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Ch 16: Traveling Waves
Chapter 16, Problem 17

Two loudspeakers in a 20°C room emit 686 Hz sound waves along the x-axis. b. If the speakers are out of phase, what is the smallest distance between the speakers for which the interference of the sound waves is maximum constructive?

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Wave Interference

Wave interference occurs when two or more waves overlap and combine to form a new wave pattern. This can result in constructive interference, where the waves align to amplify the sound, or destructive interference, where they cancel each other out. Understanding how waves interact is crucial for analyzing sound from multiple sources.
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Phase Difference

Phase difference refers to the difference in the phase of two waves at a given point in time. When two waves are out of phase, they reach their maximum and minimum points at different times. For maximum constructive interference, the phase difference must be an integer multiple of 2π radians, which corresponds to the waves being in sync.
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Wavelength and Distance

The wavelength of a sound wave is the distance between successive crests or troughs of the wave. For sound waves emitted by speakers, the distance between them must be a specific fraction of the wavelength to achieve constructive interference. The smallest distance for maximum constructive interference when speakers are out of phase is half the wavelength, as this aligns the waves to reinforce each other.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question
A carbon dioxide laser is an infrared laser. A CO2 laser with a cavity length of 53.00 cm oscillates in the m=100,000 mode. What are the wavelength and frequency of the laser beam?
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Textbook Question
When mass M is tied to the bottom end of a long, thin wire suspended from the ceiling, the wire's second-harmonic frequency is 200 Hz. Adding an additional 1.0 kg to the hanging mass increases the second-harmonic frequency to 245 Hz. What is M?
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Textbook Question
Two loudspeakers emit sound waves along the x-axis. The sound has maximum intensity when the speakers are 20 cm apart. The sound intensity decreases as the distance between the speakers is increased, reaching zero at a separation of 60 cm. a. What is the wavelength of the sound?
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Textbook Question
BIO Tendons are, essentially, elastic cords stretched between two fixed ends. As such, they can support standing waves. A woman has a 20-cm-long Achilles tendon—connecting the heel to a muscle in the calf—with a cross-section area of 90 mm^2 . The density of tendon tissue is 1100 kg/m^3 . For a reasonable tension of 500 N, what will be the fundamental frequency of her Achilles tendon?
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Textbook Question
The three identical loudspeakers in FIGURE P17.71 play a 170 Hz tone in a room where the speed of sound is 340 m/s . You are standing 4.0 m in front of the middle speaker. At this point, the amplitude of the wave from each speaker is a.

c. When the amplitude is maximum, by what factor is the sound intensity greater than the sound intensity from a single speaker?
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Textbook Question
The lowest note on a grand piano has a frequency of 27.5 Hz. The entire string is 2.00 m long and has a mass of 400 g. The vibrating section of the string is 1.90 m long. What tension is needed to tune this string properly?
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