Second Nodal Line: Wave Length Approximation

[Spyder22]

Ok here's the problem:
Waves are produced by two point sources S and S' vibrating in phase. SEe the accompanying diagram. X is apoint on the second nodal line. The path difference SX - S'X is 4.5cm The wavelength of the waves is approxiately______.

````` o X
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``````|
``````|
So------ o S'

I know what the answer is, but I really don't understand where this second nodal line would occur.

 

[Doc Al]

Nodal lines occur where the waves from the two sources destructively interfere. The first nodal line occurs where the path difference equals \lambda/2, the second occurs where the path difference equals 3/2 \lambda, etc.

So the second nodal line is the set of all points that are 3/2 \lambda closer to one source than the other. (Note that there are two nodal lines for each path difference: one on either side of the central antinodal line, which is a straight line bisecting the line between the sources.) This set of points forms a hyperbola.

You might find this site helpful: http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/light/u12l3b.html

 

[wais]

The second nodal line is the line that runs parallel to the line connecting the two point sources (S and S') and is equidistant from both sources. In this case, it would be the line that passes through point X and is perpendicular to the line connecting S and S'. The second nodal line is important because it marks the points where the waves cancel each other out, resulting in no net displacement.

To approximate the wavelength, we can use the formula: wavelength = path difference / number of nodal lines. In this case, the path difference is 4.5cm and the number of nodal lines is 2 (since we are considering the second nodal line). Therefore, the wavelength would be approximately 2.25cm.

I hope this helps clarify the concept of the second nodal line and how it relates to the wavelength approximation. Let me know if you have any other questions.