Tuning fork on resonance box, by Max Kohl, Chemnitz, Germany

A tuning fork is a simple metal two-pronged fork with the tines formed from a U-shaped bar of elastic material (usually steel). A tuning fork resonates at a specific constant pitch when set vibrating by striking it against a surface or with an object, and after waiting a moment to allow some high overtones to die out. The pitch that a particular tuning fork generates depends on the length of the two prongs, with two nodes near the bend of the U. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (900x893, 437 KB)Tuning fork on resonance box, by Max Kohl, Chemnitz, Germany. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (900x893, 437 KB)Tuning fork on resonance box, by Max Kohl, Chemnitz, Germany. ... Assorted forks. ... Look up tine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In engineering mechanics, deformation is a change in shape due to an applied force. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... This article is about resonance in physics. ... Pitch is the perceived fundamental frequency of a sound. ...

Explanation

Currently, the most common tuning fork used by musicians sounds the note of A (440 Hz, international "concert pitch"), which has long been used as a standard tuning note by orchestras, it being the pitch of the violin's third string played open, the fourth string of the viola played open, and an octave above the fourth string of the cello, again played open. However, they are also commercially made to vibrate at frequencies corresponding to all musical pitches within the central octave of the piano, and other pitches. A440 is the 440 Hz tone that serves as the standard for musical pitch. ...

Tuning fork by John Walker showing note (E) and frequency in hertz (659)

The tuning fork was invented in 1711 by John Shore, Sergeant Trumpeter to the court, who had parts specifically written for him by both George Friderich Handel and Henry Purcell. Image File history File linksMetadata TuningFork659Hz. ... Image File history File linksMetadata TuningFork659Hz. ... 1711 (MDCCXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... John Shore was the inventor of the tuning fork. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba. ... George Frideric Handel, 1733 George Frideric Handel (or Georg Friedrich Händel in German) (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque composer who was a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (IPA: [1]; September 10 (?) [2], 1659–November 21, 1695), a Baroque composer, is generally considered to be one of Englands greatest composers—indeed, he has often been called Englands finest native composer. ...

When struck, it gives out a very faint note which is barely audible unless held close to the ear. For this reason, it is sometimes struck and then pressed down on a solid surface such as a desk which acts as a sounding board and greatly amplifies the note. Bat ears come in different sizes and shapes The ear is the sense organ that detects sound. ... The sounding board is the largest part of a string musical instruments body. ...

Well-known manufacturers of tuning forks include Ragg and John Walker, both of Sheffield, England. For other uses, see Sheffield (disambiguation). ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

Uses

They are commonly used to tune musical instruments, although electronic tuners also exist, and some musicians have perfect pitch. Tuning forks can be tuned by removing material off the tines (filing the ends of the tines to raise it or filing inside the base of the tines to lower it) or by sliding weights attached to the prongs. Once tuned, a tuning fork's frequency varies only with changes in the elastic modulus of the material; for precise work, a tuning fork should be kept in a thermostatically controlled enclosure. Large forks are often made to be driven electrically, like an electric bell or buzzer, and can vibrate for an indefinite time. In music, tuning is the process of producing or preparing to produce a certain pitch in relation to another, usually at the unison but often at some other interval. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... A KORG brand electronic tuner An Electronic tuner is a device used by musicians to tune instruments. ... Absolute pitch (AP), widely referred to as perfect pitch, refers to the ability to identify a note by name without the benefit of a reference note, or to be able to produce a note (as in singing) that is the correct pitch without reference. ... An elastic modulus, or modulus of elasticity, is the mathematical description of an object or substances tendency to be deformed when a force is applied to it. ...

In musical instruments

A number of keyboard musical instruments using constructions similar to tuning forks have been made, the most popular of them being the Rhodes piano, which has hammers hitting constructions working on the same principle as tuning forks. Piano, a well-known instance of keyboard instruments A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. ... A Rhodes piano is a musical instrument, a brand of electric piano. ...

In electromechanical watches

Electromechanical watches developed by Max Hetzel for Bulova used a 360 Hertz tuning fork with a battery to make a mechanical watch keep time with great accuracy. The production of the Bulova Accutron, as it was called, ceased in 1977. Bulova is a New York based watch and clock maker corporation. ...

A tiny quartz tuning fork is used in crystal oscillators, the most notable use of which are quartz digital watches. The piezoelectric properties of quartz crystals cause a quartz tuning fork to generate a pulsed electrical current as it resonates, which is used by the computer chip in the watch to keep track of the passage of time. In today's watches, they generally resonate at 2¹⁵ = 32,768 Hz. (See quartz clock.) Quartz is one of the most common minerals in the Earths continental crust. ... A crystal oscillator is an electronic circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency. ... Pocket watch A watch is a small portable clock that displays the current time and sometimes the current day, date, month and year. ... Piezoelectricity is the ability of crystals, certain ceramic materials, (and to some degree, all materials) to generate a voltage in response to applied mechanical stress. ... Quartz crystal Copper(II) sulfate and iodine crystal Synthetic bismuth crystal Insulin crystals Gallium, a metal that easily forms large single crystals A huge monocrystal of potassium dihydrogen phosphate grown from solution by Saint-Gobain for the megajoule laser of CEA. In chemistry and mineralogy, a crystal is a solid... An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the SI unit of frequency. ... A quartz clock A quartz clock is a timepiece that uses an electronic oscillator which is made up by a quartz crystal to keep precise time. ...

Medical uses

Tuning forks, usually C-512, are used by medical practitioners to assess a patient's hearing. Lower-pitched ones (usually C-128) are also used to check vibration sense as part of the examination of the peripheral nervous system. They are also used therapeutically in sonopuncture. John Beaulieu, a researcher on the therapeutic benefits of tuning forks, has recorded an album of music made entirely with tuning forks, called Calendula. Other researchers into the therapeutic benefits of tuning forks are Arden Wilken and Jack Wilken. Sonopuncture is a modern technique said to be based in part on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and in part on New Age style speculation concerning the harmonic properties of outer space. ... Arden Wilken born April 18th, 1950 in Santa Rosa California. ...

External links

• http://www.onlinetuningfork.com, an online tuning fork using Macromedia Flash Player.