Chapter 1

Mechanics and Acoustics

1.1. DETERMINATION OF SOUND VELOCITY IN AIR USING THE KNIG TUBE

1. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

The determination of the sound velocity in air using the Knig tube method is based on the interference phenomenon of two coherent sound waves (the waves have the same frequency and a constant phase difference). The coherence condition is fulfilled by the fact that the waves are emitted by the same source (S) and after travelling along the two branches of a sound tube S-A-M and S-B-M they interfere in a point M. The way difference between the two paths is d, and it is constant, as shown in fig. 1.

l S

+
x x+d B B

If we note the length of S-A-M with x one can write the equations of the two waves in M as following:
y1 y2 x a1 sin Z t  v x  d a2 sin Z t  v x 2S a2 sin Z t   v O d

where with lambda, O Q T

By neglecting the waves attenuation one can consider approximately equal amplitudes (a1=a2=a) and then one gets for the wave equation and for the resultant wave amplitude respectively:
y y1  y2 2a cos

+
M
Fig. 1. The Knig tube (1) (2),
2SQ

it is denoted the wavelength.

Sd x Sd sin Z t   O v O

(3)

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Chapter 1

Mechanics and Acoustics

A 2a cos

Sd O

(4)

The maximum condition is fulfilled if:

cos

Sd O

1,

Sd O

kS , ( k

0,1,2,...), d

kO

In the Knig method the S-B-M branch of the tube has variable length. Let's call l the tube displacement (from B to B') for which one gets a consecutive maximum in M. Because the way difference is

'd

2l = (k +1)O - kO = O

(5)

one can determine the wavelength of the sound waves and their velocity by the relations (6) and (7) respectively:

O
v

2l

(6)

O
T

2lQ 1 represents the wave frequency. T

(7),

where Q

2. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP

A sketch of the experimental device is presented in fig. 2, and consists of: headphone (H), the Knig tube (KT), tone generator (TG), microphone (M) and electronic voltmeter (EV).
TG

KT

M EV

Fig. 2. Experimental device

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Chapter 1

Mechanics and Acoustics

3. DIRECTIONS

(a) connect the tone generator and the electronic voltmeter to the network; (b) turn on the voltmeter and choose the appropriate measurement domain; (c) turn on the tone generator and adjust the signal amplitude to an intermediate value and its frequency to 900 Hz; (d) move the mobile branch of the Knig tube by increasing its length until you get a maximum deviation at the electronic voltmeter, and mark that position; (e) continue moving the mobile branch of the tube until you get the next maximum (consecutive) and mark that position too. The difference between these two positions determined represents the displacement l of the mobile branch of the tube; (f) repeat operations (d) and (e) at least three times for the same frequency; (g) choose other values of the frequency between 900 Hz and 1200 Hz and repeat operations (d) (f); (h) use the average values of l got for each frequency in the relations (6) and (7) and determine the wavelength and the velocity of the sound wave. Finally, the average value of the velocity should be determined.
4. EXPERIMENTAL DATA TABLE

All the data obtained from the measurements and from calculations should be transcribed into a table like the one bellow:

No.

Q
Hz

l
m

l
m

O
m

v m/s

m/s

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