Standing Waves in the Human Ear The human ear canal is much like an organ pipe that is clo...

Standing Waves in the Human Ear The human ear canal is much like an organ pipe that is closed at one end (at the tympanic membrane or eardrum) and open at the other (Figure 14-37). A typical ear canal has a length of about 2.4 cm. (a) What are the fundamental frequency and wavelength of the ear canal? (b) Find the frequency and wavelength of the ear canal’s third harmonic. (Recall that the third harmonic in this case is the standing wave with the second-lowest frequency.) (c) Suppose a person has an ear canal that is shorter than 2.4 cm. Is the fundamental frequency of that person’s ear canal greater than, less than, or the same as the value found in part (a)? Explain. [Note that the frequencies found in parts (a) and (b) correspond closely to the frequencies of enhanced sensitivity in Figure 14-28.]

FIGURE 14-37