Chapter 2: 2.1, 2.2.1

2.1 - Concepts

Section 2.1 focused mainly on the physics behind sound waves, more specifically what actually happens when sound is produced. While there were some concepts that were a bit confusing, I think the chapter does a good job of explaining most of the ideas. When combined with a lecture, I'm sure the material won't be hard to follow. I like that the supplements give a visual representation of the ideas covered in the text. Even though the supplements and text say mostly the same thing, having two different learning options appeals to students that learn in different ways. I thought that the video supplements were great and helped explain the ideas well. Even though it looks like the students won't have to worry about practicing the math that is involved in the chapter, I think it is a good idea to include it so that those who want to go more in depth into these concepts can do so without having to leave the text as much. I thought the explanation of how the different shapes of waves are formed was interesting and well written.

I thought that the most confusing part of this section was the section on the resonance of transverse and longitudinal waves. I understand what is happening, but I'm a little confused about why it is happening. I think that this section would be good spend a decent amount of time on in the lecture to make sure that students understand what is going on.

I noticed an error when you run the Max demo "Adding Sine Waves." The demo says that it is from Chapter 1 and not Chapter 2.

Section 2.2.1 - Ear Testing and Training

I used the Ear Training for Frequencies Max demo, and it was pretty interesting. I got decent at guessing the frequencies after a little while, but the program doesn't keep track of the score at the moment. I might have missed something, but I'm pretty sure that something needs to be changed for that to work correctly. Other than the scoring, I thought it was a cool demo. This demo says that it is from Chapter 1 as well.