A string 2.

0 m long and fixed at its ends is driven by a 240 Hz

(2019 Main)
A string is clamped at both the ends and it is vibrating in its
4th harmonic. The equation of the stationary wave is 𝒀 =
𝟎. 𝟑𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝟎. 𝟏𝟓𝟕𝒙)𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟐𝟎𝟎𝝅𝒕).The length of the string is (All
quantities are in SI units)

(2019 Main)
A wire of length 𝟐𝑳, is made by joining two wires 𝑨 and 𝑩 of
same length but different radii 𝒓 and 𝟐𝒓 and made of the
same material. It is vibrating at a frequency such that the
joint of the two wires forms a node. If the number of antinodes
in wire 𝑨 is 𝒑 and that in 𝑩 is 𝒒, then the ratio 𝒑: 𝒒 is

(2019 Main)
A resonance tube is old and has jagged end. It is still used in
the laboratory to determine velocity of sound in air. A tuning
fork of frequency 512 Hz produces first resonance when the
tube is filled with water to a mark 11 cm below a reference
mark. near the open end of the tube. The experiment is
repeated with another fork of frequency 256 Hz which
produces first resonance when water reaches a mark 27 cm
below the reference mark. The velocity of sound in air,
obtained in the experiment is close to
(2019 Main)
Equation of travelling wave on a stretched string of linear
density 5 g/m is 𝒚 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟑 𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝟒𝟓𝟎𝒕 − 𝟗𝒙), where distance
and time are measured in SI units. The tension in the string is
(2019 Main)
A closed organ pipe has a fundamental frequency of 1.5 kHz.
The number of overtones that can be distinctly heard by a
person with this organ pipe will be (Assume that the highest
frequency a person can hear is 20,000 Hz)
(2019 Main)
The pressure wave 𝒑 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝒔𝒊𝒏[𝟏𝟎𝟎𝟎𝒕 − 𝟑𝒙] Nm-2,
corresponds to the sound produced by a vibrating blade on a
day when atmospheric temperature is 0°C. On some other
day when temperature is 𝑻, the speed of sound produced by
the same blade and at the same frequency is found to be 336
ms-1. Approximate value of 𝑻 is
(2019 Main)
A travelling harmonic wave is represented by the equation
𝒚 (𝒙, 𝒕 ) =10-3 𝒔𝒊𝒏 (𝟓𝟎𝒕 + 𝟐𝒙),where 𝒙 and 𝒚 are in metre
and 𝒕 is in second. Which of the following is a correct
statement about the wave?

(2019 Main)
Two sources of sound 𝑺1 and 𝑺2 produce sound waves of same
frequency 660 Hz. A listener is moving from source 𝑺 1
towards 𝑺 2 with a constant speed 𝒖 m/s and he hears 10
beats/s. The velocity of sound is 330 m/s. Then, 𝒖 is equal to
(2019 Main)
 The correct figure that shows schematically, the wave pattern
produced by superposition of two waves of frequencies 9Hz
and 11 Hz, is

(2019 Main)
A source of sound 𝑺 is moving with a velocity of 50 m/s
towards a stationary observer. The observer measures the
frequency of the source as 1000 Hz. What will be the apparent
frequency of the source when it is moving away from the
observer after crossing him? (Take, velocity of sound in air is
350 m/s)
(2019 Main)
A stationary source emits sound waves of frequency 500 Hz.
Two observers moving along a line passing through the source
detect sound to be of frequencies 480 Hz and 530 Hz. Their
respective speeds are in ms-1, (Take, speed of sound = 300 m/s)
(2019 Main)
Two cars 𝑨 and 𝑩 are moving away from each other in
opposite directions. Both the cars are moving with a speed of
20 ms-1 with respect to the ground. If an observer in car 𝑨
detects a frequency 2000 Hz of the sound coming from car 𝑩,
what is the natural frequency of the sound source in car 𝑩?
(speed of sound in air = 340 ms-1)
(2019 Main)
A train moves towards a stationary observer with speed 34
m/s. The train sounds a whistle and its frequency registered
by the observer is 𝒇1. If the speed of the train is reduced to 17
m/s, the frequency registered is 𝒇2. If speed of sound is 340
m/s, then the ratio 𝒇1/𝒇2 is
(2019 Main)
A musician produces the sound of second harmonics from
open end flute of 50 cm. The other person moves toward the
musician with speed 10 km/h from the second end of room. If
the speed of sound 330 m/s, the frequency heard by running
person will be
(2019 Main)
A small speaker delivers 2 W of audio output. At what
distance from the speaker will one detect 120 dB intensity
sound? [Take, reference intensity of sound as 10-12 W/m2
(2019 Main)
A uniform thin rope of length 12 m and mass 6 kg hangs
vertically from a rigid support and a block of mass 2 kg is
attached to its free end. A transverse short wavetrain of
wavelength 6 cm is produced at the lower end of the rope.
What is the wavelength of the wavetrain (in cm) when it
reaches the top of the rope?
(2020 Main)
A wave equation which gives the displacement along the 𝒚
direction is given by: 𝒚 =10-4 𝒔𝒊𝒏 (𝟔𝟎𝒕 + 𝟐𝒙) where, 𝒙 and 𝒚
are in metre and t is time in second. This represents a wave

