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Q.How are stationary waves formed in closed pipes? Explain the various modes of vibrations and obtain relations for their frequencies. A closed organ pipe 70 cm long is sounded. If the velocity of sound is 331 m/s, what is the fundamental frequency of vibration of the air column?

Telangana TsbieTelangana Board of Intermediate Education 2022Subjective· 8mImportance★★★★★
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In a pipe closed at one end, a node forms at the closed end and an antinode at the open end, so only odd harmonics (f1,3f1,5f1,…f_1, 3f_1, 5f_1,\ldots) are possible; for a 70 cm closed pipe with sound speed 331 m/s, the fundamental frequency comes out to about 118.2 Hz.

Stationary waves in a closed pipe (closed at one end)

When sound is produced near the open end of a pipe closed at the other end, the wave travels down, reflects at the closed end, and superposes with the incident wave to form a stationary wave.

Boundary conditions: At the closed end, air molecules cannot move — a node (N) of displacement always forms there. At the open end, air molecules vibrate freely with maximum amplitude — an antinode (A) forms there.

Fundamental mode (1st harmonic): The simplest pattern has a node at the closed end and an antinode at the open end, with no other nodes/antinodes in between. This corresponds to a quarter wavelength fitting into the pipe length LL:

L=λ14⇒λ1=4LL = \dfrac{\lambda_1}{4} \quad \Rightarrow \quad \lambda_1 = 4L

f1=vλ1=v4Lf_1 = \dfrac{v}{\lambda_1} = \dfrac{v}{4L}

Higher modes (overtones): The next possible pattern must still have a node at the closed end and antinode at the open end; adding one more node-antinode pair gives:

L=3λ34⇒f3=3v4L=3f1L = \dfrac{3\lambda_3}{4} \quad \Rightarrow \quad f_3 = \dfrac{3v}{4L} = 3f_1

and in general, for the nn-th allowed mode: …

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