Experiment 2- Introduction To Waves

Question 1

What are the points where displacement is 0 called?

Answer 1

Nodes. By displacement being zero, we are referring to the y-axis being 0.

Question 2

What are the points when displacement is maximum called?

Answer 2

Anti-Nodes

Question 3

What are the physical properties of waves?

Answer 3

Y0- which is the amplitude of the wave (maximum displacement in the y-direction)

λ -the wavelength, the distance in which the waves repeat themselves.

V- the velocity of the wave

F- the frequency, which is the rate at which a single POINT on the string undergoes one compete up and down movement.

T= the period, which is equal to the inverse of the frequency.

Question 4

What is the equation for the velocity of the wave?

Answer 4

V= λ/T= λf

Question 5

How can the waves be categorized? Define them

Answer 5

Transverse and Longitudinal

Transverse is when the oscillation direction of the wave is in the PERPENDICULAR direction to the wave propagation.

Longitudinal is when the oscillation direction of the wave is in the SAME direction as the wave propagation.

Question 6

What are examples of longitudinal waves?

Answer 6

Compressions in a slinky or sound waves.

Question 7

What are examples of transverse waves?

Answer 7

Light waves and oscillations in a string.

Question 8

What is another name for longitudinal waves?

Answer 8

Compression waves

Question 9

What is the wave equation and what does it give you?

Answer 9

It gives you the y-position of a single point in the oscillation direction for a given position x along the propagation direction of the wave and a given time (t).

Y(x,t)= y0sin((2Pi/λ)x-2pift+phase constant). IN THIS LAB, YOU WILL ASSUME THE PHASE CONSTANT IS 0.

Question 10

What assumption will you make about the lab in terms of the phase constant?

Answer 10

It is always equal to 0.