A simple experiment to explore standing waves in a flexible corrugated sound tube

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2011

Authors

Amorim, ME (Author) Other; Sousa, TD (Author) Other; Carvalho, PS (Author) FCUP; Sousa, AS (Author) Other

Journal

Title: PHYSICS TEACHER

Vol. 49 No. 6

Pages: 360-362

ISSN: 0031-921X

Publisher: American Institute of Physics

Indexing

Scopus - 9 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00H-XN0

DOI: 10.1119/1.3628265

Abstract (EN): Sound tubes, pipes, and singing rods are used as musical instruments and as toys to perform amusing experiments. In particular, corrugated tubes present unique characteristics with respect to the sounds they can produce; that is why they have been studied so intensively, both at theoretical and experimental levels.1-4 Experimental studies usually involve expensive and sophisticated equipment that is out of reach of school laboratory facilities.3-6 In this paper we show how to investigate quantitatively the sounds produced by a flexible sound tube corrugated on the inside by using educational equipment readily available in school laboratories, such as the oscilloscope, the microphone, the anemometer, and the air pump. We show that it is possible for students to study the discontinuous spectrum of sounds produced by a flexible corrugated tube and go even further, computing the speed of sound in air with a simple experimental procedure.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific