Physics
What is meant by resonance? Describe a simple experiment to illustrate the phenomenon of resonance and explain it.
Answer
Resonance is a special case of forced vibrations.
When the frequency of the externally applied periodic force on a body is equal to its natural frequency, the body readily begins to vibrate with an increased amplitude. This phenomenon is known as resonance.
Experiment — Mount two identical tuning forks A and B, of the same frequency on two separate sound boxes such that their open ends face each other as shown in figure below.
When the prong of one of the tuning forks say, A is struck on a rubber pad, it starts vibrating. On putting the tunning fork A on its sound box, we find that the other tuning fork B also starts vibrating and a loud sound is heard.
The vibrating tuning fork A produces the forced vibration in the air column of its sound box. These vibrations are of large amplitude because of large surface area of air in the sound box.
These vibrations are communicated to the sound of the fork B. The air column of B starts vibrating with the frequency of fork A. Since the frequency of these vibrations is same as the natural frequency of the fork B, the fork B picks up these vibrations under resonance.
Related Questions
Figure below shows two tuning forks A and B of the same frequency mounted on two separate sound boxes with their open ends facing each other. The fork A is set into vibration. (a) Describe your observation. (b) State the principle illustrated by this experiment.
Draw a sketch showing the displacement against time for a body executing the damped vibrations.
In the figure shown below A, B, C and D are the four pendulums suspended from the same elastic string XY. The lengths of pendulum A and D are equal, while the length of pendulum B is shorter and of the pendulum C is longer. Pendulum A is set into vibrations.
(a) What is your observation about the vibrations of pendulum D?
(b) Give reason for your observation in part (a).
(c) What type of vibrations take place in pendulums B and C?
(d) Give reason for the answer in part (c)
The diagram in figure below shows the displacement-time graph of a vibrating body.
(i) Name the kind of vibrations.
(ii) Give one example of such vibration.
(iii) Why is the amplitude of vibrations gradually decreasing?
(iv) What happens to the vibrations of the body after some time?