Velocity of Sound - Lab Report Example

Sound is often part and parcel of our entire surrounding and has great significance in our daily life. Generally, sound is a form of energy that is majorly produced and propagated through the longitudinal waves. They can also be termed as being elastic waves that requires a medium for transmission. The other fact is that, sound cannot be transmitted through a vacuum. It basically travels in liquids, solids and gases. The rate of velocity of sound varies from one medium to the other. For instance, it is higher in solids as compared to liquids and gases respectively (SpinART, 2002).

Sound can be classified as being either musical, noise, high pitched, among other categories. In the undertaken lab experiment, the velocity of sound was measured using a method that is referred to as the Kundt’s tube technique. This was ascertained by allowing the sound to travel through a given metal rod, so as to determine its frequency as well as the speed. Sound is often propagated by longitudinal waves. These are waves whereby the particles movement consists of various oscillations to and fro within the direction and magnitude of propagation.

Within a metal rod, sound can either be transmitted by transverse or longitudinal waves. In this lab experiment, longitudinal waves were produced in an air column and a metal rod. The sound frequency was then determined by use of wave motion concept. In this ultimate equation, f is taken as the frequency while l is the wavelength. When the rod set into vibration through proper stroking, the standing waves are hence produced within the vibrating rod. Due to the clamping of the rod at its mid- point, the clamped point is taken as a node with zero amplitude, whereas the ends that vibrates are taken as antinodes with maximum amplitudes.

Vibration of the rod in such a manner means that its wavelength and fundamental frequency are twice the rod length (SpinART, 2002). After assembling