I was making some hot chocolate and mixing the mug quite thoroughly, and noticed that the pitch of my spoon knocking against the mug changed according with how fast I was stirring. The pitch was deeper while stirring and moving higher as the liquid slowed and stopped moving in the mug.
In: 7
The pitch of a mug or any other hollow container changes when stirred because the liquid inside the container begins to move, creating waves that travel through the liquid and bounce off the walls of the container. These waves then interact with the air inside the container, causing fluctuations in air pressure.
When the liquid is at rest, the air inside the container is evenly distributed, and the sound waves travel smoothly through it, producing a certain pitch. However, when the liquid is stirred, the waves caused by the movement of the liquid interfere with the sound waves, creating variations in air pressure and altering the pitch.
The pitch of the mug will also depend on the size and shape of the container, the viscosity of the liquid, the speed and direction of stirring, and the type of material the mug is made of. The sound waves produced by stirring will interact differently with different materials, resulting in variations in pitch.
In summary, the pitch of a mug changes when stirred due to the interference of sound waves caused by the movement of the liquid inside the container, and the resulting fluctuations in air pressure.
Latest Answers