acoustic: Having to do with sound or hearing.
colleague: Someone who works with another; a co-worker or team member.
develop: To emerge or to make come into being, either naturally or through human intervention, such as by manufacturing.
dimension: Descriptive features of something that can be measured, such as length, width or time.
Helmholtz resonator: Named for the 19th century German physicist Hermann von Helmholtz, this is basically some hollow volume of air with a short, narrow neck. For each defined volume, this resonator will create a single frequency of sound. Hand clapping is one example of a Helmholtz resonance. So is sound created by blowing across the neck of a soda-pop bottle. Even an automotive muffler is a Helmholtz resonator.
mechanical engineer: Someone trained in a research field that uses physics to study motion and the properties of materials to design, build and/or test devices.
mechanism: The steps or process by which something happens or “works.” It may be the spring that pops something from one hole into another. It could be the squeezing of the heart muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. It could be the friction (with the road and air) that slows down the speed of a coasting car. Researchers often look for the mechanism behind actions and reactions to understand how something functions.
model: A simulation of a real-world event (usually using a computer) that has been developed to predict one or more likely outcomes. Or an individual that is meant to display how something would work in or look on others.
physical: (adj.) A term for things that exist in the real world, as opposed to in memories or the imagination. It can also refer to properties of materials that are due to their size and non-chemical interactions (such as when one block slams with force into another).
physics: The scientific study of the nature and properties of matter and energy. Classical physics is an explanation of the nature and properties of matter and energy that relies on descriptions such as Newton’s laws of motion. Quantum physics, a field of study that emerged later, is a more accurate way of explaining the motions and behavior of matter. A scientist who works in such areas is known as a physicist.
pitch: (in acoustics) The word musicians use for sound frequency. It describes how high or low a sound is, which will be determined by the vibrations that created that sound.
pressure: Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.
silicone: Heat-resistant substances that can be used in many different ways, including the rubber-like materials that provide a waterproof seal around windows and in aquariums. Some silicones serve as grease-like lubricants in cars and trucks. Most silicones, a type of molecule known as a polymer, are built around long chains of silicon and oxygen atoms.
sound wave: A wave that transmits sound. Sound waves have alternating swaths of high and low pressure.
unique: Something that is unlike anything else; the only one of its kind.
vibrate: To rhythmically shake or to move continuously and rapidly back and forth.
wave: A disturbance or variation that travels through space and matter in a regular, oscillating fashion.
