Resonance Tube UP101

By Ashim Kumar Dubey

SR No. 14534

Group D

The length of the closed tube used for all parts of the experiment, apart from the square pulse experiment, was fixed
as l = 50 cm = 0.5 m. The speed of sound was assumed as 340 m/s when calculating expected values.

Theorem Used
Resonance Conditions
For resonance to occur the end of the pipe open to the atmosphere must be a pressure node (and a displacement
anti-node) and the closed end must be a displacement node (and a pressure anti-node).

Closed Tube:

One side is open to the atmosphere and one is not one pressure node and anti-node.

The distance between consecutive node and anti-node is one-quarter of a wavelength. So, for a tube length of L, the
fundamental mode will have a wavelength of 4L.

Every successive standing wave will have one more anti-node and node in between.

So the general equation for the wavelength and frequency will be:
4
() =

() = = (1) ,
4
Open Tube:

Both sides are open to the atmosphere, so both pressure nodes.

The distance between consecutive nodes is half of a wavelength. So, for a tube length of L, the fundamental mode
will have a wavelength of 2L.

Every successive standing wave will have one more anti-node and node in between.

So the general equation for the wavelength and frequency will be:
2
() =

() = 2
= (1) ,

Acoustic Absorbance
A standing wave is time independent, i.e. doesnt wary with time. So for just finding values of amplitude, the
equation of the wave can be taken as the time independent = 2 sin()

Energy is proportional to (Amplitude)2. Absorbance is defined as the Energy absorbed divided by Incident energy.
Representing absorbance by K,

2

=

The max displacement can be taken from the algebraic sum of the maximum amplitudes of the incident and
reflected waves. So here it becomes = (21 )sin() (Sum of reflected and absorbed energy is 1)

So ratio of amplitudes (R) can be found.

= 1

= 1 2
So as absorbance increases, ratio of amplitudes should decrease.

Experiment
Resonance for Closed tube

Expected Values of resonance frequencies (using values expressed and/or assumed, and formulas derived earlier):

f0 170 Hz
f1 510 Hz
f2 850 Hz
f3 1190 Hz

Where f0 is the fundamental frequency and fn is the frequency of nth overtone.

Experimentally obtained values of resonance frequencies:

f0 181 Hz
f1 539 Hz
f2 879 Hz
f3 1204 Hz

We can see from the above mentioned values that the observed values are very close to the expected values, though
they are slightly higher.

From this we can conclude that, on average, the velocity of sound inside the tube is higher than the taken value of
340 m/s.

For a constant velocity of sound inside the tube, v = difference in actual and expected value of velocity, will be

constant. So, as () = , = .
4

Absolute frequency difference should increase.

But that doesnt happen, the absolute differences (in Hz) being 11, 29, 29 and 14. This would imply that either the
conditions inside the tube cause the velocity of sound to depend on the frequency, which is highly implausible, or
that errors have crept in the data collected, through:

1. End corrections
2. Improper barrier at the closed end, causing the closed end to be not exactly closed
3. Human error in measurement, due to extremely similar values close to the resonance value

Maxima and Minima

We set the frequency to the resonance frequency of 879 Hz and slide the microphone along the length of the tube,
to detect the position of consecutive maxima and minima of the pressure wave. The difference between consecutive
node and anti-node is equal to a fourth of the wavelength, and since we know the frequency, we can calculate the
velocity of sound from this.
The positions we get are:

Node = 61.5 cm

Anti Node = 72.1 cm

where distances were measured from a given mark on the tube.

Thus we have,

4
= 72.1 61.5 = 10.6

So, using relation =

= 879 0.106 4 = . /

This value is higher than the expected value. Reasons can be:

1. Inaccurate Measurement: Most possible reason, as the measurement was being done manually, and the
amplitude values were extremely close at the resonance frequency.
2. The actual velocity of sound in air is higher in the labs tube, due to humidity and other reasons.

It was observed that the amplitude didnt exactly go to zero even at the node point, i.e. the minima, rather going to a
very small, but distinguishable, non-zero value.

Explanation:

When we set the speaker at some particular frequency, in addition to the one we want, it also emits some unwanted
frequencies, which may or may not be resonance frequencies, but have non-zero amplitude, and so always have a
non zero amplitude throughout the tube. Along with external disturbances, these extra frequencies also contribute
to the measurement and act as the measurable and possibly removable NOISE.

It is this noise that ensures that the amplitude measurement doesnt go to zero even at the node of the standing
wave.

Amplitude of microphone as a function of frequency

Using the sweep function, we varied frequency linearly with time and then plotted microphone output voltage
(proportional to pressure variation in tube) with time. The linear relation was used to plot Voltage vs. Frequency.

