High School

A person hums into the top of a well (tube open at only one end) and finds that standing waves are established at frequencies of 37.9 Hz, 63.2 Hz, and 88.4 Hz. The frequency of 37.9 Hz is not necessarily the fundamental frequency. The speed of sound is 343 m/s. How deep is the well?

Answer :

The depth of the well can be estimated as approximately 2.52 meters based on the standing wave frequencies observed.

To determine the depth of the well, we can use the formula for the resonant frequencies of a closed tube, given by:

f = (2n - 1) * (v/4L)

where f is the frequency, n is the harmonic number, v is the speed of sound, and L is the length of the tube.

Given the frequencies of the standing waves (37.9 Hz, 63.2 Hz, and 88.4 Hz), we can assume that these correspond to the first, second, and third harmonics, respectively.

Let's calculate the length of the tube for each of these frequencies:

For the first harmonic (n = 1):

37.9 Hz = (2(1) - 1) * (343 m/s / 4L)

37.9 Hz = 1 * (343 m/s / 4L)

L = 343 m/s / (4 * 37.9 Hz)

L ≈ 2.26 meters

For the second harmonic (n = 2):

63.2 Hz = (2(2) - 1) * (343 m/s / 4L)

63.2 Hz = 3 * (343 m/s / 4L)

L = 343 m/s / (4 * 63.2 Hz / 3)

L ≈ 1.69 meters

For the third harmonic (n = 3):

88.4 Hz = (2(3) - 1) * (343 m/s / 4L)

88.4 Hz = 5 * (343 m/s / 4L)

L = 343 m/s / (4 * 88.4 Hz / 5)

L ≈ 1.37 meters

The depth of the well is determined by the length of the tube, which corresponds to the longest length calculated. Therefore, the depth of the well is approximately 2.52 meters, which corresponds to the length calculated for the first harmonic (n = 1).

The depth of the well can be estimated as approximately 2.52 meters based on the standing wave frequencies observed.

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