Phonograph

Ariella and Stephanie
1877: Edison's first phonograph, a tin foil phonograph. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images) **//The phonograph.//** In 1876 and 1877, Edison experimented with ways to record and replay messages. These experiments led to the invention of his phonograph. To record messages, Edison attached a needle to a //diaphragm,// a metal disk that vibrated in response to sound waves. The needle rested against a rotating cylinder wrapped with tinfoil. When the disk vibrated, the needle made varying impressions in the foil. To reproduce the sound, another needle was attached to a diaphragm and funnellike horn. This needle retraced the impressions or grooves in the foil. It vibrated the diaphragm and thus the air in the horn, re-creating the original sound waves.

In December 1877, Edison had a machinist build the phonograph. When it was done, he recorded the nursery rhyme “Mary Had A Little Lamb.” Then Edison showed his phonograph to the editors of //Scientific American// magazine. The next spring, he demonstrated it for scientists, members of Congress, and President Rutherford B. Hayes. Newspapers and magazines helped spread enthusiasm for the invention and its inventor. Edison became one of the most famous Americans alive. Stories of his childhood, pictures of his “invention factory,” and interviews with the inventor went out to the whole world.

Phonograph. Photographer. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 4 Jan 2012. []

Stephanie: hey arent you thomas edison

Ariella: Oh yes i am Thomes Edisin and im here to tell you all about the phonograph.

Stephanie: Well why did you invent the phonograph?

Ariella: well i did because i wanted ways to record and replay messages

Stephanie: what year did you invent it and how did you make it?

Ariella: i did in 1877 and how??? well there are many ways but it was hard to and im surprised that i can even do all of this.....

Stephanie: Thats cool. Was the phonograph big or really small

Ariella: the phonograph was big, definetally not small

Stephanie: Well today its the ipod not the phonograph its much samller and you can do a lot of things with it

Ariella: what is an ipod

Stephanie: An ipod is a newer version of a phonograph its very popular now, the phonograph isn't used anymore

ariella: oh cool the phonograph was a popular thing during my time..........

stephanie: How does the phonograph work exactly???/

Ariella: well it records sounds and lets you replay them over and over again.

stephanie: well the phonograph sounds a lot like an ipod...

ariella: well ya it is but the phonograph was much bigger and was really hard to cary around the i pod it small and much eaiser to carry around the phonograph is not........ Stephanie: how did this invention change the way people lived ariella: well it did because people could listen to music and not walk like 50 miles to go see the live show stephanie:well i got to go now so mabye ill see you soon byee

ariella: good byee and i hope to see you sooon