Analysis

In this experiment, we were tasked to determine the velocity of sound in a metal

rod using two equations. The apparatus needed is the Kundts Tube which was already
assembled before being given to our group. First, we measure the length of the rod that
is half of the wavelength. Then the velocity in air 332m/s +0.6(Tcelsius) is divided by the
wavelength to get the frequency. After stroking the rod with rosin, the average length of

powder segments measured was 9.95 cm. Then using the equation = , the

velocity acquired is 3174.66m/s which is approximately close to the velocity of sound
from the textbook (3475m/s). Another way of getting the velocity is by using its elastic
and inertial property which is the Youngs modulus and the density of the rod. We get
the square root of the quotient to get the velocity which is 3291.4m/s. Based on the
data, our values resulted to be precise as they our close to each other and have little
percentage of error.

Conclusion
Sound is produced when something is vibrated. This vibration also causes
surrounding medium to vibrate. Sound waves are considered as longitudinal waves
when they are transmitted through gases and liquids but can be also transverse in
solids. In the experiment, the sound waves are considered to be longitudinal as the
propagation (pulling of rod) is parallel to the displacement of medium. The velocity of
the sound is computed in different ways. First, by using the property that the frequency
of the rod is the same as the frequency in air. Second, by using its elastic and inertial
property. The speed of sound is proportional to the square root of the stiffness of the
medium and its density. This means that the denser the medium is the faster will the
sound travel. Solid, being the most dense and packed among liquid and gas, have the
strongest interactions with the particles of the sound wave. In the experiment, the
velocity is shown to be high as the metal rod has tightly packed particles.
Error Analysis
Possible errors of this experiment may come from various situations. Some errors
might be committed because of the wrong measurement of the temperature in air. As
the room is air-conditioned, it may alter the readings on the thermometer. Another
possible source of error is the measurement of the distance of powder segments. The
observer must measure accurately the distance between powder heaps because
sometimes, the center of the dust heap is not certain. Also, an error may be committed
if the stroking is not done properly. It may not produce the right amount of vibration.

Application
This topic explains the phenomenon in trains why they have higher pitch when
they are closer to us than when they are far from us. Whenever a train goes nearer and
nearer, the frequency gets higher therefore producing higher pitch. And while it goes
away, the sound waves are more distributed and spread at the back producing low
frequency and lower pitch.

Another application of this topic is ultrasound waves. These waves are used to
procure an image of the baby. The longer the time needed to detect the waves, the
deeper into the wave has gone to the body. This method can also be used to detect
flaws and cracks in a metal. The time it takes the waves to bounce back is the depth of
the wave that has travelled to the metal.

It may also be used in cleaning instruments. This is done by dropping and

submerging them on a liquid then the ultrasonic waves make the liquid particles vibrate
at high frequency, which wipes out and cleans the surface of the instrument.