How Can I Determine Where the Pulses Will Meet on a Stretched Wire?

[dj_werd]

I'm having a hard time with this problem, and was wondering if somebody can help
A wire 10.3 m long have a mass of 97.8 g is stretched under tension of 248N. If two pulses, separated in time by 29.6 ms, are generated on at each end of the wire, where will the pulses meet?

Plz e-mail if anybody has a way to do this problem
dj_werd@hotmail.com

 

[HallsofIvy]

Unless this is a course in partial differential equations, you were probably given a formula for wave speed on a stretched wire: if I remember correctly it is
$$c= \sqrt{(\frac{T}{\rho})}$$
where T is the tension and ρ is the linear density of the wire (mass divided by length). Once you know the wave speed, it should be easy to determine where the pulses meet.

 

[HallsofIvy]

I get a wave speed of 161.6 m/s and that the two pulses meet 7.54 m from the end at which the first pulse started.

 

[Shivnal]

Okay so I understand how to get the wave speed, but I am not really sure how you found the distance on where the pulses will meet.

 

[rwisz]

I can suggest using the formula v = √(T/μ) to determine the velocity of the pulses traveling through the wire, where T is the tension and μ is the linear mass density of the wire (mass per unit length). Once you have calculated the velocity, you can use the equation x = vt to determine the distance traveled by the pulses in 29.6 ms. This will give you the position of the pulses at that specific time. However, since the wire is 10.3 m long, it is possible that the pulses will meet somewhere in the middle. Further calculations or measurements would be needed to determine the exact meeting point. I hope this helps.