In an experiment to illustrate the propagation of sound through fluids, identical sound sources emitting at 440 Hz are used to propagate sound waves through mercury and through ethanol.

Medium Sound Speed

Ethanol 1,160 m/s

Mercury 1,450 m/s

Which of the following statements is correct, assuming that the dampening effect in each medium is negligible?

A. In ethanol, the frequency of the wave is greater to compensate for the smaller wavelength

B. In mercury, the frequency of the wave is the same as in ethanol, but the wavelength is greater.

C. In ethanol and mercury, the wavelength of the wave is the same, even if the speed of sound is different.

Question

Physics

Isabel Schneider

7 April, 00:03

In an experiment to illustrate the propagation of sound through fluids, identical sound sources emitting at 440 Hz are used to propagate sound waves through mercury and through ethanol.

Medium Sound Speed

Ethanol 1,160 m/s

Mercury 1,450 m/s

Which of the following statements is correct, assuming that the dampening effect in each medium is negligible?

A. In ethanol, the frequency of the wave is greater to compensate for the smaller wavelength

B. In mercury, the frequency of the wave is the same as in ethanol, but the wavelength is greater.

C. In ethanol and mercury, the wavelength of the wave is the same, even if the speed of sound is different.

+2

Answers (1)

Know the Answer?

Meadow Avila · Answer 1

B. In mercury, the frequency of the wave is the same as in ethanol, but the wavelength is greater.

Explanation:

To solve this easily, we can just calculate the wavelength of the sound in Ethanol and in Mercury.

In Ethanol, the wavelength will be:

λ = c/f

λ = 1160/440

λ = 2.63 m

In Mercury, the wavelength will be:

λ = c/f

λ = 1450/440

λ = 3.3 m

The wavelength of sound is greater in Mercury than in Ethanol but the frequency is the same.

Frequency of sound is not dependent on medium, but velocity and wavelength change depending on the medium.