일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 1

Student ID: 2020314622

Name: Asafo Agyei Azariah
Professor: 최우석 교수님
Department: Electrical and Electronic Engineering
2021/04/25
Lab Report: Melde’s Tuning Fork
Objective
The objective of this experiment is to generate standing waves on a string attached to
Melde’s fork to get the resonance and measure the frequency of the tuning fork.
Equipment
(1) Melde’s instrument, (2) Thread, (3) Metre scale, (4) Weight-box. (5) Clamp, pulley,
string, mass and hanger, stand, AC power supply.
Method
Attach the string to the fork and pass it over the pulley to the weight hanger. • Start the
fork vibrating and adjust the hanging weight until the string vibrates in a series of distinct loops.
• Adjust the weight carefully to arrive at the approximation of the resonant condition; Examine
the wave motion carefully. Are all the loops of the same size? Is the point where the string is
attached to the fork a nodal point? • In Table 1 of your laboratory report record the number of
vibrating segments of the string, n, the tension in the string (Newtons), and the wavelength
(meters). NOTE that the best value for the wavelength is just twice the average length of a loop
in the vibrating string. • Repeat the above observations for at least five different values of n. •
Record the frequency of the fork • Measure the mass of the string and its length, then calculate
its linear density, that is mass per unit length (use the electronic balance to determine the string’s
mass).
Procedure:
(1) First of all the tuning fork is placed-in transverse of longitudinal position.
(2) Mass of the Melde’s instrument is taken by a balance.
(3) One end of the experimental thread is fastened to the tuning fork and by taking the
other end of the thread through the pulley a load is fastened to the pan.
(4) by placing some weight on the pan the thread is kept stretched.
(5) The tuning fork is struck lightly by a rubber hammer.
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 2

(6) by changing the position of the pulley horizontally and by changing weight in the pan
the loops and the nodes are made distinct.
(7) Two pin-stands are placed lust below two distinct nodal points and the distance
between these two pins is measured by a meter scale. A number of loops are also counted. If the
distance between the two pins is, ‘d’ and a number of loops are k, then, λ/2 = d/k. From this, the
wavelength can be determined.
(8) Keeping the same weight on the pan and following the same procedure wavelength is
measured twice and the mean wavelength is found out.
(9) Now taking weight twice on the pan wavelengths are measured following procedure
1-8 and average λ is found out.
(10) If the tuning fork was kept longitudinally earlier, then now the fork is kept
transversely and following the previous procedure average wavelength is determined.
(11) Now the weight and length of the total thread are taken and dividing mass by the
length. mass per unit length it is found out.
Then the frequency of the tuning fork for longitudinal and transverse positions is
determined by using average wavelength, weight and in of each time.

Experiment and Results

Horizontal 1 2 3
Mass M(Kg) 0.131 0.132 0.232
n 1 2 1
Voltage 27.8 28.2 28.1
Length of String 0.32 0.32 0.32
L(m) ±0.0250
Wavelength λ1(m) 0.64 0.32 0.64
Frequency fexp(Hz) 41 84 61
±0.250
Frequency fth (Hz) 249.99 353.55 250.00

Vertical 1 2 3
Mass M(Kg) 0.232 0.332 0.232
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 3

n 2 1 2
Voltage 28.3 28.1 28.3
Length of String 0.32 0.64 0.32
L(m) ±0.0250
Wavelength λ1(m) 0.32 0.32 0.64
Frequency fexp(Hz) 114 71 136
±0.250
Frequency fth (Hz) 176.776 176.776 125.000

Theoretical
Linear Density of String
ρ = Mg/wavelength

Horizontal Frequency
f = 2f1 = 2/λ1(sqrt(Mg/ρ))
ρ1 = 0.2047
f1 = 2.499924 Hz
ρ2 = 0.4125
f2 = 3.5355 Hz
ρ3 = 0.3625
f3 = 2.5 Hz

Vertical Frequency
f = f2 = 1/λ2(sqrt(Mg/ρ))
ρ1 = 0.725
f1 = 1.767767 Hz
ρ2 = 1.0375
f2 = 1.767767 Hz
ρ3 = 0.3625
f3 = 1.25 Hz
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 4

Discussion

 Experiments also show that the speed of the wave through the string is independent of the
frequency and amplitude of the wave.  It depends only on the characteristics of the medium (the
string) through which the wave moves. [1] This is a general property of many types of wave
motion.  Specifically, the speed of the traveling wave in the string is related to the tension in the
string T and the linear density of the string m (the mass per unit length of the string).  The
velocity is given by.                                          

                                                                                                                                  (2)

            In this experiment, we use an electrically driven turning fork to generate the wave and we
are interested in the standing waves that are produced in the string under certain circumstances.

