How Do You Spell PHONOGRAPH CYLINDER?

Pronunciation: [fˈɒnəɡɹˌaf sˈɪlɪndə] (IPA)

The word "phonograph cylinder" refers to an early form of recorded music, consisting of a cylinder-shaped piece of wax or other material that was etched with sound waves. The spelling of this word can be explained using the IPA phonetic transcription, which represents each sound in the word. In this case, the transcription would be /ˈfəʊnəɡrɑːf ˈsɪlɪndə/, indicating the long "o" sound in "phonograph," the "a" sound in "cylinder," and the stress on the second syllable of both words.

Meaning and Definition
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PHONOGRAPH CYLINDER Meaning and Definition

  1. A phonograph cylinder refers to a cylindrical device made of wax or later, other materials, used in early sound recording and playback systems. It was invented by Thomas Edison in the late 19th century and served as a predecessor to the phonograph disc. The phonograph cylinder contains grooves carved into its surface, intended to capture and reproduce sound.

    To record and play audio, the user would rotate the phonograph cylinder on a spindle-driven mechanism while speaking or playing a musical instrument in close proximity to a diaphragm. The diaphragm would then vibrate in response to the sound waves, moving a stylus that was connected to the grooves on the cylinder. This movement would create indentations on the surface of the cylinder, effectively capturing the audio.

    During playback, a needle or stylus would traverse the grooves, transmitting the indentations to a diaphragm which in turn reproduced the sound waves. The quality of sound produced by the phonograph cylinder varied based on the skill and consistency of the recording process and the condition of the device.

    Phonograph cylinders were eventually replaced by flat, circular phonograph discs, which became the dominant format for recorded sound. Despite their obsolescence, phonograph cylinders remain historically significant as they represent one of the earliest forms of audio recording and playback technology.

Etymology of PHONOGRAPH CYLINDER

The word "phonograph" derives from the Greek roots "phono" meaning "voice" or "sound" and "graph" meaning "writing" or "recording". The term was coined by Thomas Edison, who invented the phonograph in 1877.

The word "cylinder" in "phonograph cylinder" refers to the shape of the recording medium used in early phonographs. The original phonograph cylinders were made of wax and shaped like a cylinder with a conical end. This shape allowed the machine to record and play sound by rotating the cylinder. As technology advanced, the cylinders were made from materials such as celluloid or hard plastics but retained the cylindrical shape.