Waves, Sound and Light: Sound and Music

Sound and Music: Audio Guided Solutions

Problem 30:

Haley and Ariel are working on their Musical Instruments Project. They are creating a Pop Bottle Orchestra using a collection of pop bottles filled with water to varying heights. By blowing over the top of the pop bottles, the air column inside acts as a closed-end air column with the water surface at the bottom forcing a vibrational node within the standing wave pattern. Each bottle is 34.2-cm tall. Assuming a speed of sound of 345 m/s and a first harmonic wave pattern, determine how much water must be in the bottle in order for it to produce a 416 Hz sound wave.

Audio Guided Solution

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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