In the context of Kendall Band, explore the Pythagoras of the Sculpture.
The Pythagoras section of the Kendall Band is named for the philosopher, mathematician, and scientist Pythagoras of Samos, who is best known for the Pythagorean theorem. The sculpture consists of 16 4-inch-diameter (100 mm), 1⁄4-inch-thick (6.4 mm) aluminum tubular bells, all tuned in the key of B minor. The longer bells create low pitches, while the shorter bells create higher pitches in the scale. When a handle on the wall of the subway platform is pulled, teak-headed hammers swing back and forth between the bells, striking them and creating the musical notes. Due to asymmetrical slits located at the nodal points in the bells, each chime's note plays a slight vibrato.There are actually two identical, completely separate and independent musical instruments comprising Pythagoras.   One can be operated from a handle located on the inbound subway platform, and the other can be played simultaneously from a handle on the outbound side.  The hammers are not directly coupled to the handles, to prevent them from striking the chimes too violently.  Instead, the handles must be rhythmically moved back and forth at an appropriate frequency, depending on the physical phenomenon of mechanical resonance to build up enough energy to strike the chimes.  Which chimes are sounded when depends in a complex manner on the recent history of handle movement.  Although the detailed mathematical analysis of motions is quite complex, most visitors quickly and intuitively figure out how to operate the sculpture without any written instructions.
teak resonance vibrato B minor philosopher Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos mathematician scientist aluminum nodal point tubular bell Pythagorean theorem