Resonance

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 10th gradeA, January 1996

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Resonance

RESONANCE: ' The property whereby any vibratory system responds with

maximum amplitude to an applied force having the a frequency equal to its

own.'

In english, this means that any solid object that is struck with a sound

wave of equal sound wave vibrations will amplitude the given tone. This

would explain the reason why some singers are able to break wine glasses

with their voice. The vibrations build up enough to shatter the glass. This is

called RESONANCE.

Resonance can be observed on a tube with one end open. Musical tones

can be produces by vibrating columns of air. When air is blown across the

top of the open end of a tube, a wave compression passes along the tube.

When it reaches the closed end, it is reflected. The molecules of reflected air

meet the molecules of oncoming air forming a node at the closed end. When

the air reaches the open end, the reflected compression wave becomes a

rarefaction. It bounces back through the tube to the closed end, where it is

reflected. the wave has now completed a single cycle. It has passed through

the tube four times making the closed tube, one fourth the length of a sound

wave. By a continuous sound frequency, standing waves are produced in the

tube. This creates a pure tone.

We can use this knowledge of one fourth wavelength to create our own

demonstration. It does not only have to be done using wind, but can also be

demonstrated using tuning forks. If the frequency of the tuning forks is

known, then v=f(wavelength) can find you the length of your air column.

Using a tuning fork of frequency 512 c/s, and the speed of sound is

332+0.6T m/s, temperature being, 22 degrees, substitute into the formula.