The graph has no sharp peak, rather a continuous curve is obtained. This is because even though Resonance
Amplitude should be vastly higher than other amplitudes due to total constructive interference, frequency values
close to the resonance frequency have enough of interference, that the curve comes much smoother. Another
reason could be mechanical faults inside the tube, due to which the curve doesnt come sharp enough though that
would mean that a sufficiently sharp peak could be achieved were the instrument good enough. It is also possible
that the maximum possible voltage is too low for any significant sharpness to be obtained.

We repeat the same experiment by attaching cotton to one end of the tube. We observe that the curve flattens,
with the general shape remaining similar, though the amplitude reduces significantly. This can be explained by the
fact that cotton, being a soft material, would have a quite significant acoustic absorbance, and would dissipate a
noticeably significant value of Energy. So the curve becomes even less sharp.
 The above graph, for the ideal case, should have had the peaks for all cases at the same frequency, but that is not
the case, as the thickness of the cotton also changes the effective length of the tube, changing the resonant
frequency. The change of length is proportional to thickness: evident from the fact that shift matches thickness.

Also, the amplitude/voltage is all in negative due to the zero error.

Sharpness is quantifiably measured by what is known as Q-Factor, where =
.

fr = resonance frequency, f = full width at half maximum, i.e. at amplitude .
2

The amplitudes at resonance frequencies for the different conditions are: -

1. Without cotton = (0.150 - 0.106)/2 = 0.022

2. Thin Cotton Layer = (0.137 0.117)/2 = 0.010
3. Thick Cotton Layer = (0.135 0.119)/2 = 0.008

The calculated q values are: -

1. Without cotton 531/114 = 4.66

2. Thin Cotton Layer 523/266 = 1.97
3. Thick Cotton Layer 507/1068 = 0.47

The q values are in the descending order, proving that acoustic absorbance is higher for higher quantity of soft
material, and energy, and thereby amplitude, decreases accordingly.

From the earlier mentioned formula, we can actually find the effective acoustic absorbance for the two cases.
0.010
1. Thin Cotton Layer 1 (0.022)2 = 1 0.21 = .
0.008
2. Thick Cotton Layer 1 (0.022)2 = 1 0.13 = .

This quantitatively proves that acoustic absorbance is higher for the thicker layer of cotton.
Thus, cotton, being a nice sound absorber, dissipates energy quite effectively, and is used in places where
reflection of sound from various surfaces might cause errors or problems, and is hence used as a sound proofer in
theaters and the like.

Reflection of Sound Pulse to find velocity of Sound

Length of tube = 1.83 m

Scale of time axis = 5 ms/div

No. of divisions = 2.4 (This is the number of divisions between the peak that flipped and the one that didnt reason
given afterwards)

Distance to be covered by sound = 2 x 1.83m = 3.66 m (as the difference is due to reflected wave)
3.66
So speed of sound = 2.45103 = /

This value is lesser than the expected value, and the value measured by other means. The possible causes of this
discrepancy are:

1. Inability to perfectly judge the peak points, causing error in time measurement.
2. The speaker not being able to give a perfect square wave pulse, causing slight changes in the wave made,
and hence the time measured.
3. Mechanical issues with the tube.
4. Formation of an imperfect standing wave.

We know that pressure waves travelling along the tube get reflected from open end and undergo a phase change of
, i.e. incident rare faction gets reflected as compression and vice versa.

Explanation:

When a high pressure pulse reaches the open end of tube the air in the region is pulled outward due to pressure
difference; the outside pressure is atmospheric while the pulse has a higher pressure than outside. This creates a low
pressure just inside, causing a low pressure pulse to go back, as reflected wave.

Similarly, when a low pressure pulse reaches the open end of the tube, air gets pulled inside, creating a high
pressure pulse that travels back as the reflected wave

This is how sound wave reflects from the open end of the tube and phase gets reversed.

Another explanation could be the fact that inside the tube, the air can move only in the constrained space, and
motion is allowed only in one direction. At the open end, wave is no longer constrained. Rather, it can move in all 3
directions if the pressure wave has some amplitude there, it would mean a sudden break in the continuity of the
pressure wave, and since that is not allowed, there must be a node at that point. And since the wave cant continue
outside, the wave must come back inside.

This reflection and reversal in phase is visible, when one of the peaks flips on closing the open end, due to the
reasons mentioned above. Both dont flip as there is still some wave which just gets transmitted across the tube, to
the other side, and doesnt get reflected or anything. This might also be due to the fact that the speaker cant
produce absolutely perfect square wave pulses.

END