Effect of Insulator Material, Insulator Distance From a Source, and Frequency on the Decrease of Sound Intensity
The purpose of this experiment was to test various materials (carpet foam, plywood, glass), distance from the sound source (zero feet, one foot, two feet) and sound tones (340 Hz, 440 Hz, 540 Hz) on the decrease of sound intensity. A three factor DOE was performed and from what was gathered we determined that the type of insulator material had the greatest effect on sound reduction. We concluded this because as sound travels further through a medium, it will gather more intensity as more reflective sound waves are produced ("Physics of Sound"). Plywood was the best material that reduced sound as it is the most dense material (compressed more) that was used in our experiment. The other factors used in our experiment and the two factor interactions had no effect on sound reduction.
Research Done By:
Dan Mack
Center Line High School
Matt Westermann
Center Line High School
Warren Consolidated Schools