Question

You have two pipes each 25cm in length, one is open on both ends and the other is closed on one end. The fundamental frequency is lower in which one?

A) Open on both ends
B) Closed on one end
C) Both have the same fundamental frequency
D) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The pipe closed at one end has a lower fundamental frequency than the pipe open at both ends because its fundamental wavelength is longer, resulting in a lower frequency when both pipes are the same length and the speed of sound is constant (C).

Step-by-step explanation:

The fundamental frequency is lower in the pipe that is closed at one end. When comparing a tube open at both ends to one that is closed at one end, the one that is closed at one end will have a lower fundamental frequency because its fundamental wavelength is four times its length (4L), whereas the tube open at both ends has a fundamental wavelength that is two times its length (2L).

Considering that both pipes are the same length and that the speed of sound is the same in both tubes, the tube with the longer wavelength for its fundamental, in this case, the closed tube, will have the lower frequency because frequency is inversely related to the wavelength. This is represented by the formula f = v / λ, where f is the frequency, v is the speed of sound, and λ is the wavelength.