Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Water resonating in cylinder

D4RR3N - 29-9-2012 at 06:21

This in more a physics question rather then a chemistry question.

I want to calculate the resonant frequency of a closed ended cylinder. I found this online calculate below which will do this for air but I want to use water not air ie a jet of water passing over the top of the cylinder whilst submerged. Can I use the same calculator by altering the speed of sound value?

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/waves/clocol.html

watson.fawkes - 2-10-2012 at 06:12

Quote: Originally posted by D4RR3N  
I want to calculate the resonant frequency of a closed ended cylinder. I found this online calculate below which will do this for air but I want to use water not air ie a jet of water passing over the top of the cylinder whilst submerged. Can I use the same calculator by altering the speed of sound value?
Maybe. The math is the same insofar as the math goes, but that may not be all that's going on. Whether the math applies correctly to the physical setup you have is a different question.

D4RR3N - 3-10-2012 at 12:35

Quote: Originally posted by watson.fawkes  
Maybe. The math is the same insofar as the math goes, but that may not be all that's going on. Whether the math applies correctly to the physical setup you have is a different question.


The problem is I cant find any info on this in regards to an equation for a water filled cylinder. I feel that a water filled cylinder will resonate at a lower frequency to the same cylinder filled with air.

phlogiston - 3-10-2012 at 13:44

The resonant frequency of the tube will be higher, not lower. The frequency is proportional to the speed of sound in the medium, in this case water.

For a tube closed at one end:
f= n*v / (2*L)

where n = the resonance node (1,2,3,etc.)
L=length of tube
v= speed of sound

However, I have no idea if the principle of generating an oscillation by blowing a jet of water across the open end will work. In air, this works but why is a mystery to me. Possibly, it may involve certain aspects of turbulent flow, viscosity, ? that work differently in water.

Twospoons - 3-10-2012 at 17:24

It may not work at all due to water being essentially incompressible.

watson.fawkes - 3-10-2012 at 19:25

Quote: Originally posted by D4RR3N  
I feel that a water filled cylinder will resonate at a lower frequency to the same cylinder filled with air.
Good thing there's math then. See phlogiston's answer.
Quote: Originally posted by phlogiston  
However, I have no idea if the principle of generating an oscillation by blowing a jet of water across the open end will work. In air, this works but why is a mystery to me. Possibly, it may involve certain aspects of turbulent flow
It's a combination of turbulent flow, which has a wide range of frequency components, and the tube acting as a resonant filter, which preferentially oscillates at certain frequencies. The "Q" of the tube as an oscillatory cavity is frequency dependent and determines the timbre of the sound in the tube. It's not the case that the only motions in a driven oscillator system are at the resonant frequencies, but these frequencies do have the highest amplitudes.
Quote: Originally posted by Twospoons  
It may not work at all due to water being essentially incompressible.
There will still be a resonant frequency for the combination of the cavity and the medium. I agree with your implicit point that this may not be relevant at all.