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0329 Lecture Notes - Resonance Introduction Using 9 Demonstrations

The document discusses 9 demonstrations of resonance using different objects like rods, swings, tubes, and the human body. Resonance occurs when an object is excited at its natural frequency of vibration, causing large oscillations. The demonstrations show standing wave patterns forming at resonant frequencies. They also show how changing the length or other properties of an object can alter its resonant frequency. The document concludes by calculating the resonant frequency of a shortened rod based on properties like its length and the speed of sound in the material.

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115 views

0329 Lecture Notes - Resonance Introduction Using 9 Demonstrations

The document discusses 9 demonstrations of resonance using different objects like rods, swings, tubes, and the human body. Resonance occurs when an object is excited at its natural frequency of vibration, causing large oscillations. The demonstrations show standing wave patterns forming at resonant frequencies. They also show how changing the length or other properties of an object can alter its resonant frequency. The document concludes by calculating the resonant frequency of a shortened rod based on properties like its length and the speed of sound in the material.

Uploaded by

Okwor
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Flipping Physics Lecture Notes:

Resonance Introduction using 9 Demonstrations


https://www.flippingphysics.com/resonance.html
(really, you need to see and hear these demonstrations)

Resonance involves standing wave patterns. So, if you have not learned about standing waves, please
enjoy my video about standing waves.1

The first example is called a “Singing Rod”. The vibration of the friction between my fingers and the
aluminum rod set up a standing wave in the rod at its “resonance frequency” or its “natural frequency”. My
fingers in the middle force a node at that point, and the two ends have their maximum amplitude vibration
and are therefore antinodes.

The second example is a swing. A swing


is a pendulum which has a natural
frequency of oscillation. If I apply a force
to the swing at a frequency which
closely matches the natural frequency of
the pendulum, the force will amplify the
oscillations. If I apply a force to the
swing at a frequency which does not
closely match the natural frequency of
the pendulum, the force will not amplify
the oscillations.

The third example is a goblet. Rubbing a damp finger along the rim of a
goblet will cause standing wave patterns in the goblet which is the goblet
vibrating at its resonance frequency. Adjusting the amount of water in the
goblet will change the resonance frequency of the goblet.

The fourth example uses a tuning fork to oscillate a column of air inside a
hollow tube. The water at the bottom of the hollow tube seals of that end of
the tube. Therefore, moving the tube up and down adjusts the amount of
the tube which is out of the water and therefore adjust the length of the air
column inside the tube. Different air column lengths will have standing wave
patterns or different resonance frequencies.

1
“Standing Waves” video from Flipping Physics: https://www.flippingphysics.com/standing-waves.html

0329 Lecture Notes - Resonance Introduction using 9 Demonstrations.docx page 1 of 3


The fifth example uses a fixed length hollow tube which is open at both
ends and speaker to adjust the sinusoidal frequency at which the speaker
oscillates. At 68 hertz, a standing wave pattern is setup in the air column in
the hollow tube which is a resonance frequency for this length hollow tube
open at both ends. A soap bubble is used to show that the air is oscillating
at the end of the tube.

The sixth example is a seashell. When you listen to a seashell, what you
hear is various frequencies from the ambient noise setting up standing
waves in the seashell at resonance frequencies for the air column inside
the seashell. And the frequencies which do not match the resonance
frequencies in the air column in the seashell are dampened. That results in
an echoey sound some people call “The sound of the sea”.

The seventh example is a speaker which was dropped too many times and
now has unidentified items which are loose and causing resonance in the
speaker. This is not ideal for a speaker. This particular speaker has
resonance frequencies below roughly 120 Hz.
Above that frequency there appear to be no
resonance frequencies in the speaker. In
other words, do not drop your speakers, duh!

The eighth example is of resonance of the


human body using a key fob. When I hold the
key fob away from my body and I press the
button, it sends out radio waves, and those
radio waves should reach the car to lock and
unlock the car, but unfortunately I am just a
little bit too far away for that to work. What I
can do instead is I can hold the key fob to my
body, when I do so I can now lock and unlock
the car. The radio waves which are sent out by the key fob have a
wavelength and frequency which approximately match a
resonance frequency and wavelength of my body, and therefore
set up a standing wave pattern in my body which amplifies the
signal and makes it so the signal can reach the car. The frequency
used by key fobs for North American made vehicles is:
ffob = 315MHz = 315 ×106 Hz

And radio waves are electromagnetic radiation which move at the


m
v radiowaves = c = 3.0 ×108
speed of light: s

Therefore, the wavelength of key fob radio waves is:


v 3.0 ×108
v = fλ ⇒ λ = = = 0.95238 ≈ 0.95m
f 315 ×106

0329 Lecture Notes - Resonance Introduction using 9 Demonstrations.docx page 2 of 3


The last thing we do is return to the very first example and perform some
calculations. Because the rode has two antinodes and one node, half a
wavelength fits on the rod. The length of the rod is 0.750 m and audio
analysis gives 3310 Hz for the frequency emanating from the resonating rod:
λ
L=
2
( )
⇒ λ = 2L & v = f λ = f 2L & L = 0.750m; f = 3310Hz

( )( ) ( )( )
λ = 2L = 2 0.75 = 1.50m ⇒ v = f λ = 3310 1.5 = 4965 ≈ 4960
m
s
Therefore, the speed of sound in the rod is 4960 meters per second.

According to EngineeringToolbox.com2, the speed of sound in rolled,


extensional Aluminum, which is what this rod is made of, equals 5000 meters
per second.

The ninth example decreases the length of the rod, however, the material is the same so the speed of
sound in the rod should be the same. We can predict that a shorter rod should give a higher frequency:
v
L2 < L1 ⇒ λ2 < λ1 & λ = ⇒ f2 > f1
f
We can also predict the frequency which should come from the resonating shorter rod:
m
L1 = 0.750m ⇒ λ1 = 1.50m & f1 = 3310Hz ⇒ v1 = 4960 & L2 = 0.500m ⇒ f2 = ?
s
λ2
L2 =
2
( )( )
⇒ λ2 = 2L2 = 2 0.5 = 1.00m

m v 4960
v1 = 4960 = v 2 = v = f λ ⇒ f2 = = = 4960Hz
s λ2 1

And audio analysis of the sound gives 4960 Hz because, the physics works!

2
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sound-speed-solids-d_713.html

0329 Lecture Notes - Resonance Introduction using 9 Demonstrations.docx page 3 of 3

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