Waves, Sound and Light: Sound and Music

Sound and Music: Audio Guided Solutions

Problem 31:

South's orchestra walk on stage, take their seats and attempt to tune all instruments to 440 Hz - the A note of the oboe. Elizabeth tunes the A-string of her violin to the oboe. At one point in the process, she detects beats of 2 Hz between her string and the oboe. If her string is playing too low of a pitch, then what is its frequency?

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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