Serway & Jewett — Wave Motion: Problem 56

A large set of unoccupied football bleachers has solid seats and risers. You stand on the field in front of the bleachers and sharply clap two wooden boards together once. The sound pulse you produce has no definite frequency and no wavelength. The sound you hear reflected from the bleachers has an identifiable frequency and may remind you of a short toot on a trumpet, buzzer, or kazoo. (a) Explain what accounts for this sound. Compute order-of-magnitude estimates for (b) the frequency, (c) the wavelength, and (d) the duration of the sound on the basis of data you specify.