424 



GENERAL SCIENCE 



Where the Hammer Strikes the Piano String. The hammer of 

 a piano strikes the string a few inches from one end. (One-seventh 



MUSIC WIRE GAGE NUMBER 



WNOEST WIRE 42.5 INCHES 18 17 16/2 16 15/2 IS I4 14 !3'/i 13 



! 1 t * I ( I ( 1 1 E 



FIG. 315. This upright piano scale has 160 pounds stress to each string. 

 Why are the strings very short and of small gauge on the right? Why 

 does the length and gauge increase for strings near the center? Why 

 are bass strings wound? How does the number of vibrations of middle 

 C of a piano compare with the number of vibrations of the octave above 

 middle C? Two octaves above? What is necessary, then, to produce 

 a tone one octave higher? Compare the length of the string of middle 

 C with the length of the string two octaves above middle C; three octaves 

 above middle; with the last C. 



of its length from the end.) If the hammer struck the string in 

 the center only, a simple tone would be obtained, that is, the 

 fundamental tone. Since the hammer strikes the string near the end, 



