Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A vertical glass tube tall, with an inner radius of , is full of water to the brim. A tap at its bottom is opened, and the water level falls steadily at . A tuning fork of frequency is kept sounding just above the open top, as in the figure. The speed of sound in the air is , and the end correction of the tube is times its radius.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. The falling water makes a closed pipe that grows longer at a steady rate. Find the lengths at which it resonates with the fork, then turn lengths into times.
Step 1. Wavelength (a). .
Step 2. The first resonance (b). The end correction is . A closed pipe first resonates when :
Step 3. Its time (c). The water must fall at : .
Step 4. The next one (d). The next resonance is at , half a wavelength further down, . That takes .
Step 5. How many (e). The resonance lengths are . The longest one below is , for ; the next would be , longer than the tube. So resonances are heard.
Answer: (a) . (b) . (c) . (d) . (e) .
Watch out. Leaving out the end correction moves every resonance lower in the tube, and so later. It does not change the time between two of them.
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