The Physics of the Trumpet

Research:
http://library.thinkquest.org/10693/physics.html

How a trumpet makes a sound:

• Remember: All sounds are made of waves and for any wave to start, there has to be a source of vibration.
• In a trumpet, the vibrations that occur to make a sound has to come from the player's lips vibrationg at a high speed. Also known as "buzzing the mouthpiece."
• Wave travels down the length of the tubing and once it reaches the end of the funnel, it travels back up to the mouthpiece and forms a "node" in the end of the bell, producing a standing wave. (In physics, a standing wave doesn't go anywhere, it just sits there and vibrate up and down in place. A node is a region where the disturbance of the wave is quite small, almost zero).