(1981)
An air column in a pipe, which is closed at one end, will be in
resonance with a vibrating tuning fork of frequency 264 Hz,
if the length of the column in cm is (Speed of sound in air =
330m/s)
(1985)
The displacement of particles in a string stretched in the
𝒙 − direction is represented by 𝒚 . Among the following
expressions for y, those describing wave motion is (are)

(1987)
Velocity of sound in air is 320m/s. A pipe closed at one end
has a length of 1 m. Neglecting end corrections, the air column
in the pipe can resonate for sound of frequency
(1989)
A wave is represented by the equation 𝒚 = 𝑨 𝒔𝒊𝒏 (𝟏𝟎 𝝅 𝒙 +
𝟏𝟓𝝅𝒕 + 𝝅 / 𝟑) where, 𝒙 is in metre and 𝒕 is in second. The
expression represents

(1990)
A wave disturbance in a medium is described by 𝒚(𝒙, 𝒕 ) =
𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟓𝟎𝝅𝒕 + 𝝅/𝟐)𝒄𝒐𝒔 (𝟏𝟎𝝅𝒙) , where 𝒙 and 𝒚 are in
meter and 𝒕 is in second

(1995)
A transverse sinusoidal wave of amplitude 𝒂, wavelength 𝒍
and frequency 𝒇 is travelling on a stretched string. The
maximum speed of any point on the string is 𝒗/10, where 𝒗 is
the speed of propagation of the wave. If 𝒂 = 10-3 m and 𝒗 = 10
m/s, then 𝒍 and 𝒇 are given by

(1998)
𝒀(𝒙, 𝒕) = 𝟎. 𝟖/[(𝟒𝒙 + 𝟓𝒕) 2+5] represents a moving pulse
where 𝒙 and 𝒚 are in meter and 𝒕 is in second. Then,

(1999)
A horizontal stretched string, fixed at two ends, is vibrating
in its fifth harmonic according to the equation, 𝒚(𝒙, 𝒕) =
(𝟎. 𝟎𝟏𝒎) [𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝟔𝟐. 𝟖 𝒎 -1 )𝒙 ] 𝒄𝒐𝒔[(𝟔𝟐𝟖𝒔 -1 )𝒕]. Assuming 𝝅 =
3.14, the correct statement(s) is (are)

(2012)
One end of a taut string of length 3 m along the 𝑿-axis is fixed
at 𝒙 = 𝟎. The speed of the waves in the string is 100 ms-1. The
other end of the string is vibrating in the 𝒚-direction so that
stationary waves are set up in the string. The possible
waveform(s) of these stationary wave is (are)

(2014 Adv.)
In an experiment to measure the speed of sound by a
resonating air column, a tuning fork of frequency 500 Hz is
used. The length of the air column is varied by changing the
level of water in the resonance tube. Two successive
resonances are heard at air columns of length 50.7 cm and
83.9 cm. Which of the following statements is (are) true?

