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El estudio de la música proporciona muchos ejemplos de la superposición de ondas y la interferencia constructiva y destructiva que ocurre. Muy pocos e…
Cuando dos ondas sonoras de igual amplitud y frecuencias ligeramente diferentes interfieren entre sí, se puede determinar la ecuación de desplazamiento para la onda resultante en una posición particular. Su intensidad sube y baja alternativamente con el tiempo.
La longitud total del eje de tiempo representa un segundo. Cuando las dos ondas están en fase, sus amplitudes se suman.
Y, cuando las dos ondas están exactamente desfasadas, la amplitud total es cero.
Esta variación periódica de la intensidad del sonido con el tiempo forma latidos.
La onda resultante se ve como una sola onda sinusoidal con amplitud variable, que pasa a través de dos máximos y dos mínimos en un segundo. La frecuencia de esta variación de amplitud es de dos hercios.
El número de latidos que se escuchan por segundo se denomina frecuencia de latidos y es igual a la diferencia de frecuencia de las ondas sonoras.
El intervalo de tiempo entre dos tiempos sucesivos se define como el período de tiempo, que es el inverso de la frecuencia de batido.
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Q1: What happens when two sound waves of slightly different frequencies interfere with each other?
When two sound waves of equal amplitude and slightly different frequencies interfere, their displacement creates a resultant wave with varying amplitude. The intensity rises and falls alternately as the waves move in and out of phase. This periodic variation in sound intensity with time forms beats, producing a single sinusoidal wave that appears to pulse in loudness.
Q2: How is beat frequency defined and calculated?
Beat frequency is the number of beats heard per second and equals the difference between the frequencies of the two interfering sound waves. For example, if one wave has a frequency of 440 Hz and another has 442 Hz, the beat frequency is 2 Hz. The beat period, which is the time interval between successive beats, is the inverse of the beat frequency.
Q3: Why do beats occur when sound waves are in and out of phase?
Beats result from constructive and destructive interference between waves. When the two waves are in phase, their amplitudes add together, creating maximum intensity. When exactly out of phase, the total amplitude becomes zero. This alternating pattern of constructive and destructive interference produces the characteristic amplitude variation that creates the beating sound effect.
Q4: What does the resultant wave look like when beats are formed?
The resultant wave appears as a single sinusoidal wave with varying amplitude that goes through two maxima and two minima in one second when the beat frequency is 2 Hz. The wave oscillates between loud and quiet, with the amplitude envelope rising and falling periodically. This creates the characteristic pulsing or throbbing sound that listeners perceive as beats.
Q5: How do piano tuners use beats to tune instruments?
Piano tuners strike a tuning fork and play a note on the piano simultaneously. As they adjust the piano string, the beat frequency decreases as the note's frequency approaches the tuning fork's frequency. When the frequencies match, the beats disappear entirely. This method works because beats between two tones can be heard up to approximately 6 or 7 Hz, making small frequency differences audible.
Q6: Why must multi-engine aircraft propellers be synchronized?
If propeller frequencies are not synchronized, the sound waves from different engines interfere and create annoying beats heard as loud throbbing sounds. Synchronization prevents this unwanted beat phenomenon. Some aircraft use electronic systems for synchronization, while others rely on pilots adjusting engine speeds by ear, similar to the piano tuning process.
Q7: What role does constructive and destructive interference play in creating beats?
Beats are a direct result of constructive and destructive interference between two slightly different frequencies. Constructive interference occurs when waves align, amplifying the sound, while destructive interference occurs when they oppose each other, reducing the sound. The periodic cycling between these two interference states creates the amplitude modulation characteristic of beats.