14

Waves and Energy Transfer

Practice Problems
14.1 Wave Properties
pages 328335
page 335
1. A sound wave produced by a clock chime
is heard 515 m away 1.50 s later.
a. What is the speed of sound of the
clocks chime in air?
d
515 m
v 5 }} 5 }} 5 343 m/s
t
1.50 s

b. The sound wave has a frequency of

436 Hz. What is its period?
1
1
T 5 }} 5 }} 5 2.29 ms
f
436 Hz
c. What is its wavelength?
v
d
5 }} 5 }}
f
ft
515 m
5 }} 5 0.787 m
(436 Hz)(1.50 s)
2. A hiker shouts toward a vertical cliff 685
m away. The echo is heard 4.00 s later.
a. What is the speed of sound of the
hikers voice in air?

b. The wavelength of the sound is

0.750 m. What is its frequency?
v 5 f
v
343 m/s
f 5 }} 5 }} 5 457 Hz

0.750 m

c. What is the period of the wave?

at a lower frequency, because

wavelength varies inversely with
frequency

4. What is the speed of a periodic wave

disturbance that has a frequency of
2.50 Hz and a wavelength of 0.600 m?
v 5 f 5 (0.600 m)(2.50 Hz) 5 1.50 m/s

5. The speed of a transverse wave in a string

is 15.0 m/s. If a source produces a
disturbance that has a frequency of
5.00 Hz, what is its wavelength?
v
15.0 m/s
5 }} 5 }} 5 3.00 m
f
5.00 Hz

6. Five pulses are generated every 0.100 s in

a tank of water. What is the speed of
propagation of the wave if the wavelength
of the surface wave is 1.20 cm?
0.100 s
}} 5 0.0200 s/pulse, so
5 pulses

T 5 0.0200 s

1.20 cm
v 5 }} 5 }} 5 60.0 cm/s
T
0.0200 s
5 0.600 m/s

7. A periodic longitudinal wave that has a

frequency of 20.0 Hz travels along a coil
spring. If the distance between successive
compressions is 0.400 m, what is the
speed of the wave?
v 5 f 5 (0.400 m)(20.0 Hz) 5 8.00 m/s

1
1
T 5 }} 5 }} 5
f
457 Hz
1
5 }}
5 2.19 3 103 s, or
457 s1
2.19 ms

134 Problems and Solutions Manual

Physics: Principles and Problems

Copyright by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

d
685 m
v 5 }} 5 }} 5 343 m/s
t
2.00 s

3. If you want to increase the wavelength of

waves in a rope, should you shake it at a
higher or lower frequency?

a. What happens when the pulse reaches

point A? Point B?

14.2 Wave Behavior

pages 336343

The pulse is partially reflected,

partially transmitted; it is almost
totally reflected from the wall.

page 337
8. A pulse is sent along a spring. The spring
is attached to a lightweight thread that is
tied to a wall, as shown in Figure 149.
A

b. Is the pulse reflected from A displaced

in the same direction as the incident
pulse, or is it inverted? What about
the pulse reflected from point B?
inverted, because reflection is from
a more dense medium; inverted,
because reflection is from a more
dense medium

FIGURE 14-9

a. What happens when the pulse reaches

point A?
The pulse is partially reflected,
partially transmitted.

Chapter Review Problems

b. Is the pulse reflected from point A

erect or inverted?
erect, because reflection is from a
less dense medium

c. What happens when the transmitted

pulse reaches point B?
It is almost totally reflected from the
wall.

d. Is the pulse reflected from point B erect

or inverted?

Copyright by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

inverted, because reflection is from a

more dense medium

9. A long spring runs across the floor of a

room and out the door. A pulse is sent
along the spring. After a few seconds, an
inverted pulse returns. Is the spring
attached to the wall in the next room or
is it lying loose on the floor?
Pulse inversion means rigid
boundary; spring is attached to wall.

