WFU Physics Public Lecture

TITLE: Trumpet Lessons: The physics of the modern trumpet and what it can teach us about art and science

SPEAKER: Dr. Thomas Moore,

TIME: Wednesday September 26, 2012 at 7:00 PM

PLACE: Room 101 Olin Physical Laboratory

The modern trumpet is the result of a centuries-long process of trial and error. Since it was not designed using established scientific theories, an understanding of how the trumpet actually works has lagged far behind its development. This presentation will explain the science behind how trumpets are designed and what makes them sound as they do. Some myths about what makes a good trumpet will be investigated, and the relationship between the scientist and artist will be discussed.

Dr. Moore is the Archibald Granville Bush Professor of Science at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. He earned his PhD at the Institute for Optics at the University of Rochester. He also served in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years in many capacities, among them commanding a combat arms unit, serving as a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and teaching physics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His current research in musical acoustics focuses on the physics of the piano and brass instruments, and his research interests include a variety of other instruments.