back to future one

Back to the Future I (1985)


Concept featured in film: Sound (Stringed Instruments)

Location of clip:


Play Flickclip Here

Summary of clip: The scene opens with Marty on stage at the "Enchantment Under The Sea"; dance, playing guitar with the band. He goes on to play "Johnny B. Goode" with an extended crazy guitar solo. He realizes that the songs he has played back in 1955 were ahead of the audience's time. He states, "Your kids are gonna love it."

Connection of flickclip to the concept: This clip is a good way to make a connection between the physics of stringed instruments and how they correlate to "real-life."

Suggestions to Teachers:

1. Suggested questions for students when viewing the clip:

A teacher can have students pay close attention to Marty's finger location on the guitar string and the sound produced.

a. How does the pitch of a tone produced on a guitar string change when the performer pressed the fingerboard at different locations?

2. It would be a good idea for the teacher to acquire a guitar and have students examine at the string thickness and tension.

a. How does the thickness of the string affect the frequency and therefore the tones it can produce?

b. How does the tension of the string affect the frequency?

3. Describe the concept of standing waves and resonance.