10. A pulse is sent along a thin rope that is

attached to a thick rope, which is tied to
a wall, as shown in Figure 1410.
A

pages 346347
page 346
Section 14.1
Level 1
32. The Sears Building in Chicago sways back
and forth in the wind with a frequency of
about 0.10 Hz. What is its period of
vibration?
1
1
T 5 }} 5 }} 5 1.0 3 101 s, or 10 s
f
0.10 Hz

33. An ocean wave has a length of 10.0 m. A

wave passes a fixed location every 2.0 s.
What is the speed of the wave?
1
v 5 f 5 (10.0 m) }} 5 5.0 m/s
2.0 s

34. Water waves in a shallow dish are 6.0 cm

long. At one point, the water oscillates
up and down at a rate of 4.8 oscillations
per second.
a. What is the speed of the water waves?
v 5 f 5 (0.060 m)(4.8 Hz) 5 0.29 m/s

b. What is the period of the water waves?

1
1
T 5 }} 5 }} 5 0.21 s
f
4.8 Hz

FIGURE 14-10

Physics: Principles and Problems

Problems and Solutions Manual 135

35. Water waves in a lake travel 4.4 m in

1.8 s. The period of oscillation is 1.2 s.
a. What is the speed of the water waves?
d
4.4 m
v 5 }} 5 }} 5 2.4 m/s
t
1.8 s

b. What is their wavelength?

v
5 }} 5 vT 5 (2.4 m/s)(1.2 s)
f
5 2.9 m

36. The frequency of yellow light is

5.0 3 1014 Hz. Find the wavelength of
yellow light. The speed of light is
300 000 km/s.
c
3.00 3 108 m/s
5 }} 5 }}
f
5.0 3 1014 Hz
5 6.0 3 107 m

37. AM-radio signals are broadcast at

frequencies between 550 kHz and 1600
kHz (kilohertz) and travel 3.0 3 108 m/s.
a. What is the range of wavelengths for
these signals?
v 5 f
3.0 3 108 m/s
v
1 5 }} 5 }}
5.5 3 105 Hz
f1
5 550 m

v
3.0 3 108 m/s
2 5 }} 5 }}
f2
1.6 3 106 Hz
5 190 m
Range is 190 m to 550 m.

a. What is the speed of the signal in

water?
v 5 f 5 (1.50 3 103 m)(1.00 3 106 Hz)
5 1.50 3 103 m/s

b. What is its period in water?

1
1
T 5 }} 5 }}
f
1.00 3 106 Hz
5 1.00 3 106 s

c. What is its period in air?

1.00 3 106 s
The period and frequency remain
unchanged.

39. A sound wave of wavelength 0.70 m and

velocity 330 m/s is produced for 0.50 s.
a. What is the frequency of the wave?
v 5 f
v
330 m/s
so f 5 }} 5 }}

0.70 m
5 470 Hz

b. How many complete waves are emitted

in this time interval?
ft 5 (470 Hz)(0.50 s)
5 240 complete waves

c. After 0.50 s, how far is the front of the

wave from the source of the sound?
d 5 vt
5 (330 m/s)(0.50 s)
5 170 m

v
3.0 3 108 m/s
5 }} 5 }}
f
8.8 3 107 Hz
5 3.4 m

v
3.0 3 108 m/s
5 }} 5 }}
f
1.08 3 108 Hz
5 2.8 m
Range is 2.8 m to 3.4 m.

136

Problems and Solutions Manual

Physics: Principles and Problems

Copyright by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

b. FM frequencies range between 88 MHz

and 108 MHz (megahertz) and travel at
the same speed. What is the range of
FM wavelengths?

38. A sonar signal of frequency

1.00 3 106 Hz has a wavelength of
1.50 mm in water.

40. The speed of sound in water is 1498 m/s.

A sonar signal is sent straight down from
a ship at a point just below the water
surface, and 1.80 s later the reflected
signal is detected. How deep is the ocean
beneath the ship?
The time for the wave to travel down
and back up is 1.80 s. The time one
way is half 1.80 s or 0.900 s.

d 5 vt 5 (1498 m/s)(0.900 s) 5 1350 m

41. The time needed for a water wave to

change from the equilibrium level to the
crest is 0.18 s.
a. What fraction of a wavelength is this?
1
}} wavelength
4
b. What is the period of the wave?
T 5 4(0.18 s) 5 0.72 s

c. What is the frequency of the wave?

