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Waves, Sound, and Light: Sound and Music

Sound and Music: Audio Guided Solution

Problem Set SW13, Question 4:

Anna Litical and Noah Formula (the Physics Dream Team, as their friends refer to them) are doing a Physics lab with a 69.7 cm long wire that has a linear density of 0.396 g/m. They pull the wire to a tension of 563 N.
a.  What frequency must their wire be vibrated with to form the 5th harmonic standing wave pattern?
b.  Determine the fundamental frequency of the wire when held at this tension.
 





 

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 = 12.8 m/s, λ = 4.52 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.


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