Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

We have finished this project. I want to find out if any one has done this & if so which sthethoscope worked best & why? so we can compare results.

We made stethoscopes using different length tubes. I wanted to know if they is an article that will tell us if length of tube is related to quality of the sound?
In other words if stethoscope with shorter tube work better than one with longer tube? or which one will work better & why?

Hi sdatt,

Just curious - have you collected any results? I was just thinking, if the sounds are faint, it would be easier to hear if the tube is shorter, since they have less distance to travel to your ear. However, I've read that, according to the company 3M, the difference between short and only slightly longer tube stethoscopes probably won't be noticed. Much longer tubing, however, corresponds with low frequency sounds, which is helpful because heartbeats fall in that category. Thus, the answer really boils down to the relationship between frequency and tube length, and the difference between "short" and "long" (i.e. is it negligible or significant?) Some things to keep in mind as you conduct your research!