Dan,
You're looking through the wrong end of the binoculars.
> That was because the metal had contracted due to the cold and
> therefore the bores were larger.
Contraction due to temperature means contraction in all dimensions.
> but I'm quite sure that the speed of sound (how fast the waves
> are propagated through the air) and pitch (the wave-lengths) are not
> related.
In a shak they sure are. How long it take to make the round trip (down the
bore and back) is pretty much the definition of pitch--let alone being the
speed of sound.
> I'm also sure that the speed of sound decreases when propagated
> through moist warm air (like on a lazy summer day) and speeds up when
> propagated through dry cold air.
The effect of humidity is far smaller than that of temperature. After all,
humidity is just the introduction of a few heavier (water) molecules. Speed
of sound in a gas is really just a measure of the kinetic energy and mass of
the gas particles. Boost the kinetic energy (think heat) and/or lower the
mass (think helium) and both the speed of sound and pitch rise.
All of this is a little arcane in comparison to the enjoyment of the
instrument itself--and at the end of the day, probably matters little.
Flutes have been happily playing well before any concept of something like a
molecule and they'll be sounding long after.
Nelson
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Jan 08 2002 - 09:19:37 PST