Why do some metals ring when struck while others don’t?
In: Physics
Metals and other materials ring is call resonance. The pitch at which the resonance occurs is caused by the amount of deflection of the object (stiffness) along with the mass (weight). For the case of a guitar string, you will notice the larger strings play a lower note, this is because the weight of the string and how tight it is pulled. The reason a heavier string is used is because you can apply more tension to the string and get the same resonance. If you used a small string and tried to tune it to low E, the string would be so loose it would strike the fretboard and cause buzzing. Because a heavier string will deflect less at the same tension, you can achieve the resonance frequency you desire with deflection within tolerance; however a heavier string will give you different harmonics.
Harmonics are additional frequencies that are heard in addition to the main resonance frequency but that have less power than the resonance frequency. These frequencies combine to give you a full picture of a sound. This is how you can tell the difference between a piano or a guitar even though they may be playing the same note and also help you judge distance and direction of a sound.
Some metals do not make a sound because they are not stiff enough or have too much deflection to be audable.
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