Sympathetic Resonance

DCS Code: 3B70.10 Last Updated: March 27, 2026
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Purpose

Demonstrates sympathetic resonance: striking one tuning fork excites a matched fork on a nearby resonance box through acoustic coupling. After damping the struck fork, students hear the second fork vibrating — showing that energy transfers selectively between oscillators at their shared natural frequency.

Two matched tuning forks mounted on wooden resonance boxes; the right fork has adjustable slider weights on its prongs. A rubber mallet sits in front.
Figure 1: Matched tuning fork resonance boxes with mallet. The right fork has adjustable slider weights for detuning. Position the boxes with openings facing each other for acoustic coupling.
Equipment