Materials: tuning forks, measuring tube, plunger
Procedure: measure the length of a column of air that resonates for each tuning fork
Data:
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Graph: Plot a graph in excel with Frequency (Hz) on y-axis and Wavelength (m) on x-axis. Do a power fit and display equation on chart. You will get a hyperbola of the form y = a.x
b . b should be close to -1 and a should give you the speed of sound.
Attach the graph to this worksheet.
Calculations: velocity = frequency x wavelength v = f x
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Conclusions: From the book and internet, find the answers to these questions:
If the room temperature is warmer, how will that change the speed of sound?
If the room is lower in humidity, what factor of sound will change?
Does sound travel faster in air or water?
Does sound travel faster in water or through steel?
What property of solid matter determines how fast sound will travel?
What happens when a plane breaks the sound barrier?
Who was the first person to travel faster than sound?