1 of 1 Student

Practical 14 The sonometer

Purpose Safety

The aim of this experiment is to investigate Do not overtighten the wires – they can be broken.
the connection between the tension, length Eye protection should be worn throughout this
and frequency of a stretched wire. experiment.

sonometer box

wires

load

Figure 1: A sonometer

You will need:

• Sonometer and wires • Rule • Set of tuning forks
• Set of slotted masses • Newton meter

Experimental instructions
Set up the apparatus as shown in figure 1.

Two experiments should be performed:

(i) variation of frequency (f) with tension (T)
(keeping the length constant)
(ii) variation of frequency with length (L)
(keeping the tension constant).

The frequency should be found by using a series of tuning forks resting on the body of the
sonometer.

Analysis and conclusions

Two graphs should be plotted:
(i) frequency against the square root of the tension (T)
(ii) frequency against 1 .
L

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