Question

Musicians use beats to tune their instruments. As the two notes get closer in pitch or frequency ____

	a.	the beats sound slower and when they match perfectly, the beats disappear altogether
	b.	the beats sound slower and when they match perfectly, the beats become louder
	c.	the beats sound faster and when they match perfectly, the beats disappear altogether
	d.	the beats sound faster and when they match perfectly, the beats become louder

Answer 1

Solution

Let F1 and F2 be the two frequencies that is the musician is trying to match. The beat frequency is given by the diiference in individual frequencies. i.e,

Thus as F2 gets closer and closer to F1, the beat frequency tends to zero. When they get perfectly matched, the beat frequency becomes zero. A sound with zero frequecy is not a sound at all. You cannot here it. Thus as the two notes get closer and closer, the answer is,

a. The beats sound slower and when they match perfectly ,the beats disappear altogether.

Note: I am a violinist and have been using this technique for years now to tune my violin. ;)