(2015 Adv.)
A 20 cm long string, having a mass of 1.0 g, is fixed at both
the ends. The tension in the string is 0.5 N. The string is set
into vibration using an external vibrator of frequency 100 Hz.
Find the separation (in cm) between the successive nodes on
the string.
(2009)
When two progressive waves 𝒚 1 = 𝟒𝒔𝒊𝒏 (𝟐𝒙 – 𝟔𝒕) and 𝒚 2=
𝟑𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝟐𝒙 − 𝟔𝒕 − 𝝅/𝟐) are superimposed, the amplitude of the
resultant wave is
(2010)
Four harmonic waves of equal frequencies and equal
intensities 𝑰 0 have phase angles 𝟎, 𝝅/𝟑, 𝟐𝝅/𝟑 and 𝝅. When
they are superposed, the intensity of the resulting wave is 𝒏𝑰0.
The value of 𝒏 is
(2015 Adv.)
A stationary source emits sound of frequency 𝒇0 = 492 Hz. The
sound is reflected by a large car approaching the source with
a speed of 2ms-1. The reflected signal is received by the source
and superposed with the original. What will be the beat
frequency of the resulting signal in Hz? (Given that the speed
of sound in air is 330 ms-1 and the car reflects the sound at the
frequency it has received).
(2017 Adv.)
Two men are walking along a horizontal straight line in the
same direction. The man in front walks at a speed 1.0 ms-1 and
the man behind walks at a speed 2.0 ms-1. A third man is
standing at a height 12m above the same horizontal line such
that all three men are in a vertical plane. The two walking
men are blowing identical whistles which emit a sound of
frequency 1430 Hz. The speed of sound in air 330 ms-1. At the
instant, when the moving men are 10 m apart, the stationary
man is equidistant from them. The frequency of beats in Hz,
heard by the stationary man at this instant, is
(2018 Adv.)
A copper wire is held at the two ends by rigid supports. At
30°C, the wire is just taut, with negligible tension. Find the
speed of transverse waves in this wire at 10°C. Given, Young
modulus of copper = 1.3 𝑿 1011 N/m2. Coefficient of linear
expansion of copper = 1.7𝑿 10-5 C-1. Density of copper = 9𝑿
103 kg/m3.
(1979)
A source of sound of frequency 256 Hz is moving rapidly
towards a wall with a velocity of 5 m/ s. How many beats per
second will be heard by the observer on source itself if sound
travels at a speed of 330 m/s?
(1981)
A uniform rope of length 12m and mass 6 kg hangs vertically
from a rigid support. A block of mass 2 kg is attached to the
free end of the rope. A transverse pulse of wavelength 0.06m
is produced at the lower end of the rope. What is the
wavelength of the pulse when it reaches the top of the rope?
(1984)
Two tuning forks with natural frequencies of 340 Hz each
move relative to a stationary observer. One fork moves away
from the observer, while the other moves towards him at the
same speed. The observer hears beats of frequency 3 Hz. Find
the speed of the tuning fork. Speed of sound = 340m/s.
(1986)
A whistle emitting a sound of frequency 440 Hz is tied to a
string of 1.5 m length and rotated with an angular velocity of
20 rad/s in the horizontal plane. Calculate the range of
frequencies heard by an observer stationed at a large distance
from the whistle. (Speed of sound = 330 m/s).
(1996)
A band playing music at a frequency f is moving towards a
wall at a speed 𝒗b. A motorist is following the band with a
speed 𝒗m. If v is the speed of sound. Obtain an expression for
the beat frequency heard by the motorist.
(1997)
An observer standing on a railway crossing receives
frequency of 2.2 kHz and 1.8 kHz when the train approaches
and recedes from the observer. Find the velocity of the train.
(The speed of the sound in air is 300 m/s.)
(2005)
A student performed the experiment to measure the speed of
sound in air using resonance air-column method. Two
resonances in the air-column were obtained by lowering the
water level. The resonance with the shorter air-column is the
first resonance and that with the longer air column is the
second resonance. Then,

(2009)
A person blows into open-end of a long pipe. As a result, a
high-pressure pulse of air travels down the pipe. When this
pulse reaches the other end of the pipe,

(2012)
A student is performing an experiment using a resonance
column and a tuning fork of frequency 244 s-1. He is told that
the air in the tube has been replaced by another gas (assume
that the column remains filled with the gas). If the minimum
height at which resonance occurs is (0.350 ± 0.005) m, the gas
in the tube is (Useful information: √𝟏𝟔𝟕𝑹𝑻= 640 J1/2 mole1/2;
√𝟏𝟒𝟎𝑹𝑻= 590 J1/2 mole1/2. The molar masses 𝑴 in grams are
given in the options. Take the value of √𝟏𝟎/𝑴 for each gas as
given there).

