When wax is attached to one of the prongs of a tuning fork, frequency of the fork will

Options

A. decrease
B. increase
C. remains unchanged
D. may increase or decrease

Answer

To solve the question regarding the effect of attaching wax to one of the prongs of a tuning fork on its frequency, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding the Tuning Fork**:
- A tuning fork produces sound through vibrations of its prongs. The frequency of the sound produced depends on the physical properties of the fork, including its mass and tension.

2. **Effect of Adding Wax**:
- When wax is added to one of the prongs, it increases the mass of that prong. This change in mass affects the tuning fork's ability to vibrate.

3. **Frequency and Mass Relationship**:
- The frequency (f) of a vibrating system can be expressed as:
\[ f = \frac{V}{\lambda} \]
where V is the velocity of the wave and λ is the wavelength.

4. **Velocity of Sound in the Fork**:
- The velocity (V) of sound in the tuning fork is given by:
\[ V = \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}} \]
where T is the tension and μ is the mass per unit length.

5. **Impact of Increased Mass**:
- By adding wax, the mass per unit length (μ) increases. If μ increases, the velocity (V) of sound in the tuning fork decreases because they are inversely related.

6. **Frequency Decrease**:
- Since the frequency is directly proportional to the velocity of sound, a decrease in velocity (V) leads to a decrease in frequency (f). Therefore, the frequency of the tuning fork will decrease when wax is attached.

7. **Conclusion**:
- The final conclusion is that when wax is attached to one of the prongs of a tuning fork, the frequency of the fork will decrease.

### Final Answer:
The frequency of the tuning fork will decrease when wax is attached to one of its prongs.

---