As shown by the data recorded, there is overwhelming support for the first portion of my hypothesis, which states that the increase in foam will yield a decrease in sound volume. However, the collected data does not support the second portion of my hypothesis, which states that the lower frequency of 44Hz will remain at a higher decibel level than the higher frequencies. While the last datapoint on the graphs point to proving my hypothesis, it does not fit in with the other collected data, thus being questioned as a possible miscalculation. As is visible between the 55ft and 50ft points, there is a slight increase in the slopes of all three frequencies, therefore indicating that there was an error either in the acoustics of the hall, or a failure of the sound equipment to accurately record the decibel level. There is also a possibility of error in the collection of data points in the 44Hz frequency between the distances of 10 feet and 25 feet.
It can be seen that at this point, the decibel range drops drastically, and then returns to a higher state. One possibility for this error could be the design of the hall. Analysis of the sound stage indicates that the 10ft point occurs at the edge of the stage, where the floor drops about 1.3 meters, and does not become level with the stage for about another 20 feet. The design of the hall could have been such that the lower frequencies would have been swallowed up between these points, while the higher frequencies merely filled this void by way of relfection.
Therefore, the data supports the conclusion that foam does in-fact reduce the decibel level of sound, but also has a different rate of reduction for different frequencies.
Introduction
| Information | Procedure
| Data | Conclusion
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Research 2001
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