Waves, Sound and Light: Sound and Music

Sound and Music: Audio Guided Solutions

Problem 14:

In a demonstration, Mr. H stretches a steel wire to a length 1.23 meters and braces both ends so that they are not free to vibrate. He attaches a fancy piece of equipment which he calls a mechanical oscillator to the wire and explains how it works. Then Mr. H turns the oscillator on and tunes the frequency to 588 Hz. To the amazement of the class, the wire begins vibrating in the sixth harmonic wave pattern.
a. Determine the speed of waves within the wire.
b. Determine the frequency at which the wire will vibrate with the first harmonic wave pattern.
c. Determine the frequency at which the wire will vibrate with the second harmonic wave pattern.

Audio Guided Solution

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Habits of an Effective Problem Solver

  • Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
  • Identify the known and unknown quantities and record in an organized manner, often times they can be recorded on the diagram itself. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity (e.g., v = 345 m/s, λ = 1.28 m, f = ???).
  • Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
  • Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
  • Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.

Read About It!

Get more information on the topic of Sound and Music at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

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