Determining the Speed of Sound Lab Report

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Lab Report Name: Lab#: 6 Lab Name: Determining the Speed of Sound Objective: The objective of this lab was to learn how to measure the speed of sound. Procedure: A glass 17 cm tall was filled with water. The water was then measured with a thermometer to ensure that it matched the room’s temperature. The PVC pipe was then placed in the water, and the tuning fork was hit against a wooden block. The fork was held horizontally over the pipe and the pipe was moved up and down in the water. At the highest pitch of sound the pipe was held in place and the distance between the surface of the water and the top of the pipe was recorded. Data: Data Table 1 | Tuning fork frequency(ƒ),Hz | Length, L(water level to top of pipe) | Diameter of pipe, d | λ=4(L+0.3d) | ExperimentalV= ƒ λ | Room Temperature, Celsius | 384 | | 0.025cm | | | 23 degrees Celsius | Sample Calculation: Theoretical Speed of Sound: v = 331.4 + 0.6TC m/s v= 331.4+0.6(23) v=345.2 Percent Error: % error = experimental value – theoretical value × 100/theoretical value % error = 149.76 – 345.2 × 100/345.2 % error =56.6 Results: Data Table 1 | Tuning fork frequency(ƒ),Hz | Length, L(water level to top of pipe) | Diameter of pipe, d | λ=4(L+0.3d) | ExperimentalV= ƒ λ | Room Temperature, Celsius | 384 | 0.09 m | 0.025m | λ=4(L+0.3d)=4(0.09+0.3x0.025)=4(0.0975)=0.39 | V= ƒ λ=384(0.39)=149.76 | 23 degrees Celsius | Conclusion: There could be many errors that could lead to the percent error calculated. One of which could be the position of either the tuning fork or the pipe. Another could have been the movement of the pipe up and down in the

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