Consider the following situation (see the diagram to the right).  A traveling wave is produced by
the vibration of the fork.  The wave moves to the right where it encounters the wall.   If the wall
were not present and the string were longer, the wave would have continued beyond the wall as
shown by the dotted wave form.  However, the wall is present, and the initial traveling wave
(solid wave form) is reflected back into the string as a second traveling wave (see second
sketch).  This wave is moving toward the left.  The details of the reflection process are rather
involved and will be discussed more fully in your lecture session. NOTE, however, that the wave
has “turned over” as a part of reflection process.

            The instantaneous shape of the string is found by adding together the displacements that
would be produced by the two waves acting independently. [2] The series of sketches on the
right show the resulting wave form (shape of the string) at six different times as the incident
wave continues to move to the right and the reflected wave continues to move to the left. NOTE
that there are points on the string (called nodes; N) where the instantaneous displacement of the
string is also zero. At intermediate points, the wave amplitude builds up to a positive maximum,
dies out and then builds to a negative maximum. Thus, instead of seeing waves move
successively down the string, one sees the string vibrating in a series of loops.  Each loop is one
half wavelength in extent. This type of wave is called a standing wave or a stationary wave.
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 5

            Standing waves will form in the string only if certain boundary conditions are
satisfied.  Specifically, the length of the string must be some integral number of half-wavelengths
for the initial traveling wave. [3] Since the frequency of the wave is fixed by the fork, this means
that we can adjust the tension in the string and therefore the wave speed (see equation 2) until the
wavelength (see equation 1) satisfies this condition.  [4] Under these circumstances, the string
vibrates with the same frequency as the fork, i.e., the system is said to be in resonance and
energy flows from the fork into the vibrating string.  The amplitude of the string builds to quite
large magnitudes at resonance.

Precautions
First, set the ruler parallel or perpendicular to the table. Make sure that the weight does
not touch the vibrating string when the ruler is perpendicular to the table. Adjust the length of the
string such that it will not touch the ground when the ruler is parallel to the table. If the power of
the power supply is too high compared to the frequency, the vibration may be too much which
may cause some injury. Increase the power slowly.
Conclusion
The wave speed of a string increases with the tension in the string (T) and decreases with
the mass per unit length (ρ) as shown in the equation. [5] For a string of length (L) fixed at both
ends, standing waves can be generated. The first mode occurs when the wavelength (λ) is equal
to twice the length of the string.
Melde’s experiment set up a light string is tied to one of the prongs of a tuning fork
which is mounted on a sounding board. The other end of the string is passed over a horizontal
pulley and a light pan is suspended from the free end.
Now, if the tuning fork is vibrated, then two types of the wave will be generated on the
thread depending on the direction of vibration. If the direction of vibration of the tuning fork is
parallel to the length of the thread. [6] Then longitudinal wave is generated in the thread and
frequency of the tuning fork N becomes double the frequency n of the when the direction of
vibration of the tuning fork is perpendicular to the length of the thread the transverse wave is
produced in the thread and frequency of the tuning fork N, is equal to the frequency ‘n’ of the
thread.
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 6

In case of transverse wave, N = n = 1/λ √(T/m) … … …. (1)

In case of longitudinal wave, N = 2n = 2/λ √(T/m) … … … (2)
In both cases,
N = frequency of the tuning fork
n = frequency of the thread
λ = wavelength of the wave produced in the thread
T = tension in the thread
m = mass of unit length of the thread.

Calculation and data obtained:

(a) Mass of the scale pan, W = … … g.
(b) Mass of the thread, M = … …. g
(c) Length of the thread, L = ….. … c
(d) Mass per unit length of the thread, m = (M/L) g.
Applications
Tuning instruments like the guitar.
Standing waves in the air column, soprano saxophone, etc.
Human speech psychotherapy.

References
[1] Beyer, Robert T. (1999). Sounds of Our Times: Two Hundred Years of Acoustics,
p.134. Springer. ISBN 9780387984353.
[2] Melde, Franz. Ueber einige krumme Flächen, welche von Ebenen, parallel einer
bestimmten Ebene, durchschnitten, als Durchschnittsfigur einen Kegelschnitt liefern: Inaugural-
Dissertation... Koch, 1859.
[3] Melde, Franz. "Ueber die Erregung stehender Wellen eines fadenförmigen Körpers."
Annalen der Physik 185, no. 2 (1860): 193-215.
[4] Melde, Franz. Die Lehre von den Schwingungscurven...: mit einem Atlas von 11
Tafeln in Steindruck. JA Barth, 1864.
[5] Melde, Franz. "Akustische Experimentaluntersuchungen." Annalen der Physik 257,
no. 3 (1884): 452-470.
 일반물리학실험 1_GEDB009_56(최우석) 7

[6] Melde, F. (1859) "Über Erregung stehender Wellen eines fadenförmigen Körpers"
[On the excitation of standing waves on a string], Annalen der Physik und Chemie (Ser. 2), vol.
109, pages 193-215.