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Finding the length of a tube with a 128-hz fundamental

(a) What length should a tube closed at one end have on a day when the air temperature is

22.0 °C if its fundamental frequency is to be 128 Hz (C below middle C)?

(b) What is the frequency of its fourth overtone?

Strategy

The length L can be found from the relationship f n = n v 4 L , but we first need to find the speed of sound v .

Solution

  1. Identify knowns: The fundamental frequency is 128 Hz, and the air temperature is 22.0 °C .
    Use f n = n v 4 L to find the fundamental frequency ( n = 1 ),
    f 1 = v 4 L .

    Solve this equation for length,
    L = v 4 f 1 .

    Find the speed of sound using v = ( 331 m/s ) T 273 K ,
    v = ( 331 m/s ) 295 K 273 K = 344 m/s .

    Enter the values of the speed of sound and frequency into the expression for L .
    L = v 4 f 1 = 344 m/s 4 ( 128 Hz ) = 0.672 m
  2. Identify knowns: The first overtone has n = 3 , the second overtone has n = 5 , the third overtone has n = 7 , and the fourth overtone has n = 9 .
    Enter the value for the fourth overtone into f n = n v 4 L ,
    f 9 = 9 v 4 L = 9 f 1 = 1.15 kHz .

Significance

Many wind instruments are modified tubes that have finger holes, valves, and other devices for changing the length of the resonating air column and hence, the frequency of the note played. Horns producing very low frequencies require tubes so long that they are coiled into loops. An example is the tuba. Whether an overtone occurs in a simple tube or a musical instrument depends on how it is stimulated to vibrate and the details of its shape. The trombone, for example, does not produce its fundamental frequency and only makes overtones.

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If you have two tubes with the same fundamental frequency, but one is open at both ends and the other is closed at one end, they would sound different when played because they have different overtones. Middle C, for example, would sound richer played on an open tube, because it has even multiples of the fundamental as well as odd. A closed tube has only odd multiples.

Resonance

Resonance occurs in many different systems, including strings, air columns, and atoms. As we discussed in earlier chapters, resonance is the driven or forced oscillation of a system at its natural frequency. At resonance, energy is transferred rapidly to the oscillating system, and the amplitude of its oscillations grows until the system can no longer be described by Hooke’s law. An example of this is the distorted sound intentionally produced in certain types of rock music.

Wind instruments use resonance in air columns to amplify tones made by lips or vibrating reeds. Other instruments also use air resonance in clever ways to amplify sound. [link] shows a violin and a guitar, both of which have sounding boxes but with different shapes, resulting in different overtone structures. The vibrating string creates a sound that resonates in the sounding box, greatly amplifying the sound and creating overtones that give the instrument its characteristic timbre. The more complex the shape of the sounding box, the greater its ability to resonate over a wide range of frequencies. The marimba, like the one shown in [link] , uses pots or gourds below the wooden slats to amplify their tones. The resonance of the pot can be adjusted by adding water.

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Source:  OpenStax, University physics volume 1. OpenStax CNX. Sep 19, 2016 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col12031/1.5
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