A popular classroom demonstration consists of striking a tuning fork and putting the vibrating ends in a beaker of water. When the demo is done, a considerable amount of water splashing takes place, and the pitch of the tuning fork
A) increases because of the stiffness of the water
B) remains the same.
C) decreases because of damping.
D) increases because friction with the water heats it up.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The pitch of the tuning fork decreases because of damping. When the vibrating tuning fork is placed in water, the water provides resistance to the vibrations, absorbing some of the energy and thus reducing the amplitude of the vibrations. This effect, known as damping, leads to a decrease in the pitch of the tuning fork.

A Popular Classroom Demonstration Consists of Striking a Tuning Fork