A sounding tuning fork is brought near the open end of a pipe containing air and the loudness of the sound is observed to increase. This observation is due ...

Answer Details

The observed increase in the loudness of the sound when a tuning fork is brought near the open end of a pipe containing air is due to resonance. Resonance occurs when an object is forced to vibrate at its natural frequency by an external force. In this case, the tuning fork produces sound waves at a specific frequency, which matches the natural frequency of the air column in the pipe. As a result, the air column in the pipe begins to vibrate with greater amplitude, which in turn increases the loudness of the sound. This phenomenon is similar to how pushing a child on a swing at the right time will cause them to swing higher and higher. In both cases, the external force is applied at just the right frequency to match the natural frequency of the object, resulting in increased amplitude. Therefore, the correct option is "resonance."