Question

A flute player hears four beats per second when she compares her note to a 523 Hz tuning fork (the note C). She can match the frequency of the tuning fork by pulling out the “tuning joint” to lengthen her flute slightly. What was her initial frequency?

Short answer

The initial frequency of the flute player is 519Hz

Step-by-step solution

Write the given information

Frequency of the fork f₁ = 523 Hz

Beat frequency f_b= 4 Hz

To determine the initial frequency

Let the initial frequency of the string is f₂

According to the question
$$\begin{gathered} f_1-f_2=f_b \\ {f}_2=(523-4)Hz \\ {f}_2=519Hz \end{gathered}$$

Thus, the initial frequency of the flute player is 519Hz