1
1
f 5 }} 5 }} 5 1.4 Hz
T
0.72 s
Level 2
42. Pepe and Alfredo are resting on an
offshore raft after a swim. They estimate
that 3.0 m separates a trough and an
adjacent crest of surface waves on the
lake. They count 14 crests that pass by
the raft in 20.0 s. Calculate how fast the
waves are moving.
5 2(3.0 m) 5 6.0 m

Copyright by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

14 waves
f 5 }}
20.0 s
5 0.70 Hz

v 5 f 5 (6.0 m)(0.70 Hz)

d 5 vt. We dont know t, only the

difference in time t. The transverse
distance, dT 5 vTt, is the same as the
longitudinal distance, dL 5 vL (t + t ).
Use vTt 5 vL(t + t ), and solve for t:
vL t
t5}
}
vT v L
(5.1 km/s)(73 sec)
t 5 }}} 5 98 s
(8.9 km/s 5.1 km/s)
Then putting t back into

d 5 vTt 5 (8.9 km/s)(98 s)

5 8.7 3 102 km
or 870 000 m

44. The velocity of a wave on a string

depends on how hard the string is
stretched, and on the mass per unit
length of the string. If FT is the tension in
the string, and is the mass/unit length,
then the velocity, v, can be determined.
v=

!}F}
T

A piece of string 5.30 m long has a mass

of 15.0 g. What must the tension in the
string be to make the wavelength of a
125-Hz wave 120.0 cm?
v 5 f 5 (1.200 m)(125 Hz) 5 150 m/s
m
1.50 3 102 kg
and 5 }} 5 }}
5.30 m
L
5 2.83 3 103 kg/m
Now v 5

!}} , so
FT

FT 5 v 2 5 (150 m/s)2
3 (2.83 3 103 kg/m)

5 4.2 m/s

43. The velocity of the transverse waves

produced by an earthquake is 8.9 km/s,
and that of the longitudinal waves is 5.1
km/s. A seismograph records the arrival
of the transverse waves 73 s before the
arrival of the longitudinal waves. How far
away was the earthquake?

Physics: Principles and Problems

5 63.7 N

Problems and Solutions Manual 137

page 347

Level 2

Section 14.2

47. The wave speed in a guitar string is

265 m/s. The length of the string is 63
cm. You pluck the center of the string by
pulling it up and letting go. Pulses move
in both directions and are reflected off
the ends of the string.

Level 1
45. Sketch the result for each of the three
cases shown in Figure 14-21 when
centers of the two wave pulses lie on the
dashed line so that the pulses exactly
overlap.
1

a. How long does it take for the pulse to

move to the string end and return to
the center?
d 5 2(63 cm)/2 5 63 cm
d
0.63 m
so t 5 }} 5 }} 5 2.4 3 103 s
v
265 m/s

b. When the pulses return, is the string

above or below its resting location?
Pulses are inverted when reflected
from a more dense medium, so
returning pulse is down (below).

FIGURE 14-21
1. The amplitude is doubled.

c. If you plucked the string 15 cm from

one end of the string, where would the
two pulses meet?
15 cm from the other end, where the
distances traveled are the same

2. The amplitudes cancel each other.

3. If the amplitude of the first pulse
1
2

is }} of the second, the resultant

1
2

pulse is }} the amplitude of the

second.

48. Gravel roads often develop regularly

spaced ridges that are perpendicular to
the road. This effect, called
washboarding, occurs because most cars
travel at about the same speed and the
springs that connect the wheels to the
cars oscillate at about the same frequency.
If the ridges are 1.5 m apart and cars
travel at about 5 m/s, what is the
frequency of the springs oscillation?
v 5 f
v
5 m/s
f 5 }} 5 }} 5 3 Hz

1.5 m

d 5 3.0 m
d
v 5 }} 5 df 5 (3.0 m)(0.30 Hz)
t
5 0.90 m/s

138

Problems and Solutions Manual

Physics: Principles and Problems

Copyright by Glencoe/McGraw-Hill

46. If you slosh the water back and forth in a

bathtub at the correct frequency, the
water rises first at one end and then at the
other. Suppose you can make a standing
wave in a 150-cm-long tub with a
frequency of 0.30 Hz. What is the
velocity of the water wave?

Critical Thinking Problems