A flute produces a steady musical note of frequency 440 Hz

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Waves · Waves

Problem

A flute produces a steady musical note of frequency 440 Hz. The speed of sound in air is 343 m s⁻¹ at 20 °C and 349 m s⁻¹ at 30 °C. (i) Calculate the wavelength of the note when the air temperature is 20 °C. (ii) Calculate the wavelength of the same note when the temperature rises to 30 °C. (iii) Determine the percentage change in wavelength produced by the 10 °C rise in temperature. (iv) Explain briefly why the frequency of the note remains unchanged even though its wavelength changes with temperature.

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