Question

Sound will be louder if a struck tuning fork is held?

1) in the air
2) with its base against a table top
3) with its prongs in shallow water
4) in your closed fist

Answer 1

Option 2: The sound from a struck tuning fork will be louder if held with its base against a tabletop due to enhanced vibration from resonance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sound will be louder if a struck tuning fork is held with its base against a table top. This is because the surface of the table amplifies the vibration from the tuning fork due to a phenomenon known as resonance. When the base of the tuning fork is placed in contact with a larger surface like a tabletop, the sound waves produced have a larger area to vibrate against, which can increase the amplitude of the sound.

Holding the tuning fork in the air, with its prongs in shallow water, or in your closed fist will not allow the sound waves to effectively transfer to a resonant surface, leading to less amplification of the sound. Experiments with tubes and water, as mentioned in various figures, demonstrate the resonance effect as well, where the air column vibrates at natural frequencies producing loud sounds under the condition of resonance. Other options do not allow the sound waves to effectively transfer to a resonant surface, resulting in less amplification.