- #1
hidemi
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- Homework Statement
- How to know the answer is E?
Thanks!
- Relevant Equations
- None
What Are Longitudinal Standing Waves and How Do They Work?
- Thread starter hidemi
- Start date
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SUMMARY
This discussion focuses on understanding longitudinal standing waves by first conceptualizing transverse standing waves. Participants emphasize the importance of visualizing the waveforms at various stages of their cycles, specifically after ¼, ½, ¾, and a full cycle. The conversation highlights the utility of animations and videos to aid comprehension, with specific resources provided for both transverse and longitudinal standing waves. A key takeaway is the necessity of developing a mental image of wave behavior to grasp the underlying physics effectively.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of wave mechanics, specifically transverse and longitudinal waves.
- Familiarity with sinusoidal functions and their graphical representations.
- Basic knowledge of wave cycles and their phases.
- Experience with educational resources such as animations and videos for physics concepts.
- Explore animations of transverse standing waves to visualize wave behavior.
- Research longitudinal standing waves using resources like the provided animations from Boston University.
- Study the mathematical representation of wave cycles, focusing on sine and cosine functions.
- Watch educational videos on wave mechanics to reinforce conceptual understanding.
Students, educators, and physics enthusiasts seeking to deepen their understanding of wave mechanics, particularly those interested in the differences between transverse and longitudinal standing waves.
- #2
berkeman
Admin
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Welcome to PF.
What are your thoughts? Think of a transverse standing wave first -- what does the string or water look like one quarter period after the peaks are the highest?
What are your thoughts? Think of a transverse standing wave first -- what does the string or water look like one quarter period after the peaks are the highest?
- #3
hidemi
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berkeman said:
Hi Berkeman,
The water is the longitudinal wave, while the string travel is the traverse wave.
That's all I know, how can I continue and match the option E above?
- #4
rsk
- 289
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Assume that the starting picture shows the particles at their maximum displacement. Now picture the sin/cosine graph and move on one quarter cycle from that maximum. Where are they now?
- #5
Steve4Physics
Homework Helper
Gold Member
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The best approach (in my opinion) is to have a mental image and conceptual understanding of what is happening in a standing wave.hidemi said:
Note: In the video below, if you click the ‘cog-wheel’ at the bottom of the YouTube screen, you can set the playback speed to slow, so it’s easier to follow what’s going on.
Start with a transverse standing wave - watch an animation carefully, e.g.
If you’ve ‘got it’, you should be able to say what the shapes are at the start, after ¼ of a cycle, after ½ a cycle, after ¾ of a cycle and after a full cycle.
EDIT 3: When you're happy with transverse standing waves, do the same for longitudinal ones. Here is a suitable animation:
You might be able to find better ones.
Last edited:
- #6
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Here's another set of visualizations:
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/transverse_standing_wave.html
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/longitudinal_standing_wave.html
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/transverse_standing_wave.html
http://physics.bu.edu/~duffy/HTML5/longitudinal_standing_wave.html
- #7
hidemi
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Thanks all of you!
I finally understand :)
I finally understand :)
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