Wave Interference · Sound in Tubes

Sound splits at S, takes two paths, and meets again at D

A single sound wave enters each tube structure at S. At every junction it travels both ways round the loop — a short route and a long detour — and the two waves arrive together at the detector D. When the two path lengths differ by exactly one wavelength λ, their crests line up and D hears the loudest sound. Pick a configuration and watch the crests race.

Configuration P
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Choose a configuration
Semicircle over a straight tube
Short path
Long path
Difference
Loudest at l =
Source Ssound enters here
Short paththe direct straight tube
Long paththe curved / longer detour
Wave crests & detector DD glows when crests arrive together

What is happening

01 / SPLIT

One wave, two routes

At S the sound has to go around the loop. Part of it takes the short straight tube; part takes the longer curved detour. Same wave, same wavelength λ = 0.29 m, just two different distances to travel.

02 / RACE

The crests travel down

Crests move along both tubes at the speed of sound. Because the detour is longer, its crests lag behind the ones on the short path by the extra distance.

03 / RECOMBINE

Loud only when they line up

At D the two waves add. If the extra distance is a whole number of wavelengths, crest meets crest and D is loud. The smallest tube size l that does this is the answer for each shape.

Matching List-I to List-II
P
semicircle
0.51 m
option (3)
Q
rectangle
0.29 m
option (4)
R
side + semicircle
0.13 m
option (5)
S
triangle
1.19 m
option (2)