AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY–BANGLADESH (AIUB)

FACULTY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS
PHYSICS 2 LAB
Summer 2021-2022

Section: B, Group: 4

LAB REPORT 6:
To verify the laws of transverse vibration o strings and to determine the frequency of a tuning fork by
Melde’s experiment

Supervised By:
SALMA BEGOM

Submitted By:
Name ID
MD. RIFAT KHAN 22-46060-1
SAJIN MAHMUD ARPON 22-46629-1
MD. SAKIL 22-46659-1
ZAOWAD HOSSAIN 22-46924-1
SRISTI PAUL 22-47195-1

Date of Submission: July 25th, 2022

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

TOPICS Page no.

I. Title Page 1
II. Table of Content 2
1. Theory 3
2. Apparatus 5
3. Procedure 5
4. Experimental Data 6
5. Result 7
6. Discussion 7
7. Reference 7

2
 1. Theory

Let's hook one prong of the fork F to one end of the string B. The opposite end, designated A,
is connected to a scale pan by a tiny pulley.

Figure 1: Arranging the Melde's apparatus

By making the tuning fork vibrate, the string will also start to move. As a consequence,
waves will propagate along the string's length before returning when they reach the fixed end.
The extreme fixed ends of the string will always be nodes in stationary waves formed by the
superposition of the direct and reflected waves, and in between them there may be one or
more antinodes depending on the tension or length of the string.
The frequency f of the fork may now be modified to f’ to match the fundamental or any
higher tone of the string by appropriately altering the tension or length. When this occurs, it is
believed that a resonance between the fork and the specific mode of string vibration took
place.
If the basic mode of vibration is considered, then the wavelength is λ = 2l, where l is the
string's length. The relation will then provide the fork's frequency.

f = f’ =
1
λ √ τ
μ

= 1 τ
2l μ √
where tau is the stress applied to the string and is stated in absolute units, i.e., dynes or
pounds, and U is the mass of the vibrating string expressed in grams per unit length.

Now that the motion of the fork's prongs, which causes the string to vibrate in a resonant
manner, may occur in two separate directions,
1) in a direction perpendicular to the length of the string, that is, transverse position and

3
2) in a direction along (parallel) the length of the string, that is, longitudinal position.

Figure 2: Longitudinal and Transverse mode of vibration

In the transverse instance, the fork's frequency, f, and the string's frequency, f', are identical.
While the frequency of the fork in the longitudinal case is double that of f'. this is due to the
fact that in the longitudinal situation, the vibration is caused by the fork's prong pulling
alternately on the string's end. The string is pulled taut, or stretched, with each movement of
the prong to the right. This happens twice during each vibration, or in the midst of the swing.
Because of this, the frequency of the fork in this instance is double that of the string.
Therefore, for transverse position, the frequency of the fork is,

f= f’ =
1 τ
2l μ √ (1)

Where l is the length of a segment or loop between two consecutive nodes of the string. Thus,

2
1 τ
f = 2
4l μ
τ
l
2 = 4 μf 2

For longitudinal position,

f= 2f’ =
2 τ
√
2l μ

= 1 τ
l μ √ (2)
τ
2
= 4 μf 2 = constant
l

4
Thus, by altering the tension tau and hence the wavelength, the frequency of the tuning fork
τ
can be determined and also 2 = constant can be found which verifies the laws of transverse
l
vibrations in a string.

2. Apparatus
 Melde’s apparatus
 String
 Meter scale
 Weight box

3. Procedure
 We first weighed the scale pan and clamped the tuning fork in transverse position at
one edge of the table. Then we fixed a pulley over a clamp and screwed at other edge
of the table. We fastened the thread to the tip of the prong and pass the other end over
the pulley and hanged the scale pan to this end and put some small weights on it so
that the string is lightly stretched.
 We then rotated the screw of an electrically maintained tuning fork so that vibrations
in tuning fork get started and several nodes and loops was seen.
 We increased and decreased the weight until the loops were maximum, the nodal
points were fixed in position and the loops are of equal length. When that happened,
resonance occurs between the fork and the particular mode of vibration of the string.
The loops can also be defined by adjusting the length of the string, keeping the weight
on the pan fixed.
 To determine the length between two successive nodes, we placed P1 and P2 of
adjustable heights below the two extreme well defined nodes. Accurately we
measured the distance between the two pins and counted the total number of loops
between them. We repeated the operation 3 times by independently adjusting the
positions of the pointers. From these observations, calculate the length l of the
segment.
 We then increased the weight in the scale pan by about 5gm or so when the total
number of loops between the two fixed ends becomes different. We repeated the
operations described in 2, 3 and 4 to determine the new length of the segment. In this
way, we went on increasing the weights. We noted the total number of loops for each
new weight and determined the corresponding l in the manner described in 2,3 and 4.
 At the end of the experiment, we determined the weight and the length of the string.
Hence, we also determined the mass per unit length of the thread and the mass of the
scale pan.
 We also calculated the frequency of the given fork with the help of equation 1.

5
4. Experimental Data
 Mass of the scale pan, w = 23.5 gm
 Length of the string, l = 150 cm
 Mass of the string, M = 0.5 gm
M
The mass per unit length of the thread, µ =
L
= 3.33 x 10−3 gm/cm

Table 1: Table for transverse position

(cm)

(Vibration/sec)
Total no. of loops between the fixed

Distance between the pins G (cm)

No. of loops between the pins N
(gm)

Frequency of the fork = f’=

(dynes)
No. of observations

= constant
(Vibrations/sec)
Length of the segment l =
Load on the scale pan
ends

Tension,

Mean frequency

1 4 0 23030 98 4 24.5 55.95 38.37

2 3 20 42630 98 3 32.67 54.76 52.85 39.94

3 1 100 121030 98 1 63 47.85 30.49

5. Result

6
 τ
 The law of transverse vibration of string is verified by showing 2 = constant
l
and the frquecy of the tuning fork is 52.85 vibration/sec

6. Discussion
 The thread should be uniform and inextensible.
 The nodes at pulley and tip of prong should be neglected as they have some
motion.
 Frictions in the pulley should be least possible

7. Reference
 Fundamentals of Physics: transverse and longitudinal waves
(Chapter 16, page – 445, page- 452, page - 465)