(2014)
Two loudspeakers 𝑴 and 𝑵 are located 20m apart and emit
sound at frequencies 118 Hz and 121Hz, respectively. A car is
initially at a point 𝑷, 1800 m away from the mid-point 𝑸 of
the line 𝑴𝑵 and moves towards 𝑸 constantly at 60 km/h
along the perpendicular bisector of 𝑴𝑵 . It crosses 𝑸 and
eventually reaches a point 𝑹, 1800 m away from 𝑸. Let 𝒗(𝒕)
represent the beat frequency measured by a person sitting in
the car at time 𝒕. Let 𝝂P, 𝝂Q and 𝝂R be the beat frequencies
measured at locations 𝑷, 𝑸 and 𝑹 respectively. The speed of
sound in air is 330 ms-1. Which of the following statement(s)
is (are) true regarding the sound heard by the person?

(2016 Adv.)
A block 𝑴 hangs vertically at the bottom end of a uniform
rope of constant mass per unit length. The top end of the rope
is attached to a fixed rigid support at 𝑶. A transverse wave
pulse (Pulse 1) of wavelength 𝝀0 is produced at point 𝑶 on the
rope. The pulse takes time TOA to reach point 𝑨. If the wave
pulse of wavelength 𝝀 0 is produced at point 𝑨 (Pulse 2)
without disturbing the position of M it takes time TAO to reach
point 𝑶. Which of the following options is/are correct?

(2017 Adv.)
Two plane harmonic sound waves are expressed by the
equations.
𝒚1(𝒙, 𝒕) = 𝑨 𝒄𝒐𝒔(𝟎. 𝟓𝝅𝒙 − 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝝅𝒕 )
𝒚2(𝒙 , 𝒕) = 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 (𝟎. 𝟒𝟔𝝅𝒙 − 𝟗𝟐𝝅𝒕 )
(All parameters are in MKS)
Two trains 𝑨 and 𝑩 are moving with speeds 20 m/s and 30 m/s
respectively in the same direction on the same straight track,
with 𝑩 ahead of 𝑨. The engines are at the front ends. The
engine of train A blows a long whistle. Assume that the sound
of the whistle is composed of components varying in
frequency from 𝒇1 = 800 Hz to 𝒇2 = 1120 Hz, as shown in the
figure. The spread in the frequency (highest frequency–lowest
frequency) is thus 320 Hz. The speed of sound in air is 340 m/s.
A stationary source is emitting sound at a fixed frequency 𝒇0,
which is reflected by two cars approaching the source. The
difference between the frequencies of sound reflected from
the cars is 1.2% of 𝒇0. What is the difference in the speeds of
the cars (in km per hour) to the nearest integer? The cars are
moving at constant speeds much smaller than the speed of
sound which is 330 ms-1
(2010)
A string 25 cm long and having a mass of 2.5 g is under tension.
A pipe closed at one end is 40 cm long. When the string is set
vibrating in its first overtone and the air in the pipe in its
fundamental frequency, 8 beats/s are heard. It is observed
that decreasing the tension in the string decreases the beat
frequency. If the speed of sound in air is 320 m/s find the
tension in the string.
(1982)
A sonometer wire under a tension of 64 N vibrating in its
fundamental mode is in resonance with a vibrating tuning
fork. The vibrating portion of the sonometer wire has a length
of 10 cm and mass of 1 g. The vibrating tuning fork is now
moved away from the vibrating wire with a constant speed
and an observer standing near the sonometer hears one beat
per second. Calculate the speed with which the tuning fork is
moved, if the speed of sound in air is 300 m/s.
(1983)
A steel wire of length 1 m, mass 0.1 kg and uniform cross-
sectional area 10-6 m2 is rigidly fixed at both ends. The
temperature of the wire is lowered by 20°C. If transverse
waves are set-up by plucking the string in the middle,
calculate the frequency of the fundamental mode of vibration.
Given: 𝒀steel = 2 ´ 10 N/m 11 2, 𝜶steel = 1.21 𝑿 10-5 /°C
(1984)
The vibrations of a string of length 60 cm fixed at both ends
are represented by the equation 𝒚 = 𝟒𝒔𝒊𝒏(𝝅𝒙/
𝟏𝟓)𝒄𝒐𝒔 (𝟗𝟔𝝅𝒕) where, 𝒙 and 𝒚 are in cm and 𝒕 is in second.
(1985)
The following equations represent transverse waves;
𝒁1= 𝑨𝐜𝐨 𝐬 (𝒌𝒙 − 𝒘𝒕) ; 𝒁2= 𝑨𝐜𝐨 𝐬(𝒌𝒙 + 𝒘𝒕 ) ;
𝒁3= 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 (𝒌𝒙 − 𝒘𝒕 ).
Identify the combination (s) of the waves which will produce
(𝒂) standing wave (s), (𝒃) a wave travelling in the direction
making an angle of 45 degrees with the positive 𝑿 and positive
𝒀-axes. In each case, find the position at which the resultant
intensity is always zero.
(1987)
A train approaching a hill at a speed of 40 km/h sounds a
whistle of frequency 580 Hz when it is at a distance of 1 km
from a hill. A wind with a speed of 40 km/h is blowing in the
direction of motion of the train. Find
(a) the frequency of the whistle as heard by an observer on the
hill,
(b) the distance from the hill at which the echo from the hill is
heard by the driver and its frequency.
(Velocity of sound in air = 1200 km/h)
(1988)
A source of sound is moving along a circular path of radius
3m with an angular velocity of 10 rad/s. A sound detector
located far away from the source is executing linear simple
harmonic motion along the line 𝑩𝑫 (see figure) with an
amplitude 𝑩𝑪 = 𝑪𝑫 = 6 m. The frequency of oscillation of
the detector is 𝟓/𝝅 per second. The source is at the point 𝑨
when the detector is at the point 𝑩. If the source emits a
continuous sound wave of frequency 340 Hz, find the
maximum and the minimum frequencies recorded by the
detector. (Speed of sound = 340 m/s)
(1990)
The displacement of the medium in a sound wave is given by
the equation 𝒚 i= 𝑨𝒄𝒐𝒔 (𝒂𝒙 + 𝒃𝒕) where 𝑨 , 𝒂 and 𝒃 are
positive constants. The wave is reflected by an obstacle
situated a 𝒙 = 𝟎. The intensity of the reflected wave is 0.64
times that of the incident wave.
(a) What are the wavelength and frequency of incident wave?
(b) Write the equation for the reflected wave.
(c) In the resultant wave formed after reflection, find the
maximum and minimum values of the particle speeds in the
medium.
(d) Express the resultant wave as a superposition of a standing
wave and a travelling wave. What are the positions of the
antinodes of the standing wave? What is the direction of
propagation of travelling wave?
(1991)
Two radio stations broadcast their programmes at the same
