Home Work 17 Chapter 17

Chapter 17, Concept Question 2

In Fig. 17-24, two point sources S1 and S2, which are in phase, emit identical
sound waves of wavelength 2.0 m.

(a) In terms of wavelengths, what is the phase difference between the

waves arriving at point P if L1= 38 m and L2 = 34 m?
(1) 2 wavelengths
(2) 4 wavelengths
(3) 17 wavelengths
(4) 19 wavelengths
(b) In terms of wavelengths, what is the phase difference between the
waves arriving at point P if L1= 39 m and L2 = 36 m?
(1) 1.5 wavelengths
(2) 3 wavelengths
(3) 18 wavelengths
(4) 19.5 wavelengths
(c) Assuming that the source separation is much smaller than L1 and L2,
what type of interference occurs at P in situation (a)?
(1) constructive interference
(2) destructive interference
(3) neither constructive nor destructive interference

(d) Assuming that the source separation is much smaller than L1 and L2,
what type of interference occurs at P in situation (b)?
(1) constructive interference
(2) destructive interference
(3) neither constructive nor destructive interference

Chapter 17, Concept Question 10

Figure 17-29 shows a stretched string of length L and pipes a, b, c, and d of
lengths L, 2L, L/2, andL/2, respectively. The strings tension is adjusted until
the speed of waves on the string equals the speed of sound waves in the air.
The fundamental mode of oscillation is then set up on the string. In which
pipe will the sound produced by the string cause resonance, and what
oscillation mode will that sound set up?

(1)

pipe a, n = 2

(2)

pipe b, n = 4

(3)

pipe c, n = 2

(4)

pipe d, n = 1

1. Two spectators at a soccer game in Montjuic Stadium see, and a moment later hear, the ball
being kicked on the playing field. The time delay for spectator A is 0.23 s, and for spectator B it
is 0.12 s. Sight lines from the two spectators to the player kicking the ball meet at an angle of
90. How far are (a) spectator A and (b) spectator B from the player? (c) How far are the
spectators from each other?

Solutions
(a) The time for the sound to travel from the kicker to a spectator is given by d/v, where d is the
distance and v is the speed of sound. The time for light to travel the same distance is given by
d/c, where c is the speed of light. The delay between seeing and hearing the kick is t = (d/v)
(d/c). The speed of light is so much greater than the speed of sound that the delay can be
approximated by t = d/v. This means d = v t. The distance from the kicker to spectator A is

dA = v tA = (343 m/s)(0.23 s) = 79 m.

(b) The distance from the kicker to spectator B is dB = v tB = (343 m/s)(0.12 s) = 41 m.

(c) Lines from the kicker to each spectator and from one spectator to the other form a right
triangle with the line joining the spectators as the hypotenuse, so the distance between the
spectators is

D d A2 d B2

79 m

41m 89 m .
2

9. If the form of a sound wave traveling through air is

how much time does any given air molecule along the path take to move between
displacements s = +2.0 nm and s = -2.0 nm?
Solutions
Without loss of generality we take x = 0, and let t = 0 be when s = 0. This means the phase is =
/2 and the function is s = (6.0 nm)sin(t) at x = 0. Noting that = 3000 rad/s, we note that
at t = sin1(1/3)/ = 0.1133 ms the displacement is s = +2.0 nm. Doubling that time (so that we
consider the excursion from 2.0 nm to +2.0 nm) we conclude that the time required is
2(0.1133 ms) = 0.23 ms.

16. Two sound waves, from two different sources with the same frequency, 540 Hz, travel in the
same direction at 330 m/s. The sources are in phase. What is the phase difference of the waves at
a point that is 4.40 m from one source and 4.00 m from the other?

Solutions
Let the separation between the point and the two sources (labeled 1 and 2) be x1 and x2,
respectively. Then the phase difference is

x
2 ( x1 x2 ) 2 (4.40 m 4.00 m)
1 2 2 1 ft 2 2 ft

(330 m/s) / 540 Hz

4.12 rad.
23. Figure 17-38 shows two point sources S1 and S2 that emit sound of wavelength = 2.00 m.
The emissions are isotropic and in phase, and the separation between the sources is d = 16.0 m.
At any point P on the x axis, the wave from S1 and the wave from S2 interfere. When P is very far
away (x ), what are (a) the phase difference between the arriving waves from S1 and S2 and
(b) the type of interference they produce? Now move point P along the x axis toward S1. (c) Does
the phase difference between the waves increase or decrease? At what distance x do the waves
have a phase difference of (d) 0.50, (e) 1.00, and (f) 1.50?

Figure 17-38 Problem 23.

Solutions
(a) If point P is infinitely far away, then the small distance d between the two sources is of no
consequence (they seem effectively to be the same distance away from P). Thus, there is no
perceived phase difference.

(b) Since the sources oscillate in phase, then the situation described in part (a) produces fully
constructive interference.

(c) For finite values of x, the difference in source positions becomes significant. The path
lengths for waves to travel from S1 and S2 become now different. We interpret the question as
asking for the behavior of the absolute value of the phase difference ||, in which case any
change from zero (the answer for part (a)) is certainly an increase.

The path length difference for waves traveling from S1 and S2 is

d 2 x2 x

for x 0.

The phase difference in cycles (in absolute value) is therefore

d 2 x2 x

Thus, in terms of , the phase difference is identical to the path length difference:
| D f | = D > 0 . Consider D = l / 2 . Then

d 2 x 2 x / 2 . Squaring both sides,

rearranging, and solving, we find

d2
.
4

In general, if D = xl for some multiplier 0, we find

d2 1
64.0
x

2 2

where we have used d = 16.0 m and = 2.00 m.

(d) For D = 0.50l , or 0.50 , we have x 0.50) m 127.5 m 128 m .

(e) For D = 1.00l , or 1.00 , we have x 1.00) m 63.0 m .

(f) For D = 1.50l , or 1.50 , we have x 1.50) m 41.2 m .

Note that since whole cycle phase differences are equivalent (as far as the wave superposition
goes) to zero phase difference, then the = 1, 2 cases give constructive interference. A shift of
a half-cycle brings troughs of one wave in superposition with crests of the other, thereby
canceling the waves; therefore, the 12 , 23 , 52 cases produce destructive interference.

29. A source emits sound waves isotropically. The intensity of the waves 2.50 m from the
source is 1.91 10-4 W/m2. Assuming that the energy of the waves is conserved, find the power
of the source.
Solutions
The intensity is the rate of energy flow per unit area perpendicular to the flow. The rate at
which energy flow across every sphere centered at the source is the same, regardless of the
sphere radius, and is the same as the power output of the source. If P is the power output and I
is the intensity a distance r from the source, then P = IA = 4r2I, where A (= 4r2) is the surface
area of a sphere of radius r. Thus

P = 4(2.50 m)2 (1.91 104 W/m2) = 1.50 102 W.