We describe a low budget experiment, using materials that are easily obtained, to measure the speed of sound with an error of less than 10%. The device consists of a Helmholtz resonator of cylindrical cross section (a standard 12‐oz beer bottle). The system is analogous to a mass vibrating on a spring. The resonant frequency is determined by the mass of the air plug located in and near the bottle neck and the spring constant associated with the elasticity of the air filling the remainder of the bottle. A simple procedure involving length measurements with a vernier caliper is outlined and a discussion of the approximations made in arriving at this procedure is presented.
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© 1979 American Association of Physics Teachers.
1979
American Association of Physics Teachers
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