A home-lab experiment: resonance and sound speed using telescopic vacuum cleaner pipes

TL;DR

This paper presents a simple home experiment using a telescopic vacuum cleaner pipe and a smartphone to measure sound speed and acoustic resonance, making physics accessible outside traditional labs.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, accessible home-lab setup for measuring sound speed and resonance using common household items and smartphones.

Findings

Resonant frequency varies with pipe length

Sound speed can be calculated from resonance data

The method is suitable for educational purposes at home

Abstract

We propose a home laboratory in which a telescopic vacuum cleaner pipe and a smartphone are used to investigate sound speed and acoustic resonance. When the pipe is hit or the hands clapped near one end the sound produced is registered by a smartphone. By means of an appropriate application the resonant frequency is obtained. Varying the pipe's length and registering the corresponding resonant frequency allows to obtain the sound speed. This home-lab, first proposed during covid19 pandemic, has been incorporated as a home challenge to experiment with acoustic resonance in new normal times.