Resonating Air Column

Jillian Christenson
Expt. No. 4, Physics 101, Fall 2010
Aim:

To determine the speed of sound in air at room

temperature using a resonating air column.

Apparatus:

Resonating apparatus, four tuning forks, rubber mallet,

micrometer caliper, can of water, and a small glass jar.

Description of Apparatus:

Consists of a 110 cm long uniform graduated glass tube

of 1 ½ inch diameter connected to a rubber tubing and a

water reservoir supported by a stand. The level of the water

in the glass tube is changed by sliding the water reservoir up

or down the stand.

Theory:

Transverse wave: if the particles in a medium vibrate

at right angles to the direction of propagation of a wave, it is

a transverse wave.

Ex. Water waves, plucked strings, radar

waves, radio waves, light waves.

Longitudinal waves:

If the particles in a medium vibrate parallel to the

direction of propagation of a wave, is a longitudinal wave.

Ex. Speech wave.

If an advancing wave is obstructed it is reflected back in

exactly the opposite direction or 180° out of phase.

The advancing wave and the reflected wave interfered

destructively and constructively causing nodes and anti-

nodes.
 l
V=
T
1
V = ( )l
T
V = fl

1
l1 = (l1 + .3d) = l
4 1
1
l1m = l m
4 1
l 1m = 4l1m
l2 = (l2 + .3d)
3
l2 m = l 2 m
4
4
l 2 m = l2 m
3
V = fl ave
Vave = 341.03 m sec
l ave = 0.703
V 341.03
f exp = = = 484.8Hz
l 0.703
f actual = 480Hz
480 - 484.8
%error = x100 = 1%error
480
Vt = V0 1+ µ t
Vt 341.03 341.03
V0 = = =
1+ µ t 1+ 0.00367x23 1.04135
V0 exp = 327.5 m sec

V0accpt = 331.3 m sec

Procedure:

The glass tube is filled with water to almost the tip. A

tuning fork 1024 hz was excited by hitting it with a rubber

mallet and the tuning fork is held at the open end of the

glass tube. The length of the air column is slowly lowered by

lowering the reservoir of water. When the frequency of the

tuning fork is the same as that of the air column in the glass

tube, resonance is heard. This is indicated by a maximum

booming sound. The length of the air column is noted. The

end correction of 0.914 cm was added to the observed

length. The length is now converted in to meters. This is

now multiplied by 4 to obtain the first wavelength “λ 1”.

With the same tuning fork, the length of the air column

is increased by more than three times the original length.

The resonance length is noted. End correction is added. the

corrected length is converted to meters. This is multiplied

by four and divided by three to obtain a second wavelength

λ1 + l 2
“λ 2”. The average wavelength is calculated. λ =
2

The speed of sound at room temperature is calculated

using the formula V = (1024 xl ave ) m sec .

Tuning forks 512 hz, 384hz, and an unknown are used and the

first resonating length and the second resonating lengths are obtained

and tabulated in a tabular form.

fhz L1m λ 1=4l L2m λ 2x4/ λ ave V=fλ ave

1m 3 l2m m/sec

1024 . .3446m . . .33706 345.1m/s

08614 24714 32952 ec

m m m
512 . .6526m . . .6624 339.2m/s

16314 50414 6722m ec

m m
384 . .8725m . . .8824 338.8m/s

21814 66914 8922m ec

m m
X . 0.693m . .714m .7035

17314 53514

m m
Summary of the results:

Vtave=332.52 m/sec

Vo exptl=321.49 m/sec

Vo accepted= 331.3 m/sec

fλ expt=484.22 Hz

fλ accepted=480 Hz

Physical interpretation of the results:

The phenomenon of longitudinal standing waves is verified by

the resonating air column. The frequency of an unknown fork is

experimentally determined using resonance. The speed of sound at

room temperature is calculated and again using resonance the

question is answered.

Sources of error:

1. serious error occurs while determining the resonating air

column length. One should avoid parallax error

2. the reading of the lower level of water in the glass tube could
 cause error.

3. The level of water in the glass tube may be changing.

Precautions:

1. the fork should not touch the glass tube.

2. The fork should not be dropped

3. The tuning fork should be handled with meticulous care

4. The lower level of water should be read to avoid parallax

error.

Conclusion:

1. the phenomenon of longitudinal standup waves is established

2. the speed of sound at room temperature is experimentally

determined using resonating air columns.

3. The frequency of an unknown tuning fork is experimentally

determined.

Questions:

1. explain how air columns of different lengths may resonate

with the same note. Show why the length of the resonating

column must, in the case studied, be an odd multiplier of

1/4λ . Is there a node or antinode at the closed end? At the

open end?

a. At the closed end there is a node and at the open end

there is an antinode due to contour productive

influences of the advan chip and the reflected waves.

2. Draw diagrams of the standing waves produced in the air

column at each resonance length.

a.

3. Using your determination of Vo, calculate the frequency of the

fundamental and the first four overtones of an open organ

pipe 3m long, the temperature being 28 degrees Celsius.

What would be the frequency of the fundamental and the first

four overtones of a closed pipe of the same length??

a.
4. Does the velocity of sound in gases vary with the barometric

pressure? Explain.

a.