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A certain transverse wave is described by $$ y(x, t)=(6.50 \mathrm{mm}) \cos 2 \pi\left(\frac{x}{28.0 \mathrm{cm}}-\frac{t}{0.0360 \mathrm{s}}\right) $$ Determine the wave's (a) amplitude; (b) wavelength; (c) frequency; (d) speed of propagation; (e) direction of propagation.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The wave's amplitude is 6.50 mm, wavelength is 28.0 cm, frequency is 27.78 Hz, speed is 7.78 m/s, and it propagates in the positive x-direction.

Step by step solution

01

Identify the Amplitude

The amplitude is the coefficient in front of the cosine function in the wave equation. For the given wave, this coefficient is 6.50 mm. Therefore, the amplitude is 6.50 mm.
02

Determine the Wavelength

The wave equation is given in the form \[ y(x, t) = A \cos(2\pi \left(\frac{x}{\lambda} - \frac{t}{T}\right)) \] where \(\lambda\) is the wavelength. Comparing with the given equation, \[ y(x, t) = (6.50 \text{ mm}) \cos\left(2\pi\left(\frac{x}{28.0 \text{ cm}} - \frac{t}{0.0360 \text{ s}}\right)\right) \]we find \(\lambda = 28.0 \text{ cm}\). Thus, the wavelength is 28.0 cm.
03

Calculate the Frequency

The frequency is given by the reciprocal of the period \(T\). Here, the equation is in the form \[ \frac{t}{T} = \frac{t}{0.0360 \text{ s}} \]which implies \(T = 0.0360 \text{ s}\). Therefore, the frequency \(f = \frac{1}{T} = \frac{1}{0.0360} \approx 27.78 \text{ Hz}\).
04

Find the Speed of Propagation

The speed \(v\) of the wave can be determined using the formula \[ v = \lambda f \]where \(\lambda = 28.0 \text{ cm} = 0.28 \text{ m}\) and \(f = 27.78 \text{ Hz}\). Thus,\[ v = 0.28 \text{ m} \times 27.78 \text{ Hz} \approx 7.78 \text{ m/s} \].
05

Determine the Direction of Propagation

Since the wave equation has the form \( \cos(2\pi (\frac{x}{\lambda} - \frac{t}{T})) \), the wave is propagating in the positive x-direction. This is because the negative sign in the argument \( -\frac{t}{T} \) indicates movement in the positive direction.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Amplitude determination
The amplitude of a wave is a measure of its maximum displacement from the rest position. Think of it as the height of the wave from the center line to the peak. In mathematical terms, it is the coefficient that precedes the cosine or sine function in the wave equation. For the given transverse wave described by the equation \( y(x, t) = (6.50 \text{ mm}) \cos 2\pi\left(\frac{x}{28.0 \text{ cm}} - \frac{t}{0.0360 \text{ s}}\right) \),
  • the amplitude is \( 6.50 \text{ mm} \).
This means that the wave will rise or fall 6.50 mm from the center line in any direction. Knowing the amplitude is useful to understand the energy the wave carries: a larger amplitude means a stronger wave.
Wavelength calculation
Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive points of a wave that are in phase, such as the distance from one peak to the next. In wave equations, wavelength is represented by \( \lambda \). It shapes the wave's spatial periodicity, meaning how often waves repeat per unit distance.

In the provided wave equation, comparing with the generic form \( y(x, t) = A \cos\left(2\pi\left(\frac{x}{\lambda} - \frac{t}{T}\right)\right) \),
  • the term \( \frac{x}{28.0 \text{ cm}} \) tells us that the wavelength \( \lambda \) is \( 28.0 \text{ cm} \).
The wavelength helps in understanding the scale of a wave and how far apart its features, like peaks and troughs, are along the x-direction.
Frequency calculation
Frequency refers to how often the wave oscillates through its cycle in a given period. It is calculated using the period \( T \), which is the time it takes to complete one cycle of oscillation. Frequency \( f \) is thus the reciprocal of the period:
  • \( f = \frac{1}{T} \).
For this wave, the equation element \( \frac{t}{0.0360 \text{ s}} \) indicates that \( T = 0.0360 \text{ s} \), leading to a frequency of \( 27.78 \text{ Hz} \). Frequency is key to understanding how quickly wave events occur. A higher frequency means more cycles per second, often corresponding to sounds we perceive as higher pitched.
Wave speed
Wave speed represents how fast the wave travels through a medium. It is an essential characteristic that combines both the spatial and temporal aspects of wave motion. Mathematically, it is given by the product of wavelength and frequency:
  • \( v = \lambda f \).
In this example, with a wavelength of \( 28.0 \text{ cm} \) converted to meters \( \lambda = 0.28 \text{ m} \) and frequency \( f = 27.78 \text{ Hz} \),
  • the wave speed \( v \approx 7.78 \text{ m/s} \).
Understanding wave speed is crucial in contexts like communication or seismology, indicating how fast information or energy propagates through the medium.
Wave propagation direction
The direction in which a wave travels is indicated by the phase part of the wave equation, especially the signs in its formula. In the wave equation \( \cos(2\pi (\frac{x}{\lambda} - \frac{t}{T})) \), the term \( -\frac{t}{T} \) indicates that the wave moves in the positive x-direction.

Think about it like this: as time increases, the effect must offset the position \( x \) component in the equation to maintain steady phase conditions. Hence,
  • the negative sign before the time term \(-\frac{t}{T}\) suggests that the wave is propagating in the positive x-direction.
This knowledge is vital when analyzing scenarios like signal transmission, where directionality dictates the flow of information.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Wave Equation and Standing Waves. (a) Prove by direct substitution that \(y(x, t)=\left(A_{\text { sw }} \sin k x\right)\) sin \(\omega t\) is a solution of the wave equation, Eq. \((15.12),\) for \(v=\omega / k .\) (b) Explain why the relationship \(v=\omega / k\) for traveling waves also applies to standing waves.

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