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Speed of Sound Lab

1. When a tuning fork is sounded near an open tube, the sound is amplified if the air column length is 1/4 the wavelength due to constructive interference of sound waves. 2. The experiment measures air column lengths for different tuning forks to calculate wavelengths and the speed of sound. 3. Calculations using the measured air column lengths, diameters, frequencies and room temperature determine the experimental and accepted speeds of sound, and percent differences between them.

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Santiago Galicia
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84 views3 pages

Speed of Sound Lab

1. When a tuning fork is sounded near an open tube, the sound is amplified if the air column length is 1/4 the wavelength due to constructive interference of sound waves. 2. The experiment measures air column lengths for different tuning forks to calculate wavelengths and the speed of sound. 3. Calculations using the measured air column lengths, diameters, frequencies and room temperature determine the experimental and accepted speeds of sound, and percent differences between them.

Uploaded by

Santiago Galicia
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lab # _____

Name:_____________________________________________Date:________________Period:_____

Resonance and the Speed of Sound


Introduction: When a tuning fork is sounded near the open end of a tube, the sound will be amplified if
the air column in the tube is just the right length. The louder sound is the result of the principle of
resonance. Resonance is caused by the fact that the sound waves reflected from the closed end of the
tube return to the top and reinforce the waves from the tuning fork(constructive interference). The
loudest sound will occur when the length of the air column is equal to ¼ of the wavelength.

Problem: Determine the wavelengths of various tuning forks and the speed of sound in air.

Materials: Tuning Forks Resonance Tube Graduated Cylinder Thermometer Metric Ruler

Procedure:

1. Place about 750 ml of water in the graduated cylinder then put the plastic resonance tube inside the
graduated cylinder.

2. Choose a tuning fork and record the frequency on the data table. Strike the tuning fork with the
rubber stopper and bring the tuning fork over the open end of the plastic tube.(See the diagram below.)

3. Slowly move both the tube and the tuning fork up and down until you hear the loudest sound.
Hold the tube in place where you hear this loud sound.

4. Measure and record the length of the air column in the tube.

5. Repeat this procedure with all the remaining tuning forks.

6. Complete the data table and the questions.


Data Table

Frequency Length Diameter Wavelength Room Speed of Sound


of of of  = 4 (L + 0.3d ) Temperature V = f
Tuning Fork Air Column Tube

f L d  T V
(m/s)
(Hz) (m) (m) (m) (oC)

Formulas:
* All lengths are in meters:

1. Loudest when the length of the air column = ¼ of the wavelength:


L=  /4 or  = 4L
2. Correction for the diameter of the tube:
 = 4(L + 0.3d)
3. Speed of a wave:
V = f

4. Speed of sound in air corrected for temperature:


.
V = 331m/s + (0.6m/s oC) T

V = 331 + 0.6T This value will be considered the accepted value for the experiment.
Questions and Conclusions:

1. Calculate the accepted value for speed of sound in air at the room temperature for this experiment.

Use equation #4 from the previous page:

V = 331 + 0.6T

Accepted value = m/s

2. Calculate the per cent difference between your values for the speed of sound and the accepted value.

Data Table #2

Frequency Speed of Sound Per Cent


of V = f Difference
Tuning Fork
f V
(Hz) (m/s) %

3. State the relationship between the frequency of a sound and the length of the air column.

4. Does the speed of sound in air depend upon the frequency of the sound? Support your answer with the
data from this experiment.

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