Comparison of Wikipedia and World Book Encyclopedia - Part II of the Wikipedia Blogs

In comparing the Aeolian Harp's information in the 2002 World Book Encyclopedia (last modified, 2002) with Wikipedia (last updated September 7, 2010 at 23:40), I found them to be very similar with a few differences.  First, both mention that it was named for the Greek god of the winds, Aeolus.  The encyclopedia gives this information at the end, whereas Wikipedia provides it at the beginning of the entry.  Wikipedia explains that it is "'played' by the wind."  The encyclopedia notes that, "The instrument produces soft, exotic sounds when the wind blows on the strings, causing them to vibrate."  In Wikipedia's entry, it gives further information in terms of the instrument's musicality: "The sound is random, depending on the strength of the wind passing over the strings, and can range from a barely audible hum to a loud scream. If the strings are tuned to different notes, sometimes only one tone is heard and sometimes chords." 

Both desribe the instrument as having a board / box with strings running over it, although the encyclopedia says that there are 8-15 strings, depending on the instrument itself.  The encyclopedia does not, however, reference the characteristics of the strings.  Wikipedia's entry does: "The strings can be made of different materials (or thicknesses) and all be tuned to the same pitch, or identical strings can be tuned to different pitches."

The major difference between the two is that Wikipedia provides access to other bits of information.  For example, after the actual entry, there are other related entries.  One explains how the harp was featured in different pieces of literature and another notes how it is scientifically operated (it shows a diagram of the von Karman vortex street effect:  "The motion of the wind across a string causes perioding vortex downstream, and this alternating vortex causes the string to vibrate").  Further, there are words that are hyperlinked to other Wikipedia sites to give further information about those specific words (sounding board, chords, etc.).  This provides added information which the regular encyclopedia does not.  The diagram is useful for visual learners as well.  No pictures/diagrams appear in the World Book.

In this analysis of the two resources, the two provide much of the same information, but the Wikipedia entry gives access to more information and information that was more current.  This could be very beneficial to students thirsting for more information.  The problem is the trust level: the 2002 World Book has more of a trust factor than the other as it cannot be changed (and thus have erroneous information).  In the end, perhaps having students scour both resources will help them understand the positive qualities and drawbacks of both and also find out how knowledge has changed regarding the topic.  This will help in their critical analyses of information that they will be doing for the rest of their lives.  And, they will learn more than if they had just used one source.

Works Cited

"Aelian Harp."  (2010, September 8).  Wikipedia.  Retrieved from http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_harp.

Loft, Abram.  (2002).  Aeolian Harp.  In The World Book Encyclopedia (Vol. 1 A-1, p. 84).  Chicago: World Book, Inc.