IFY (Year 1)

Assessment Cover Sheet

Student Name
OMOSEFE QUEENETTE OSAKUE
NCUK Student ID
OX-20-0008
Module
PHYSICS
Coursework 1 / 2
(etc.) 2
Lecturer/Tutor
Mr A. FADARE .
Date Submitted
20TH OF MAY 2021
OFFICE USE ONLY
Date Received

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DECLARATION

I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work and that I have given fully
documented references to the work of others.
20TH OF MAY 2021
Signed: SE∞FE Date:

© 2019 Northern Consortium UK Ltd.

NAME: OMOSEFE QUEENETTE
OSAKUE

NCUK ID: OX-20-0008

PROGRAMME: IFY SCIENCE AND

ENGINEERING

EXPERIMENT TO DETERMINE
THE VELOCITY OF SOUND IN AIR
 Initial Planning
Experiment: TO SHOW THE VELOCITY OF SOUND IN AIR
Apparatus:
 Resonance tube (Closed tube)
 Tuning fork with known frequency: 300Hz, 350Hz, 400Hz, 450Hz, 500Hz, 550Hz.
 Metre rule
 Water
 Retort stand to hold the metre rule
 Beaker
 Striking block

Quantities to be measured
 The length at which the tuning fork achieves resonance frequency :
A meter rule is used determine the length at which the tuning forks of various
frequencies attain resonance as it gives accurate readings. Giving its readings up to
1 decimal point with a negligible uncertainty of ±1mm. This length is determined by
finding the difference between the length of the water in the resonance and the
length at which the tuning fork resonates loudest.

Variables
 Independent variables: The frequency of the tuning fork in Hertz.
 The dependent variables: the length at which each frequency resonates in metres.

Figure 1
Labelled diagram of the apparatus used
(Cambridge international AS & A level Physics, 2020)
How to measure quantities using instruments
 The metre rule is used to measure the length of resonance
 The retort stand is used to hold the metre rule in order to measure the length of
resonance
 The beaker is to contain the water used for the experiment
 The tuning fork uses its natural frequency to set the tube into resonance
 The striking block is used to set the tuning fork into vibration

Measuring technique
Each reading was repeated twice and checked by two people for accuracy before being
noted, we ensured to avoid parallax and non-zero error to get precise readings.

Precautions
 The experiment was repeated severally to ensure accurate results were used
 To reduce external effects, the fans were turned off and the windows were closed
 The experiment was done in a silent classroom to hear the resonance frequency
properly
 To achieve proper recordings the lower meniscus in the resonance tube was
measured
 Parallax error was avoided when measuring length of the air column with a metre
rule

Sources of uncertainty/errors
 Uncertainties can occur from the metre rule whilst measuring the length of the
air column (Parallax error)
 Errors might occur when determining the precise resonance length

Limitations and Modifications

During the experiment, my partner and I experienced several obstacles which includes
difficulty in hearing the exact point at which resonance occurred due to external factors in
the room for future experiments a sound level meter could be used to determine where the
resonance is loudest. Also, a tuner could be used to make sure the frequency produced is
the same as the tuning fork instead of a harmonic.

Final report
Introduction and Theory
 The aim of this experiment is to determine the speed of sound waves in air using a
resonance tube.

According to NASA (2010), Sound waves are classified as longitudinal waves which means
that they oscillate in a direction that is parallel to its point of propagation. This theory
considers sound waves as an example of the longitudinal waves with one of its prominent
properties being the requirement of a medium for the propagation of sound waves making
it a mechanical wave. The speed of sound is dependent on the properties of the material
that the waves travel through.

Flinn Scientific; Inc (2017) described Sound waves as a standing wave. A standing wave is
the resultant wave formed when two waves superimpose and interfere at a point. A node of
a quantity is a particular point in the medium where a certain quantity does not vary at all
this is usually the closed end of the pipe. The region where the variation is maximum is
called an antinode it is usually found near an open end. The distance between two
consecutive nodes is half the wavelength of the particle whilst the spacing between a node
and the next closest antinode is always 1/4 of the wavelength of the sound

The formular below shows the relationship between the wavelength, frequency and speed
of a medium

v = f λ
v is the speed of sound in the medium,

 Frequency:  Frequency f  is the number of waves per second.it is also the inverse of the
period required to complete one wavelength

Wavelength:   which is represented by λ is the distance between two successive crests on
a wave that are in the same state of oscillation.

Amplitude is the Maximum displacement of a wave from equilibrium position. In closed

pipes the length of the pipe is an odd multiple of λ/4 at this point resonance occurs which
is signified by an intensified loud sound.

Sound waves and their relationship with temperature: According to NASA in 2010,
The speed of sound is said to vary directly with temperature. At 0°C the speed in air is
331.4 ms-1, while at 30°C it is around 350 ms-1. Meaning that speed is nearly linearly
dependent on temperature. The higher the temperature the higher the speed of sound and
vice versa.

