16.1

Traveling Waves

Student Notes

This simulation shows a wave traveling along a 1.0-meter long string. After experimenting with this simulation, you should be able to convince yourself that the frequency of a wave is determined by whatever produces the wave, the wave speed is determined by the properties of the medium, and the wavelength is determined by both the frequency and the speed. Here are some things to investigate:

1. | You can get an idea about how fast the wave is traveling by measuring the time it takes the wave to get from one end of the string to the other. One at a time, adjust the amplitude, frequency, and string thickness to determine which of these affects the wave speed.
2. | How is the wavelength related to the wave's speed and the frequency? Does the wavelength depend on the amplitude of the wave?
3. | Focusing on the one piece of the string in red, what kind of motion does this piece follow? Is this true for all parts of the string?

Self-test

1. | Is this wave a longitudinal wave or a transverse wave?
2. | Is the speed of the wave affected by the frequency or the amplitude?
3. | One factor determining wave speed is the mass of the string. As the thickness of the string increases so does its mass - how does this affect the speed? Note that the tension in the string also affects the speed, but you can't see that here because the tension is always the same.
4. | What happens to the wavelength as the frequency increases? What about when the wave speed increases?

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.