amplitude 𝑨 and at slightly different frequencies 𝝎1 and 𝝎2
respectively, where 𝝎1- 𝝎2 = 103 Hz. A detector receives the
signals from the two stations simultaneously. It can only
detect signals of intensity >=2A2.
(a) Find the time interval between successive maxima of the
intensity of the signal received by the detector.
(b) Find the time for which the detector remains idle in each
cycle of the intensity of the signal.
(1993)
A metallic rod of length 1 m is rigidly clamped at its mid-point.
Longitudinal stationary waves are set-up in the rod in such a
way that there are two nodes on either side of the mid-point.
The amplitude of an antinode is 2 𝑿 10-6 m. Write the
equation of motion at a point 2 cm from the mid-point and
those of the constituent waves in the rod. (Young’s modulus
of the material of the rod = 2𝑿 1011 Nm–2;
density = 8000 kgm-3)
(1994)
The air column in a pipe closed at one end is made to vibrate
in its second overtone by tuning fork of frequency 440 Hz. The
speed of sound in air is 330 m/s. End corrections may be
neglected. Let 𝒑0 denote the mean pressure at any point in the
pipe and 𝚫𝒑0 the maximum amplitude of pressure variation.
(a) Find the length 𝑳 of the air column.
(b) What is the amplitude of pressure variation at the middle
of the column?
(c) What are the maximum and minimum pressures at the
open end of the pipe?
(d) What are the maximum and minimum pressures at the
closed end of the pipe?
(1998)
A long wire 𝑷𝑸𝑹 is made by joining two wires 𝑷𝑸 and 𝑸𝑹 of
equal radii. 𝑷𝑸 has length 4.8 m and mass 0.06 kg. 𝑸𝑹 has
length 2.56 m and mass 0.2 kg. The wire 𝑷𝑸𝑹 is under a
tension of 80 N. A sinusoidal wave pulse of amplitude 3.5 cm
is sent along the wire 𝑷𝑸 from the end 𝑷 . No power is
dissipated during the propagation of the wave pulse.
Calculate:
(a) the time taken by the wave pulse to reach the other end 𝑹
and
(b) the amplitude of the reflected and transmitted wave pulse
after the incident wave pulse crosses the joint 𝑸.
(1999)
A 3.6 m long pipe resonates with a source of frequency 212.5
Hz when water level is at certain heights in the pipe. Find the
heights of water level (from the bottom of the pipe) at which
resonances occur. Neglect end correction. Now the pipe is
filled to a height 𝑯 (3.6 m). A small hole is drilled very close
to its bottom and water is allowed to leak. Obtain an
expression for the rate of fall of water level in the pipe as a
function of 𝑯. If the radii of the pipe and the hole are
2 𝑿 10-2 m and 1 𝑿 10-3 m respectively. Calculate the time
interval between the occurrence of first two resonances.
Speed of sound in air is 340 m/s and g = 10 m/s2
(2000)
A boat is travelling in a river with a speed 10 m/s along the
stream flowing with a speed 2 m/s. From this boat a sound
transmitter is lowered into the river through a rigid support.
The wavelength of the sound emitted from the transmitter
inside the water is 14.45 mm. Assume that attenuation of
sound in water and air is negligible.
(a) What will be the frequency detected by a receiver kept
inside the river downstream?
(b) The transmitter and the receiver are now pulled up into
air. The air is blowing with a speed 5 m/s in the direction
opposite to the river stream. Determine the frequency of the
sound detected by the receiver.
(Temperature of the air and water = 20°C; Density of river
water =103 kg/m3; Bulk modulus of the water = 2.088𝑿109 Pa;
Gas constant 𝑹 = 8.31 J/mol-K; Mean molecular mass of air
= 28.8 𝑿 10-3 kg /mol; 𝑪p/𝑪v for air = 1.4)
(2001)
Two narrow cylindrical pipes 𝑨 and 𝑩 have the same length.
Pipe A is open at both ends and is filled with a monoatomic
gas of molar mass 𝑴A. Pipe 𝑩 is open at one end and closed at
the other end, and is filled with a diatomic gas of molar mass
𝑴B. Both gases are at the same temperature.
(a) If the frequency to the second harmonic of pipe 𝑨 is equal
to the frequency of the third harmonic of the fundamental
mode in pipe B, determine the value of 𝑴A/𝑴B.
(b) Now the open end of the pipe 𝑩 is closed (so that the pipe
is closed at both ends). Find the ratio of the fundamental
frequency in pipe 𝑨 to that in pipe 𝑩.
(2002)
A string of mass per unit length 𝝁 is clamped at both ends
such that one end of the string is at 𝒙 = 𝟎 and the other is at
𝒙 = 𝒍. When string vibrates in fundamental mode, amplitude
of the mid-point 𝑶 of the string is 𝒂, and tension in the string
is 𝑻. Find the total oscillation energy stored in the string.
(2003)
The (𝒙, 𝒚) coordinates of the corners of a square plate are
(𝟎, 𝟎), (𝑳, 𝟎, ), (𝑳, 𝑳) and (𝟎, 𝑳) . The edges of the plate are
clamped and transverse standing waves are set-up in it. If
𝒖 (𝒙, 𝒚) denotes the displacement of the plate at the point
(𝒙, 𝒚) at some instant of time, the possible expression (s) for 𝒖
is (are) (𝒂 = positive constant).
(1998)