In your experiment, you should have found the point of the 1st point of resonance. It was also
possible for you to find the point of the 2nd point of resonance if you continued to pull the
hollow plastic tube further out of the water.
a) Calculate the necessary distance between the tuning fork and the surface of the water to
find the 2nd point of resonance.
To calculate the necessary distance between the tuning fork and the surface of the water to find the 2nd point of resonance, we can use the formula:
L = (n * λ) / 4
Where:
L is the length of the vibrating column of air (distance from the tuning fork to the water surface)
n is the harmonic number (2 for the 2nd point of resonance)
λ is the wavelength of the sound wave
Since we have already found the 1st point of resonance, we can use that information to calculate the wavelength of the sound wave using the formula:
λ = 2L1
Where L1 is the length of the vibrating column of air at the 1st point of resonance.
Lastly, we substitute the values into the equation for the 2nd point of resonance:
L = (2 * 2L1) / 4
Simplifying:
L = L1
Therefore, the necessary distance between the tuning fork and the surface of the water to find the 2nd point of resonance is equal to the length of the vibrating column of air at the 1st point of resonance (L1).