Question

A vibrating tuning fork, held over an air column of given length with its one end closed, produces a loud audible sound. Name the phenomenon responsible for it and explain the observation.

Answer 1

When the natural frequency of the air column is tuned to the frequency of the vibrating tuning fork, resonance occurs and a loud sound results. The vibrating tuning fork forces air particles within the air column into vibrational motion. In this resonance situation, the tuning fork and the air column share the same vibrational frequency.
Hence, resonance occurs when two interconnected objects share the same vibrational frequency. When one of the objects is vibrating, it forces the second object into vibrational motion. The result is a large vibration. And if a sound wave within the audible range of human hearing is produced, a loud sound is heard.