Superposition: Adding two waves together -- amplitude help

AI Thread Summary
To find the maximum positive displacement of two traveling waves on a string, one must consider the principle of superposition, which states that the total displacement is the sum of individual displacements. The challenge arises when the waves have different amplitudes, making direct addition complex. It is crucial to determine if the waves are traveling in the same or opposite directions, as this affects their interaction. The maximum displacement occurs when the peaks of both waves coincide, allowing the amplitudes to be summed. Understanding the sine function's maximum value is essential in calculating the overall amplitude in this scenario.
Toon
Messages
10
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement


"
Two traveling waves are generated on the same taut string. Individually, the two traveling waves can be described by the following two equations:
UU8Nt9N.png

If both of the above traveling waves exist on the string at the same time, what is the maximum positive displacement that a point on the string can ever have?
3. At first I thought this problem was pretty straighfoward with just adding the two waves together. However my plan was to add them such that the outcome would be something like 2Asin(a+b)/2 * cos(a-b)/2
however the waves in the problem have diffrent amplitudes and I am not sure had to add them now. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Do you need to find a complicated answer using your k and phi terms?
Is it not reasonable to assume that regardless of the terms, there is a max that the sine function will take?
 
Are the two waves traveling in the same, or in opposite directions?

Can a pair of peaks - one from each wave - ever coincide?
 
add the two amplitudes to find the max superposition
 
TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
Back
Top