Overall length2.74 m
45.7Stacked hamsters
5 millionGreen light wavelengths
8 feet 11¾ inches; the flagship Steinway concert grand
Photo by Alan Liu on Unsplash
Steinway Model D Grand Piano
The concert grand that defines classical music/Everyday Objects
The Steinway Model D is the 8-foot-11-inch concert grand piano found on virtually every major concert stage in the world. Each one contains over 12,000 individual parts and takes roughly a year to build. Its iron frame must withstand over 20 tons of string tension, which is more than most people's relationships. It is the instrument that makes pianists weep, both from the sound and the price tag.
Measurements
Weight480 kg
3.4 thousandthsBlue whales
1.2 hundredthsBoeing 737s
211Bags of flour
~1,060 lbs; requires professional movers
Longest bass string2 m
57.1Banana widths
2.22Arming swords
Lowest notes use copper-wound strings over 2 m long
Width1.57 m
6.6 hundredthsTennis court lengths
7.14Discus diameters
At the widest point of the rim
Total string tension196,000 N
19.6 billionSand grain weights
9.8 tenthsBlue whale tails
~20 tonnes of combined tension across ~243 strings
Lowest note frequency (A0)27.5 Hz
6.7 tenthsBass guitar notes
50Record players
18.3Windshield wipers
The lowest A on a standard 88-key piano
Highest note frequency (C8)4,186 Hz
33 billionSeasons
7 tenthsDentist drill spins
69.8Rattlesnake rattles
The highest C on a standard 88-key piano