Experimental Determination of the Speed of Sound, Frequency,

and the Beat Frequency

Kenneth M. Leo1*, Ysabella Kassandra F. Ong1, and Marc Arvie V. Talavera1
1
National Institute of Physics, University of the Philippines - Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
*Corresponding Author: kmleo@up.edu.ph

Abstract
The experiment aims to determine the speed, frequency and beat frequency
of various sounds or waves produced by tuning forks and snapping of
fingers. These sounds were measured and graphed in a Pressure vs. Time
plot. The experimental periods for different cases were used to compare the
theoretical frequency to the calculated frequency. The speed of sound was
calculated to be 342.18 m/s. The calculated frequencies of the tuning forks
were found to be 375 Hz and 500 Hz with 2.34 % error from the theoretical
for both frequencies. The beat frequency was observed to be 130 Hz and has
an error of 1.56 %. It shows that the data gathered coincides with expected
values.

Keywords: Beat Frequency, Frequency, Speed of Sound

1. Introduction
Sound is a longitudinal wave in a medium. [1] The sound has many applications, especially in mans survival.
The sensitive human ear detects sound without seeing from where it originates, and this ability helped human
being discern whether it signaled danger or not. Acoustic engineers apply the physics of sound waves to
improve the acoustics of the cathedrals and concert halls; aviation engineers study the shockwave produced by
supersonic aircraft; medical researches study how noises produced by the heart and lungs can tell a medical
problem; military engineers study how a soldier could find the direction a snipers location by the sound it
makes; these and countless applications make the study of sound essential. [2]
The speed of sound is given by:

v=
(1)
B

where B is the bulk modulus and is the equilibrium density of the medium. B is given by:
P
B=
V /V
(2)
where P is pressure change and V /V is fractional volume change. [3] Changes in the temperature
of the medium affects the motion of the sound. For example, sound travels faster in warm air than in cold air. [4]
When the interference, which is the overlapping of two different waves in the same region of space, occurs
between two waves with slightly different frequencies, the resulting wave is a wave with varying amplitudes,
which causes variations in loudness, a phenomenon called beats. [1] The beat frequency is given by:
f beat =f bf a
(3)
where f a and f b are the frequencies of the two waves that overlapped, f a being the higher to
yield a positive result for the beat frequency. Given the equations for the speed of sound and the beat frequency,
what is the speed of sound at a given temperature and what is the beat frequency of the resulting wave from the
interference of two waves with slightly different frequencies?
The aim of this study are to determine the speed of sound experimentally at a certain temperature; to
measure the frequency of two tuning forks experimentally; and to measure experimentally the beat frequency of
the resulting wave from the interference of the waves produced by two tuning forks; and compare the resulting
values to their respective theoretical values.

2. Methodology

National Institute of Physics

University of the Philippines, Quezon City
2 February 2017
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 The speed of sound was calculated by constructing a setup that consists of a Vernier LabQuest, Vernier
microphone, one meter pipe, iron stands and iron clamps. To calculate for the speed of sound, the length of the
pipe and the air temperature were measured using a meter stick and a thermometer respectively. The microphone
was connected to Channel 1 of the Vernier LabQuest and was mounted close to the open end of the pipe so that
it detects the initial sound and the echo coming back down the tube. The graph display was set to a plot of
Pressure vs. Time, while the sampling rate was adjusted to 8000 samples/s and the duration to 0.3 s.
By snapping fingers near the opening of the tube, the Vernier LabQuest was able to collect data and
assemble a graph with a plot of Pressure vs. Time. The time interval between the start of the first vibration and
the start of the echo vibration was measured. The procedure was repeated for three trials.
The period of the waveform was measured using two tuning forks with values, 384 Hz and 512 Hz, a rubber
stopper and a Vernier microphone. By hitting the tuning fork with the rubber stopper and holding it close to the
microphone, a wave was formed which was observed on the Vernier LabQuest as a sinusoidal curve in the
Pressure vs. Time plot. The period of the wave was calculated by measuring the time between the peaks of one
cycle of the wave. These procedures were repeated for three trials for both values of the tuning forks. The period
calculated was used to compare the theoretical and experimental frequencies of the tuning forks.
The beat frequency was observed by simultaneously hitting the rubber with the two tuning forks while
holding it close to the microphone so that it captures the sound produced. The pattern observed was complex,
with a slower variation of amplitude on top of a more rapid variation. The time interval between the start and the
end of a beat was measured. The process was done three times and the average period was used to compare
theoretical and experimental beat frequencies of the tuning forks.

