The '2001' theme on the whistling tube

摘要

This short paper describes an entertaining class demonstration that blends music and physics using the corrugated whistling toy tube.~1 First, students are given an introductory foundation to musical intervals and ear-training tricks so that they can recognize the intervals they hear. Then adjacent harmonics are played by whirling the corrugated toy pipe gradually faster and faster to identify the intervals. With very little practice, one can play the first four consecutive harmonics, which happen to be the beginning of the "2001: A Space Odyssey" theme song. A link to a You-Tube video of this memorable class demonstration is provided.~2