The Vibration of Bells

Abstract

Relative frequencies, nodal meridians, and nodal circles of the bells of the Harkness Memorial Chime.\char22{}This is a study of the ten bells of the Harkness Memorial Chime at Yale University. The large size of these bells makes it possible to examine partial tones of higher order than could be studied on smaller bells. For the first ten partials the average values found for the relative frequencies, the numbers of nodal meridians, and the numbers of nodal circles are shown in the following table. The nodal circles for the 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th partials are at levels about $\frac{1}{3}$, \textonehalf{}, $\frac{1}{6}$, and \textonehalf{} the height of the bell, those for the 6th partial are roughly at $\frac{1}{5}$ and $\frac{3}{5}$, for the 7th at $\frac{2}{5}$ and $\frac{4}{5}$ of the height.