Randall Frost, Ph.D.
Experimental Procedure:
- Read about the effects of temperature on the metabolism of insects and formulate a hypothesis about the relationship between temperature and the sound intensity of the chirping of choruses of crickets.
- Find a location from which you can listen to a chorus of crickets without disturbing them.
- Measure the ambient temperature at that location.
- Measure the sound intensity in decibels of the cricket chorus using a sound level meter.
- Return to the monitoring location each evening for a month, and make the same measurements.
- Tabulate and plot your sound intensity versus temperature data.
Convert the sound intensities in decibels to units of W/m2.
- Look a mathematical relationship that summarizes any trends observed in the data.
- Evaluate your hypothesis in light of your data. Revise it if necessary use it to predict temperature-intensity relationships for other singing insects.
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Date |
Temperature |
Sound intensity (dB) |
Sound intensity (W/m2) |
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Terms/Concepts: Cicadas; Katydids; Crickets; Metabolism; Temperature; Sound intensity; Decibels; Loudness; Sound waves; Amplitude; Vibrations
References:
- http://www.depts.alverno.edu/nsmt/archive/browerwindschanz.htm
- http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/151/1/41.pdf
- http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/young_naturalists/buggysounds/index.html
- http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/cricket.html
- http://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/2008/aug/060801.htm
- http://natureinquiries.wordpress.com/category/singing-insects/
- http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/find-the-temperature-using-crickets/
- http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Digital-Sound-Level-Meter/dp/B001THX3M0
- http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Class/sound/u11l2b.cfm
Dr. Frost has been preparing curriculum materials for middle and high school students since 1995. After completing graduate work in materials science at the University of Virginia, he held a postdoctoral fellowship in chemistry at Stanford. He is the author of The Globalization of Trade, an introduction to the economics of globalization for young readers.
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Warning is hereby given that not all Project Ideas are appropriate for all individuals or in all circumstances. Implementation of any Science Project Idea should be undertaken only in appropriate settings and with appropriate parental or other supervision. Reading and following the safety precautions of all materials used in a project is the sole responsibility of each individual. For further information, consult your state’s handbook of Science Safety.
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