A horizontal aluminium rod of length 1.2 m is hit sharply with a hammer

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

Problem

A horizontal aluminium rod of length 1.2 m is hit sharply with a hammer. The hammer rebounds from the rod 0.37 ms later. (1) Explain why the hammer rebounds. (2) Calculate the speed of sound in aluminium. (3) The hammer created a longitudinal standing wave in the rod. Estimate the frequency of the sound wave by assuming that the rod vibrates in the first harmonic.

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