Experiment 3: Vibrations, Frequencies and Waves

Introduction

The concept of waves refers to all those oscillations that are present in nature. They
have many parts, but the most common ones are crest, trough, amplitude, and
wavelength.

The crest is the maximum positive amount of displacement from the equilibrium point.
The trough is the maximum negative amount of displacement from the equilibrium point.
The amplitude (A) is the distance from the equilibrium point to the crest. The wavelength
(λ) is the length from crest to crest or trough to trough and corresponds to one cycle.

A mechanical wave is the one that needs a medium to travel. There are two types of
mechanical waves: traverse waves and longitudinal waves. A transverse wave happens
when the particles in a medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave’s
motion. On the other hand, a longitudinal wave happens when the particles in a medium
vibrate in the same direction of the wave’s motion.

When a tensioned cord with both ends attached is plucked, the formed wave will travel
to one end and come back inverted to the opposite end. Then you will have two waves
traveling in opposite ways. Where the two waves meet, a destructive interference occur
called node. Similarly, where the two waves are perpendicularly away, a constructive
interference occur, and it’s called antinode.

If the frequency of oscillation is higher, then there are going to be more nodes and
antinodes in the cord.

When waves that vibrate at different frequencies meet, they will create a single vibration
with a higher amplitude and a resonant frequency. The lowest resonant frequency is
called natural frequency and corresponds to one antinode. If there is more than one
antinode the resonant frequency will be higher.

Resonant frequencies are also called harmonics. The first harmonic corresponds to the
natural frequency, the second harmonic is when there are two antinodes, the third
harmonic when there are three antinodes and so on.
Objectives

 To produce, analyze and understand waves, by making a simple experiment

 To understand frequency, standing waves, resonance and other concepts and

Materials

 Scissors

 Masking tape

 Tounge depressors

Procedures

Hypothesis

We believe that touching one of the tongue depressors, the rest of them will move trying
to regain the balance they had while being still.

Steps

1. In 50 cm of masking tape, put the tongue depressors in a perpendicular way. The

2. Take the device so the tape is upwards and the depressors downwards.

3. Hold the extremes of the tape in a way that allows you to manipulate the tension in it.

4. Tap one of the depressors and watch what happens.

5. Repeat step 4 several types changing the tension in the tape. Observe.

6. Repeat step 4 but hold one depressor in the middle of the device.
7. Using two fingers take the first depressor and make a vibrating motion in it. Observe
what happens.

8. Now make the separation to be 3 cm. Repeat step 4 and watch.

Notes & Observation

What we saw was that when we taped the depressor when the tape was with the
highest tension, a wave would create from one end to the other, and when the tension
was lower, the wave would move slower and the reach of it was lower as well. When we
hold one in the middle, the wavelength would end there. Finally, when we double tap
the first depressor, a resonance was created. When we moved the depressors closer,
the wave was faster than the one where they were 5 cm apart.
Analysis of results

1. How is the wave produced: transverse or longitudinal? Why?

The wave produced was a transverse wave because the vibration created was
perpendicular to the direction of the wave’s motion, this due to the way we put the
depressors: in a perpendicular way.

2. What is the amplitude of the wave?

The amplitude is of 7.5 cm. What we did to get that number was to measure half of one
tongue depressor, since the amplitude is the distance from the equilibrium point to the
crest, the equilibrium point is the tape, and the crest is any of the ends of the depressor.

3. How did the speed of the wave change according to the tension in the tape?
Why is it?

The speed was the fastest when the tension was the highest because the wavelength
produced was smaller. So, when we applied less tension, the wavelength got bigger,
and it took more time to the wave to get to the other end.

4. What happens with the wave once it gets to the standing depressor?

It stops.

5. What happened in step 7? Why is that?

A resonance happened. This because the two taps created waves that vibrated at
different frequencies, and when they met, they created a single vibration with a higher
amplitude and a resonant frequency.
6. The frequency of the waves in step 7 was equal or different to the hand which
made it? Why?

