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AP Physics 2
14.3 Boundary Behavior of Waves and Polarization
14.2 Periodic Waves
14.1 Properties of Wave Pulses and Waves
AdvancedMCQMathematicalConceptual20.5k
Sound wave propagating from air into helium gas.
Sound wave propagating from air into helium gas.
A speaker connected to an oscillator emits a continuous sound wave of constant frequency \(f\) into a long, uniform horizontal tube. The left side of the tube is filled with air, and the right side is filled with helium gas at the same temperature and pressure, separated by a thin, flexible membrane that transmits mechanical oscillations without reflection. Because helium atoms have a much smaller molecular mass than the molecules in air, mechanical disturbances propagate faster through helium at a given temperature. How do the wave speed \(v\) and the wavelength \(\lambda\) of the sound in the helium compare to their values in the air?

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