Title: A bottle of tea as a universal Helmholtz resonator
Abstract:Resonance is an ubiquitous phenomenon present in many systems. In particular, air resonance in cavities was studied by Hermann von Helmholtz in the 1850s. Originally used as acoustic filters, Helmholt...Resonance is an ubiquitous phenomenon present in many systems. In particular, air resonance in cavities was studied by Hermann von Helmholtz in the 1850s. Originally used as acoustic filters, Helmholtz resonators are rigid-wall cavities that reverberate at given fixed frequencies. An adjustable type of resonator is the so-called universal Helmholtz resonator, a device consisting of two sliding cylinders capable of producing sounds over a continuous range of frequencies. Here we propose a simple experiment using a smartphone and normal bottle of tea with a nearly uniform cylindrical section, which, when filled with water at different levels, mimics a universal Helmholtz resonator. Blowing over the bottle, we notice different sounds are produced. Taking advantage of the great processing capacity of smartphones, sound spectra together with frequencies of resonance are obtained in real time.Read More