Resonance occurs when sound waves reflected from the closed end of the tube return to
the top and reinforce the waves from the tuning fork. The loudest sound will occur when
the length of the air column is equal to ¼ of the wavelength. Resonant frequencies of a
system are the frequencies at which air vibrations in an enclosed space are strongest they
are easily detected by listening to the sound intensity. Resonant frequencies are dependent
on the shape or size of an enclosed volume. (Mini Physics ,2015)

Experiment procedure
At the beginning of the experiment the graduated cylinder filled was slightly above the
half mark with water, the length of water was recorded for future calculations which
measured with the metre rule. The metre rule was set up on the retort stand the first
tuning fork frequency was recorded as 300Hz and struck against the striking block setting it
into motion, the now vibrating tuning fork was placed slightly close to the tip of the
resonance tube (caution was taken to avoid the tuning fork from having contact with the
resonance tube).
The difference in the distance between the tuning forks and the beaker was calculated
during the first and second tuning forks values was measured and calculated this is known
as n-correction. The resonance tube was moved through the beaker whilst listening to
where the sound emanated the loudest. Before recording the measured length, the
experiment was repeated and checked by another person for precision. The steps were
repeated for 350Hz, 400Hz, 450hz, 500Hz, 550Hz to get results which were recorded.

Figure 2
A visual representation of the set up for the experiment
Alanpedia (No date)

Results
The table below shows the values my partner and I obtained from the experiment.
Table 1
S/N 1st Length 2nd Length Average Frequency 1/f /s
reading /m reading /m Length/ m (f) /Hz
I 0.274 0.276 0.275 300 0.0033
II 0.242 0.238 0.240 350 0.0029
III 0.210 0.210 0.210 400 0.0025
IV 0.185 0.187 0.186 450 0.0022
V 0.160 0.162 0.162 500 0.0020
VI 0.149 0.149 0.149 550 0.0018

Analysis
 Graph

Graph of 1/f against length

0

0
1/f /s

0
0.14 0.16 0.18 0.2 0.22 0.24 0.26 0.28 0.3
Length /m

The graph above is the graph of 1/f /s against l/m

From the graph the x and y variables, slope and intersect can be obtained. The graph
indicates that frequency is inversely proportional to the length as the intercept is zero
since the straight line passes through the origin.
From the formular f0 =v
4l
Therefore when 1 = 4l
F v
When 1/f = y intercept
4/v = gradient
L = x intercept
Gradient m = y2 – y1
X 2 – x2
= 0.0033 - 0.001
0.275 – 0.085
m = 0.0115sm-1
Gradient m = 4
V
V=4
m
V=4
0.0115
V = 330.43ms-1

Discussion and conclusion

In the report, the method used to measure the speed of sound in air was demonstrated
using a resonance tube and tuning forks of various frequencies. This experiment is very
basic and single as it does not require professional knowledge in order to carry out the
experiment. From research the theoretically value of the velocity of sound in air ranges
from 330 ms-1 to 340ms-1 whilst the experimental value was 330.43ms-1 which is within
the range. The percentage error of the experiment is given as:
=actual value – Predicted value x 100 (Taking v as 330)
Predicted value

= 330.43 – 330 x 100

330
= 0.130%
The minimal error indicates that the experiment was accurate and precise.
References
Alanpedia (No date) ‘Vibrations and sounds’. Available at:
https://www.alanpedia.com/physics_vibrations_and_sound/vibrations_and_sound.html
Accessed on:18th May 2021.

Crundell ( 2020) Cambridge international AS & A level Physics Third Edition

Flinn Scientific; Inc (2017) ‘Discovering the speed of sound in air’. Available at:
https://www.flinnsci.com/api/library/Download/c59d272237e144f9b921c0f0697fdf6b
Accessed on:18th May 2021.

Mini Physics (2015) ‘SS: Determining the speed of sound in air’. Available at:
https://www.miniphysics.com Accessed on:18th May 2021.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2010) ‘Speed of sound’. Available at:
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/speed_of_sound_9-12.pdf Accessed
on:18th May 2021.

Physics lab (No date) ‘Resonance and speed of sound’. Available at:
https://www.ntschools.org/cms/lib/NY19000908/Centricity/Domain/112/Speed%20of
%20Sound%20Lab.pdf Accessed on:18th May 2021.

Science project (No date) ‘Sound resonance: How to calculate speed of sound’. Available
at: https://www.education.com/science-fair/article/speed-sound-resonance-cylinder/
Accessed on:18th May 2021.

University physics labs mechanics (No date) ‘Speed of Sound - Resonance Tube’. Available
at: https://www.webassign.net/question_assets/asucolphysmechl1/lab_10/manual.pdf
Accessed on:18th May 2021.