What was the point of this prelab i just did?

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The prelab focused on understanding wave properties, particularly the relationship between frequency, speed, and wavelength when light travels through different media. It emphasized that while the frequency of a monochromatic light source remains constant, its speed and wavelength change based on the medium's index of refraction. The exercise aimed to teach basic graphing techniques for analyzing linear relationships from data points. This foundational knowledge is essential for further studies in wave behavior and optics. Overall, the prelab serves as an introduction to key concepts in wave dynamics.
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Homework Statement



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Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution


It seems like i was just trying to figure out the frequency by finding the slope, but what exactly is this of importance for?
 

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It looks like they are trying to teach you some of the basics of waves, as well as a little bit of techniques on making graphs from a few data points to determine linear relationships, etc. ## \\ ## When working with light waves from a given source, the frequency of a monochromatic (single color) source is fixed, but when it travels through different media, (e.g. air, water, glass), the speed (of light) will change, depending on the index of refraction of the material, so that the wavelength changes. What you did in this experiment should help give you a good introduction that topic, when you encounter it.
 
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Charles Link said:
It looks like they are trying to teach you some of the basics of waves, as well as a little bit of techniques on making graphs from a few data points to determine linear relationships, etc. ## \\ ## When working with light waves from a given source, the frequency of a monochromatic (single color) source is fixed, but when it travels through different media, (e.g. air, water, glass), the speed (of light) will change, depending on the index of refraction of the material, so that the wavelength changes. What you did in this experiment should help give you a good introduction that topic, when you encounter it.

Oh i see. So, contrary to saying the velocity of speed stays constant in a certain medium, it would change when the medium changes except that the frequency stays constant.
 
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