How Can I Calculate Tension and Amplitude in Standing Wave Problems?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating tension and amplitude in standing wave problems, specifically involving a string attached to a tuning fork and the interference of sinusoidal waves. The original poster presents two questions related to these concepts, seeking validation of their calculations and understanding.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply formulas related to wave properties and tension in strings, questioning the correctness of their calculations. Some participants provide insights into the standing wave characteristics, particularly regarding the relationship between string length and wavelength.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the original poster's questions, offering clarifications and corrections regarding the standing wave setup. There is a recognition of the complexity involved in the wave interference problem, with some suggesting that the decomposition of waves does not yield a unique solution.

Contextual Notes

The original poster expresses uncertainty about their calculations and seeks guidance, indicating a need for further exploration of the concepts involved in standing waves and wave interference. The discussion includes references to specific values and formulas, but no consensus has been reached on the correctness of the original poster's answers.

Superdreamer
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Hi I was wondering if someone could tell me if I am heading in the right direction with these Thanks in advance

Q1 In an experiment on standing waves, a string 90 cm long is
attached to the prong of an electrically driven tuning fork that oscillates
perpendicular to the length of the string at a frequency of 60 Hz. The
mass of the string is 0.044 kg. What tension must the string be under if it
is to vibrate in four loops?

I used the formula L=4(λ/2) giving 2λ=L L=1.8m
V=fλ v=108m/s then using the formula v=sq root(T/μ) giving me a tension of 279.936N Is this correct

Q2 Two sinusoidal waves with the same amplitude, frequency and
speed, travel in the same direction along a string and interfere with one
another to produce a resultant wave with a displacement
y = (3.0 x 10-3) sin(20x - 4.0t + 0.6) cos(0.6) m. What is (a) the amplitude
and (b) the wavelength of the waves and (c) the phase difference
between them?

Wave is in the form y'(x,t)=[2ym(cos(tetha/2)sin(Kx-wt+1/2(tetha)tetha/2

y'm=2ymcos1/2tetha
answer 1.13mm is this correct?

k=20 rad/m
w=4 rad/s

λ=2pi/k
=2pirad/20rad/m
=31.4cm

T=2pi/w
=1.57seconds
f=1/t
=0.6366hz
I know this is wrong please lead me in the right direction
 
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Superdreamer,
for Q1: The standing wave has an antinode at the position of the tuning fork and a node at the fixed end. This means that the length of the string will be two and a quarter wavelengths long for four loops. The rest of the approach is correct.
 
Resistivity vs. Resistance

Hi,could you be so kind to explain me differences between resistance and resistivity?
I think the resistance is constant for each material.But we use resistivity to differentiate between various materials.
 
ramino said:
Hi,could you be so kind to explain me differences between resistance and resistivity?
I think the resistance is constant for each material.But we use resistivity to differentiate between various materials.
As far as I understand>>> Certain materials oppose current flow more than others. Even the same material allows current to flow at different rates depending upon shape. This property is called resistance. Resistivity is a physical property of a material to resist or oppose the movement of charge through the material.

So from that, resistance is not constant for each material.
[tex]R = p\frac{L}{A}[/tex]

p = resistivity of conductor
L = length
A = area
 
Last edited:
Superdreamer, you were right about there being a node almost at the tuning fork. If the wave is actually in resonance, without great amounts of damping, the tuning fork oscillation will be less than about 1 mm, while the string wave will have amplitude of about 100mm . (Andrevdh is incorrect)

your wavelength and frequency look okay.
the decomposition into 2 waves with same amplitude but a phase shift
does NOT have a unique solution.
 

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