Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Acoustical Dropping Sticks"

Edison Invents

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 15:30:20 GMT

Students will learn more about Thomas Alva Edison's creative genius. His mind gave us electric lights in our home and an entire system that produced and delivered electrical power. He was the first to record sound, and he also started the recording industry. Edison developed the first movie camera and produced the first movies. The website includes a biography of Edison, instructions on how to make a light bulb, and a list of related resources.

Slates, Sliderules and Software: Teaching Math in America

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:27:54 GMT

The focus of this online exhibition is the history of mathematics education in America. Beginning with the advent of public education in the early nineteenth century and ending in the modern Information Age, students will learn how advances in technology and changes in education theory have affected how math has been taught in American schools.

Introduction to Acoustics Instruments

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:32:39 GMT

Meet Steven Turner, curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as he discusses the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. This video focuses on the history of acoustics during the 18th and 19th centuries, including demonstrations of wave models, tuning forks, sirens, resonators, and the Chladni plate. This is the first video in a series of five.

Tuning Forks Demonstration

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 17:40:33 GMT

Meet Steven Turner, curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, as he discusses the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. This video focuses the science behind and uses for tuning forks, including demonstrations of tuning forks on resonators, the Grand Tonometer, a medical tuning fork, and a beats apparatus. This is the third video in a series of five.