Determine Tension and Length of 50g Guitar String Oscillates at 1280Hz

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the tension and length of a 50g guitar string oscillating at a frequency of 1280Hz. The third harmonic indicates that the string length is 45cm, derived from the wavelength of 30cm. The mass per unit length is calculated as 0.111 kg/m, leading to a wave speed of 384 m/s. The tension in the string is computed to be approximately 16367.616 N, which raises concerns about its plausibility given the string's mass.

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Ry122
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a third harmonic of a 50g guitar string oscillates at a frequency of 1280hz. the wavelength is 30cm
determine the tension in the string and the string length.

my attempt:
the 3rd harmonic of a guitar string is 3/2 times the wavelength so the length of the string is 45cm.
so mass per unit length is .05/.45=.111kg/m
v=f(lambda)
so v =384ms^1
V=sqrt(T/mu)
so 384=sqrt(T/.111)
T therefore is =16367.616N
isnt this value for tension too large to be correct?
where am i going wrong?
 
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I can't spot an error, the original question sounds plausible
and yet this tension is ridiculously high.
50g sounds a bit heavy, but even so...
 
Last edited:

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