. Robert Kotiuga

Second questionnaire- Due Wednesday, Feb 12th, 2014

Name: Shan Haider Faruque

Remark: When you complete this assignment, please insert you name above, and into
the title of the document. Then e-mail it to the UTF Alex Stockrahm, adstock@bu.edu,
and cc the instructor.

The purpose of this assignment is to develop an understanding of how a few silly

computations can lead to rules of thumb which enable effective back of the envelope
or even mental calculations which are very useful in acoustics and musical acoustics.

If something stumps you, ask questions!

(but dont ask for answers- copying mistakes is really, really embarrassing)

1) Find the percentage difference between the following pairs of numbers:

a) 2(5/12) and 4/3 = 0.1122%
b) 2(7/12) and 3/2 = 0.1129%
6
c) (9/8) and 2 = 1.3551%

2) What does question 1 have to do with the 12 note equal tempered scale?
(Recall that an n-note well-tempered scale has n notes in an octave and the ratio of two
successive notes is independent of the note).
Ans: It includes numbers, which are used in calculation of the tuning on the equal
tempered scale. For example, the twelfth root of each successive power of 2 is used (such
as 2(5/12). ) There are also proportions such as 4/3 (1.333.), which are irrational numbers
on this scale.

3) Find the percentage difference between the following pairs of numbers:

a) 10log10(5/4) and 1 = 3.1385%
b) 10log 10 (2) and 3 = 0.3427%

4) What does question 3 have to do with decibels?

(Recall that the ratio of power in two signals, in db, is given by 10log10(W1/W2). For
voltages and currents the coefficient of 10 is replaces by 20 since power depends
quadratically on voltage).
Ans: Decibel is a logarithmic unit and is expressed in 10log10x, where x is the power (or
intensity) ratio. In question 3, part a for example is 10log10(5/4), which is expressed in
decibel form and here the ratio x= (5/4).
.
Note that 10 and 2 (=1024) are close in some sense. Engineers exploit this in several
3 10

contexts. The next two questions reinforce this idea in a back of the envelope context:
 5) Computer engineers use one 1K to mean 1024, and conveniently approximate it
by 103 in mental calculations. Without using a calculator, explain in one line (or
less) why:
Ans a)This can hold 4GiB of data. 1 GiB= around 1x10^9 bytes. So 4
GiB=4*1*10^9=4*10^9 bytes/locations
b) A computer with a 64 bit address bus can access about 1.6x1019 memory locations.
Ans: This can hold 16 EiB of data. 1 EiB = around 1*10^18 bytes. So 16
EiB=16*1*10^18=1.6*10^19 bytes/locations.
c) Without using a calculator, compute 10log 10(2) to at least three significant digits by
exploiting the proximity of 1,000 to 1,024, the change of base for logarithms, and the
Taylor series for ln(x). (This result of this nasty question gives a back of the envelope
approach to doing calculations involving decibels) = 3.000. The taylor series give an
approximation close to this number.

6) Why are there about 10 octaves in three decades?

(An octave is a doubling of frequency while a decade is a ten-fold increase in frequency.)
An octave is a factor of two while a decade is a factor of ten, so to find the amount of
decades in 10 octaves, we use log 10 (2^10)=3.01 which is approximately 3 decades.

7) This problem helps relate musical pitches to frequencies using mental arithmetic.
a) A440 or Concert A or Middle A is the 440 Hz tone that serves as the standard
for musical pitch. Using the definition of an octave, list the fundamental
frequencies of all of the As between 20 Hz and 20 KHz.
Ans: 440Hz, 880Hz, 1760 Hz, 3520Hz, 7040Hz, 14080Hz
b) A440 is the A note above middle C, and A 220 is the A below middle C.
Given middle C is then 220*2^(1/4) Hz, what is the value for middle C as a
decimal number.
Ans: 261.6255653 Hz = 261.6 Hz rounded off
c) List the fundamental frequencies of all of the C notes between 20 Hz and 20
kHz.
Ans: 261.6 Hz, 523.3 Hz, 1046.5 Hz, 2093 Hz, 4186 Hz, 8372 Hz, 16744 Hz
d) Notice from part c that all the C notes are a certain small percentage above a
power of two. If the concert tone was chosen to be a 256 Hz C, what would
be the value of the A note closest to 440 Hz?
C= A*2^(1/4)
A= C/2^(1/4)= 256/(2^(1/4))=
215 = Fundamental Frequency. 215*2 = 430 which is the closest to 440 Hz

The final question concerns a Helmholtz resonator. This is useful if you want to
understand the cavity of an acoustic guitar, the tuning of a cajon, or the tuning of a ported
loudspeaker enclosure (whether intended for guitar, bass, studio monitoring, or a public
address system). The formulas you to get started can be found on the Wikipedia page,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_resonance .
8) A high efficiency speaker is to be installed in a 7.5 cubic foot cabinet, whose
internal dimensions have the ratios of 3:4:5 and the resonant frequency is to be 40
Hz (just below the lowest E on a bass).
a) What are the internal dimensions of the cabinet?
Ans: The volume is length * width * height = 7.5 cubic feet. Ratio is of 3:4:5,
so you use 3x*4x*5x=7.5. 60x^3= 7.5 and x=0.5. So the dimensions of the
cabinet are 1.5 feet by 2 feet by 2.5 feet.
b) If the port is rectangular with a depth equaling its height (but a fraction of its
width), choose the height, width and depth of the port consistent with the
formula for a Helmholtz resonators frequency as given on the Wikipedia
page. 12feet by 12feet by 16feet
c) Would the procedure used in part (b) fail if you applied it to an acoustic guitar?
(The answer is yes, but I want to know why) The dimensions of the guitar
would prevent the procedure from being carried out properly

9) I left the easiest question for last! The class matrix tells the instructor how many
students have classes at a given hour, but to figure out the best time to have set of
office hours, which can accommodate everyone, more information is required. So,
on Fridays this semester,
a) When are you free?
Ans: Between 10-12am or 2-3pm.
b) When do you have class or a lab?
Ans: 1-2 pm on Friday.
c) When do you have other obligations that would prevent you from coming to
office hours?
Ans: I usually have physics homework due on Friday at 5pm so I am usually
working 2pm-4:30pm to get it done. However, sometimes I may finish early
so I will probably be able to attend hours.