Sound Waves

Sound waves exist everywhere in our world. What are sound waves, and how do they move through air or other materials? When objects like a tuning fork or guitar string vibrate, they create sound waves that travel to our ears. These waves can also make other objects vibrate, such as when a loudspeaker shakes water in a nearby cup. By studying these sound-producing artifacts, we can learn how sounds are created, how they travel, and what they can teach us about energy and vibrations.

Have you ever wondered how your friend hears your voice or why a bell sounds different from a whistle? The answer is sound waves – vibrations that move through air and other mediums. When an object vibrates, it causes the particles in the surrounding air (or other medium) to vibrate as well. These vibrations transfer energy from one particle to the next, creating a wave that travels through the medium. As the wave moves, it carries energy with it. The amount of energy in a sound wave depends on its amplitude (how large the vibrations are) and its frequency (how fast the vibrations occur). For example, louder sounds (like a loud bell) have larger amplitudes, meaning they carry more energy, while higher-pitched sounds (like a whistle) have higher frequencies. 

What is Foley?

Most of the artifacts in this curated set are original Foley instruments from the 1930s. Foley is the art of creating sound effects for movies, TV shows, and radio to make them feel more realistic, like footsteps, doors creaking, bells ringing or glass breaking. Foley artists use objects and tools in a studio to create these sounds, making sure they match perfectly with what is happening on the screen. The term "Foley" comes from Jack Foley (1891-1967), an American sound effects artist who developed the techniques of mimicking sounds using objects. In the early days of film, when sound was first introduced, he and other filmmakers realized many sounds could not be recorded during filming and had to be recorded separately and added later.