Harmonic on the C String by Katherine Anne Lee
3rd Place - Natural Category
School: Collins Hill High School
Teacher: Pence
This picture depicts a standing wave at the second harmonic forming when someone is playing the lowest string (C) on a cello. The person's finger is touching exactly the middle of the string on a node. Nodes are also formed at the ends of the string because they are fixed ends. Nodes are places were there is no displacement from the equilibrium position (no movement). Antinodes are places that are moving and look blurry in the picture. There are two antinodes on the string because it is at the second harmonic. The note being played is the same as if the string were not being touched at all, just an octave higher because the frequency is twice as high at the second harmonic than it is at the fundamental frequency.