How might you use sound waves to smash a glass? What are other examples of resonance in everyday life?

The natural frequency of a glass can be found by tapping it or making it 'sing' (running a wet finger around the top of the glass till it sings a note. If you emit sound waves at this frequency in the direction of the glass, then it will start to vibrate. You will not often see these vibrations since they are about 500 Hz (500 times a second), however strobe lights can appear to slow down the movement. If the force of the sounds waves (i.e. the amplitude) is sufficient, then the glass will vibrate so much that it smashes. 

Have a look at a video of the Tacoma Bridge in North America - a case of bad engineering! The wind was blowing at the natural frequency of the bridge, causing it to swing at larger and larger oscillations until it broke completely. 

An easy way to picture this is someone being pushed on a swing - catching the swing at the right frequency (i.e. not too soon or too late) will result in the most successful push. 

JR
Answered by Josie R. Physics tutor

2262 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

An ideal gas within a closed system undergoes an isothermal expansion from an initial volume of 1m^3 to 2m^3. Given that the initial pressure of the gas is 10^5 Pa, find the final pressure of the gas following the expansion.


A space probe of mass 1000kg, moving at 200m/s, explosively ejects a capsule of mass 300kg. The speed of the probe after the explosion is 250m/s. What is the velocity of the capsule?


A pendulum of mass m is released from height h with a speed v at the bottom of its swing. a) What is the gravitational potential energy at height h and the kinetic energy at the bottom of its swing? b) Use conservation of energy to define the speed v.


Explain what happens in terms of current induced as a magnet enters a solenoid in a closed circuit, and as it leaves.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning