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Physics LibreTexts

Standing Longitudinal Waves

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This app demonstrates the harmonics of the air in a tube as an example of standing longitudinal waves. It illustrates the movement of the molecules in the air during such an oscillation. (Obviously the particles in reality move much shorter distances, and the real movement is very quick.) The nodes, i.e. the places where the particles don't move, are marked with "N". "A" means an antinode, i.e. a place where the particles oscillate with maximal amplitude. Note that at an open end of the tube there is always an antinode, at a closed end, however, a node!

You can select the form of the tube by using the appropriate radio buttons ("both sides open", "one side open" and "both sides closed"). It is possible to switch to the next harmonic by pressing the button "Lower" respectively "Higher". The app shows the harmonics up to the fifth upper oscillation.

If you write a new value for the length of the tube into the textfield and press the "Enter" key, the app will calculate wavelength and frequency. The speed of sound was presupposed as 343.5 m/s, corresponding to a temperature of 20°C. The influence of the tube's diameter is neglected.

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Form of tube:
Vibrational mode:
fundamental
Length of tube:m
Wavelength:2.00m
Frequency:172Hz
W. Fendt 1998

Link to the original page: https://www.walter-fendt.de/html5/ph...alwaves_en.htm


This page titled Standing Longitudinal Waves is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Walter Fendt.

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