STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The Problems. For each graph of a wave, play the tone as well if you have Mathematica or some other utility that allows you to play tones oscillating at prescribed frequencies.
1. Graph a wave oscillating at 120Hz for 0 < t < 0.1 second.
2. Graph a wave oscillating at 125Hz for 0 < t < 0.1 second.
3. Graph the resultant of the two harmonic oscillations by plotting the sum of the two wave functions over the time interval 0 < t < 1 second. Also graph parts of the wave to get a feel for what it looks like over smaller time intervals.
4. Use the graph produced in (3) to determine
(a) the maximum beat amplitude and when the maxima occur
(b) the beat period
(c) the beat frequency (i.e., the number of beats per second)
5. Repeat 1 - 4 above if the two frequencies are 150 Hz and 155 Hz.
6. Give a conjecture for how the beat frequency relates to the frequency of the base (lower) tone? Test your conjecture with another example.