Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1]
- Exam
- Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1]
- Subject
- Physics
- Chapter
- Sound Waves
Concepts Of Physics MCQ Edition [Volume 1] · Physics · Sound Waves
In the arrangement depicted in the figure, a wire with a mass of...
In the arrangement depicted in the figure, a wire with a mass of oscillates in its second harmonic. This sets the air column in the tube into vibrations in its fundamental mode. Provided that the speed of sound in air is , determine the tension in the wire.

Options
- A
- B
- C
- D
Correct answer
A.
Step-by-step solution
For the air column in the tube, it is closed at one end (water surface) and open at the other. It vibrates in its fundamental mode.
The fundamental frequency of the closed organ pipe is given by:
where is the speed of sound and is the length of the air column.
The wire oscillates in its second harmonic and sets the air column into resonance, so the frequency of the wire is equal to the frequency of the air column.
The frequency of the -th harmonic of a stretched string is:
For the second harmonic, . The length of the wire is .
The linear mass density of the wire is:
Substituting the values into the frequency formula:
Squaring both sides to find the tension :
Rounding to one decimal place, we get .
The fundamental frequency of the closed organ pipe is given by:
where is the speed of sound and is the length of the air column.
The wire oscillates in its second harmonic and sets the air column into resonance, so the frequency of the wire is equal to the frequency of the air column.
The frequency of the -th harmonic of a stretched string is:
For the second harmonic, . The length of the wire is .
The linear mass density of the wire is:
Substituting the values into the frequency formula:
Squaring both sides to find the tension :
Rounding to one decimal place, we get .