3. Results and Discussion

In the first part of the experiment, the speed of sound was experimentally measured by calculating how fast
an echo travels inside a pipe. The time it took for the echo to travel was recorded using a vernier microscope and
was recorded in Table 1, as well as the distance travelled of the echo and the temperature of the room. Three
trials were performed.

Table 1: Distance travelled by echo and its time duration

Trial Distance Travelled Temperature Echo Time Speed of Sound

1 0.0053 s

2 0.0054 s
1.882 m 21.5 0C
3 0.0058 s

Average 0.0055 s 342.18 m/s

The echo time was measured by recording the time interval between the two peaks of the Pressure vs. Time
graph for the snapping of fingers (Figure 1).

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2 February 2017
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 Figure 1: Pressure vs. Time graph for the snapping of fingers

At 0 0C, the accepted speed of sound is 331.5 m/s and increases 0.607 m/s for every 0C. Using dimensional
analysis, the theoretical value for the speed of sound at 21.5 0C is 344.55 m/s. The experimental speed of sound
at 21.5 0C is 342.18 m/s. This shows that the measured value only has a .68% deviation from the actual value.
The deviation from the actual speed of sound may be caused by noisy surroundings, making the sound recorded
by the vernier microphone inaccurate and the fact that the Vernier LabQuest is hard to operate since it doesnt
notify the user when it is recording made the data collection not easy.
The second part of the experiment measured the frequency of two tuning forks with different frequencies and
the beat frequency of the two. The measured frequency of the two tuning forks was summarized in Table 2. It
shows the calculated frequency doesnt have a big percentage error when compared to the theoretical frequency
of the tuning forks. It was also observed from the experiment placing the tuning forks farther away from the
microphone alters the amplitude of the graph but doesnt change the frequency recorded. This is because the
distance between the tuning fork and microphone does not affect the frequency since frequency is only affected
by time.
The beat frequency of the two tuning forks was calculated by getting the absolute value of the difference of
the two tuning forks with different frequencies. Three trials were performed to calculate the experimental value
of the beat frequency and the data were recorded in Table 3. It can be seen from the table that the experimental
value and the theoretical value are not that far away from each other. The graph of Pressure vs. Time of sound
created by the two tuning forks was also plotted in Figure 2. The figure shows a pattern with alternating small
and big amplitudes. The time interval between one cycle, big crest to another big crest, was the recorded period
in Table 3. The graph shows random pressure peaks which might be caused by sound waves produced by the
noisy environment because in a real world, complete silence is unachievable.

Table 2: Frequency of Tuning Forks

Number of Average Calculated Percent

Frequency t (s) Period (s)
Cycles Period (s) Frequency (Hz) Error (%)

1 0.0028 0.0028

f1 = 384 Hz 1 0.0025 0.0025 0.00267 375 2.34 %

1 0.0027 0.0027

f2 = 512 Hz 1 0.002 0.002 0.002 500 2.34 %

1 0.0019 0.0019

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 1 0.0021 0.0021

Table 3: Beat Frequency

Beat
Number of Average Calculated Percent
Frequency t (s) Period (s)
Cycles Period (s) Frequency (Hz) Error (%)
|f1 - f2|

1 0.0077 0.0077

1 0.0077 0.0077
128 0.00767 130 1.56 %
1 0.0076 0.0076

Figure 2: Pressure vs. Time graph for the two tuning forks

4. Conclusion and Recommendation

The experiment was able to determine the speed of sound at a certain temperature was able to
measure the individual frequencies of two tuning forks and the beat frequency when the two is
combined. The results were very close to the theoretical values of the speed of sound and frequencies.
The experiment was also a success because it proved the assumption that the Pressure vs. Time graph
of a beat frequency has alternating high and low amplitudes, with values depending on the individual
frequencies. However, the experiment did have some random errors: the noise of the surroundings and
the shakiness of the human had when holding the tuning forks, which was inevitable. These errors
made the experiment deviate slightly from the theoretical values. The experiment is recommended to
be done in a noise-free room and iron clamps or other holding instruments should be used instead of
shaky hands.

5. References
[1]
Young, Hugh D. Freedman, Roger. University Physics with Modern Physics 10 th ed.
[2]
Walker, Jearl. Fundamentals of Physics 10th ed.
[3]
Tipler, Paul. Mosca, Gene. Physics for Scientists and Engineers 6 th ed.
[4]
Vergara, William C. Sound and Ultrasonics. The New Book of Knowledge Vol. 17

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University of the Philippines, Quezon City
2 February 2017
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