The air column in an organ pipe, which is closed at one end, is vibrating in such a way as to produce the second harmonic. A pressure node and displacement node, respectively, occur at
A) 1 and 3
B) 1 and 5
C) 7 and 4
D) 7 and 5
E) 5 and 3

Question

The air column in an organ pipe, which is closed at one end, is vibrating in such a way as to produce the second harmonic. A pressure node and displacement node, respectively, occur at
A) 1 and 3 
B) 1 and 5 
C) 7 and 4 
D) 7 and 5 
E) 5 and 3

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

For an organ pipe closed at one end, the second harmonic will have a standing wave pattern with two nodes and three antinodes. The pressure node occurs at the closed end, which is position 7. The displacement node occurs at the midpoint between the closed end and the first antinode, which is position 5. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

The Air Column in an Organ Pipe, Which Is Closed