Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Kundt's tube

Kundt's tube

9.9
An instrument that makes standing sound waves visible in a tube to measure sound speed in air or solids
  • noun
  • /kʌndts tuːb/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tubo de Kundt
  • In the physics laboratory, the students used a Kundt's tube to measure the speed of sound in air.

Examples

  • A Kundt's tube makes the standing waves visible with the help of fine powder inside the tube.

  • The invention of the Kundt's tube was an important step in the study of acoustics.

  • The Kundt's tube is essential for measuring sound speed.

  • Have you ever used a Kundt's tube in your experiments?

  • In the physics laboratory, the students used a Kundt's tube to measure the speed of sound in air.

  • A Kundt's tube makes the standing waves visible with the help of fine powder inside the tube.

  • The invention of the Kundt's tube was an important step in the study of acoustics.

Surface Forms

Kundt's tube singular
Kundt's tubes plural

Morphology

Kundt's + tube

This is an eponymous technical name: knowing 'tube' only gives the learner the object's shape, while 'Kundt's' is a proper name with no lexical meaning. The specific function (an apparatus for measuring speed of sound) is specialized and not derivable from the constituents, so a B1 learner would not infer the full meaning from the parts.

Etymology

The device Kundt's tube was invented by the physicist August Kundt and uses fine powder inside a long tube. The powder gathers into clear lines where the air is quiet, so the 'standing waves' become visible and the scientist can 'measure' the speed of sound, which is why Kundt's tube means a tool for seeing wave patterns and checking sound speed.