Standing Waves on a String (Melde's Experiment)

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves determining the mass required to produce a standing wave pattern with 6 antinodes on a string, given that a mass of 200 g produces 4 antinodes. The context is related to standing waves and tension in a string, as described in Melde's experiment.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the relationships between wavelength, tension, and mass, with one suggesting the need to find relative changes in these quantities. Others express confusion regarding the lack of a diagram and seek clarification on the equations presented.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with some participants attempting to clarify the problem while others are questioning the completeness of the information provided. There is no explicit consensus yet, as participants are exploring different aspects of the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the absence of a diagram that is crucial for understanding the problem setup. There is also a request for clarification on the derivation of one of the equations related to tension.

CHurst5841
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The problem is as follows:

"A string exhibits standing waves with 4 antinodes when a mass of 200 g is hanging over the pulley (see attached figure). What mass will produce a standing wave pattern with 6 antinodes?"

The equations that I have found in the relevant section of the text are as follows:

v=\sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}

v=f\lambda

f=\frac{1}{\lambda}\sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}

T=mg

\frac{1}{n}=\frac{1}{Lf}\sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}=[\frac{1}{Lf}\sqrt{\frac{g}{\mu}}}]\sqrt{m}

Where...
T = tension in the spring as supplied by the weight of the hanging mass
mu = linear density of the string
lambda = wavelength
f = frequency of oscillation
m = mass suspended from spring
g = gravitational constant
L = length of the string

I've attached the diagram referenced above for further illustration.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3735/sc002c9a37ww1.th.jpg

I have no idea where to even begin with the problem given the lack of information provided by the question.

Please help!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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All the information you need is given. You need to find the relative change in the wavelength to determine the relative change in velocity, and from that determine the relative change in tension, and ultimately the relative change in the mass.
 
therez no diagram attached to it ... can u please attach it again or give us a link for the diagram !
 
Razi Rehman said:
therez no diagram attached to it ... can u please attach it again or give us a link for the diagram !


and can u explain how u got the last eqn after T=mg
 

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