What was the hardest part of this task? Easiest?

I think the hardest part of this task was creating the actual string instrument. Since I made a mistake in planning the procedures of producing the instrument, it was especially difficult for me to insert the rubberband into the holes of the box. I overcame this problem by using all types of tools I could find in the house. The easiest part of this task was the experimenting. In my experimenting, all that was required was to use an online decibel meter to measure the loudness of the sound made by the instrument.

One of the Approaches to Learning (ATL) suggested for Science in the MYP  is stated below: Social skills–Practise giving feedback on the design of experimental methods. Discuss the statement above as you reflect on your planning and building of your instrument.

Since there weren’t procedures the teacher gave in this task, this project required us to do all the planning of procedures on our own. Of course, there are times when I became confused with what I was doing since everything was planned by myself and there were no aids in the process of creating. Still, this motivated me to experience more failures in order to produce a successful instrument. After finishing the first string instrument, I had a better idea and exact procedures of what I was supposed to do, so creating the project became easier towards the end.

How successful was your instrument in the 5 tests? Which test(s), if any, did your instrument fail?   Be honest! Discuss your ideas on how to improve your instrument.

My instrument was successful in 5 tones, one octave, appearance, integrity, but was not successful in amplitude. During the “performance”, the teacher wasn’t able to hear my instrument well since I used the instrument that had the smallest resonance chamber. One improvement I could make is to change the materials of the string. The rubber band wasn’t able to stretch well, so I made the strings too loose causing it to lose amplitude.

Discuss why you built the instrument you did? Do you play a similar instrument? Was it an instrument you thought would be easy to be successful building, intrigued or challenged you?

I built this string instrument because I think string instruments has a special tone in their sound that is very attractive and calming. I play the violin, which makes it easier for me to design my own string instrument. When I was deciding which instrument to build, I wanted to take a risk and create a guitar from scratch. During the process, I learned a lot from handmade instruments and was intrigued by the amount of knowledge a simple instrument can lead to.

Lab Report