Two tuning forks, P and Q, are sounded one after the other in still air at 25∘C. A sensor connected to a computer gives the following snapshot data at the same instant:
• For wave P the distance between two successive compressions is 0.68m.
• For wave Q the distance between two successive compressions is 0.34m.
• The amplitude of P is 0.40cm, while that of Q is 0.20cm.
(Take the speed of sound in air at this temperature to be 340ms−1.)
Answer the following questions.
(i) Calculate the frequency of each wave.
(ii) Which fork produces the sound of higher pitch? Give a reason.
(iii) Which fork produces the louder sound? Explain your choice.
(iv) If both sounds reach an observer simultaneously, which audible characteristic will be affected by the difference in their frequencies? Briefly state why.