The frequency was higher because there was more than one antinode in the wave.

7. What difference could you notice in the last step?

The wave traveled way faster than the one we did first because the tongue depressors
were closer together, so the wave had to travel less distance.

8. How was the frequency in step 8 in comparison with step 4? Why is this?

The frequency was higher in step 8 in comparison with step 4 because the distance was
shorter and, in this case, the shorter the distance, the higher the frequency.

Conclusions

With this experiment, we were able to see waves and how they travelled from one end
to another. We could see how tension can change the velocity of the waves and how
the frequency can be affected with the distance the tongue depressors were from one to
another.

We had a lot of fun taping the tongue depressors and manipulating the start and the end
of the wave, and we were impressed how we were able to apply concepts that we saw
in class to this experiment.
Experiment 4: Tones and Tubes

Introduction

The concept of waves refers to all those oscillations that are present in nature. They
have many parts, but the most common ones are crest, trough, amplitude, and
wavelength.

The crest is the maximum positive amount of displacement from the equilibrium point.
The trough is the maximum negative amount of displacement from the equilibrium point.
The amplitude (A) is the distance from the equilibrium point to the crest. The wavelength
(λ) is the length from crest to crest or trough to trough and corresponds to one cycle.

Sound is a longitudinal wave because the vibrating molecules move in the same
direction of the wave. In other words, a sound source emits a collection of air molecules,
compressions and rarefactions that travel in the same direction of sound.

An open tube is when the ends of a pipe are open. As the air passes through the tube,
the compressions and rarefactions of the sound waves form resonant frequencies
(series of nodes and antinodes).

In a closed tube the wavelengths and frequencies are going to be different. There will
be one node and one antinode at the beginning and the end of the tube. Thus, the
wavelength and frequency will be only odd numbers of n.

Objectives

 To produce different tones in tubes and understanding its relation to the

Materials

 Scissors

 Cardboard paper
Procedures (pictures, notes and observations)

Hypothesis

We predict that the tubes will produce different sounds depending on their size.

Steps

1. Make tubes of different lengths with the cardboard paper.

2. Roll every cardboard in order to make a tube of 5 cm diameter. It must be very thight.

3. Tap the end of the tube and remove the hand quickly. Repeat the process several
times in order to produce a sound, this won’t be intense though.

4. Repeat the previous step with all the tubes. Observe the differences you can hear.

5. Put one of the tubes near to your ear. There’s no need to tap. Observe the
differences for each tube. Repeat this for every tube.
Notes & Observation

When we tapped the tubes, we noticed that the smallest one had a higher pitch, the
longest one had the lowest pitch, and the one between them had a medium pitch. When
we put the tubes to our ears, we could hear some sound in all of them.

Analysis of results

1. What is the relation between the tone and the length of the tube?

The shorter the length, the higher the tone. The longer the length, the deeper the tone.

2. What is the relation between the tone and the frequency?

The higher the pitch, the higher the frequency. The lower the pitch, the lower the
frequency.

3. What is the relation between the frequency and the length of the tube?

The lower the frequency, the longer the tube. The higher the frequency, the shorter the
tube.

4. In step 3 and 4, what produces sound: the tube or the air?

We think that what produces the sound is the tube, because what we hear is the tube’s
vibration when we hit it.

5. In the step 5, could you hear a sound only by putting it close to your ear? Why
is this?

We could hear all the sound combined because the walls of the tube mixed all the
sound and created this hollow sound that enter the end of the tube and got to our ear,
so instead of the sound wave going from one end to the other through the tube, it was
from the end of the tube to our ear, but also while going through the tube.
Conclusions

We really liked this experiment because it was funny to hear through the tubes and we
also used them to talk to one to other, while applying the concepts that we saw in class.
It was also really interesting to learn how the length of the tubes affected the sound they
created, even though we used the same force in all of them.

References

Canvas Authors. “Topic 4. Waves”. Cursos Tecmilenio.

Canvas Authors. “Topic 5. Sound”. Cursos Tecmilenio.