Analyzing Fundamental Frequency of Vowel [a] in Adolescent Females Using Praat: A Physics Education Perspective Sasha Elitzsar Latfia (a*), Freddy Haryanto (a), Galih Restu Fardian Suwandi (a)
a) Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology
Jalan Ganesha 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
*sashaelitzsar[at]gmail.com
Abstract
While Praat software is widely used to visualize sound waves, its application for teaching specific physics concepts, such as fundamental frequency, remains underexplored. This study demonstrates how Praat can bridge this gap by analyzing the fundamental frequency of the vowel [a] in 15-year-old female choir members (n = 10), thereby linking acoustics to biomechanics. Audio recordings (1-3 sec, taken using a Dell Inspiron 14 laptop sound recorder, Robot RH-P20 microphone with noise reduction, and PRAAT 6.4.25 software) were processed via FFT (Hamming window) to generate frequency-domain spectra. Power Spectral Density (PSD) analysis revealed fundamental frequencies ranging from 235.739 Hz (S09) to 247.944 Hz (S10), inversely correlating with height (e.g., S10: 141 cm, 247.944 Hz- S02: 167 cm, 238.134 Hz). PSD varied significantly (27.157-3.746 dB/Hz), with inter-peak gaps (0.673 Hz) reflecting natural fluctuations in the signal. Standard deviations (25.548-27.424 Hz, ~10% of mean frequency) indicated trial variability attributable to vocal fold asymmetry. These findings validate Praat^s utility for teaching sound wave physics, providing a framework to explore frequency-domain concepts in classrooms.
