Chapter 26, Problem 21A

What is the beat frequency when a 494-Hz tuning fork and a 496-Hz tuning fork are sounded together?

To determine

The beat frequency when 494 Hz tuning fork and 496 Hz tuning fork are sounded together.

Answer to Problem 21A

The beat frequency is 2Hz

Explanation of Solution

Given info:

The frequency of the tuning forks are

f₁ =494 Hz

f₂= 496 Hz

Formula used:

The beat frequency is

  ${\text{f}}_{\text{beat}}\text{=}\left|{\text{f}}_{\text{1}}{\text{-f}}_{\text{2}}\right|$$$

Calculation:

Substituting the given values, we get

  $\begin{array}{l}{\text{f}}_{\text{beat}}\text{=}\left|\text{494 HZ-496 Hz}\right|\\ {\text{f}}_{\text{beat}}\text{=2 Hz}\end{array}$

Conclusion:

Thus, the beat frequency is 2 Hz