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Q.a) Draw diagrams showing the first and third harmonics produced in a closed pipe.

(1) b) Write the equation for the fundamental frequency in terms of length of the pipe. (1)
Kerala DhseKerala DHSE Plus One Board 2019Subjective· 2mImportance★★★★★
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In a closed pipe (one end closed, one end open), only ODD harmonics are possible; the closed end is always a displacement node and the open end is always an antinode.

a) Harmonic patterns in a closed pipe (closed at one end, open at the other):

A closed pipe always has a displacement NODE (N) at the closed end (air cannot move there) and a displacement ANTINODE (A) at the open end (air is free to move there).

  • First harmonic (fundamental mode): The simplest standing wave pattern that fits this condition has just one node (at the closed end) and one antinode (at the open end), with a quarter of a wavelength fitting inside the pipe: N —— A, spanning a length L = λ₁/4.

  • Third harmonic: The next pattern satisfying the node-at-closed-end, antinode-at-open-end condition has TWO additional nodes and antinodes inserted, i.e., the pattern N–A–N–A–N–A repeats such that three quarter-wavelengths fit inside the pipe: L = 3λ₃/4. (Only odd multiples of λ/4 — 1st, 3rd, 5th, ... harmonics — satisfy a closed pipe's boundary conditions; even harmonics are absent.)

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