Physics Assignment M.

Prakash Academy

Waves

1) The following functions in which A is a constant are of the form f  x  vt  .

y  A( x  vt ), y  A( x  vt )2 , y  A x  vt , y  A ln( x  vt ) . Explain why these functions are not useful
in wave motion.

2) Write the equation for a wave traveling in the negative direction along the x axis and having an amplitude
0.010 m, a frequency 550 Hz, and a speed 330 m/s.

 x t 
3) A wave is described by the equation y  (1.0mm) sin    
 2.0cm 0.10s 
a) Find the time period and the wavelength
b) Write the equation for the velocity of the particles. Find the speed of the particles at x=1.0 cm at time
t=0.01 s.
c) What are the speeds of the particles at x=3.0 cm, 5.0 cm and 7.0 cm at t=0.01 s?
d) What are the speeds of the particles at x=1.0 cm at t=0.011 s, t=0.012, and t=0.013 s?

4) A wave of frequency 500 Hz has a velocity of 350 m/s.

a) How far apart are the two points 600 out of phase?
b) What is the phase difference between two displacements at a certain point at times 10-3 s apart?

5) A uniform circular loop of string of radius R is rotating with constant angular velocity ω. Ignore gravity. The
string is lightly disturbed at a point on its circumference. Find the speed of the waves traveling on this string.

6) Two blocks each having a mass of 3.2 kg are connected by a wire CD and the system is suspended from the
ceiling by another wire AB. The linear mass density of the wire AB is 10 gm/cm and that of CD is 8 gm/cm.
Find the speed of a transverse wave pulse produced in AB and in CD . Assume length each wire to be 10 cm.

7) The linear density of a vibrating string is 1.3 x 10-4 kg/m. A transverse wave is propagating on the string and
is described by the equation y  0.021sin( x  30t ) where x and y are measured in meters and t in seconds.
What is the tension in the string?

8) Determine the amplitude of the resultant wave motion when two sinusoidal motions having the same
frequency and traveling in the same direction are combined, if their amplitudes are 3.0 cm and 4.0 cm and
they differ in phase by π/2 rad.

Y (mm)

9) The figure shows two wave pulses at t=0 2 mm

10 14 X (mm)
travelling on a string in opposite directions with 2 6
-2 mm

1
Physics Assignment M. Prakash Academy

the same speed 50 cm/s. Sketch the shape of the string at t=4 ms, 6 ms, 8 ms and 12 ms.

10) A transverse wave of amplitude 0.50 mm and frequency 100 Hz is produced on a wire stretched to a tension
of 100 N. If the wave speed is 100 m/s, what average power is the source transmitting to the wire?

11) The figure shows the snapshot of a vibrating Y (mm)

string at t=0. The particle P is observed moving 4
P
up with velocity 20π cm/s. The angle made by 2√2 X (cm)

the string (at P) with the X axis is 60. 0 1.5 3.5 5.5 7.5

a) Find the direction in which the string is

moving
b) the equation of the wave
c) the total energy carried by the wave per cycle of the string, given linear mass density to be 50 g/m

12) A transverse sinusoidal wave is generated at one end of a long, horizontal string by a tuning fork so that the
amplitude of the generated wave is 0.5 cm. The tuning fork frequency is 120 Hz. Linear mass density of the
string is 100 g/m and its tension is 90 N. Calculate:
a) Maximum value of the transverse speed of the particles of the string
b) Maximum value of transverse component of tension
c) Consider the phase values for the wave, at which above two maximum values occur. What is the relation
between them?
d) Maximum rate of energy transfer along the string
e) Transverse displacement when maximum transfer rate occurs
f) Minimum rate of energy transfer
g) Transverse displacement when minimum transfer rate occurs

13) Spherical waves are emitted from a 1.0 watt source in an isotropic non-absorbing medium. What is the wave
intensity 1.0 m from the source?

14) A line emits cylindrical expanding wave. Assuming the medium absorbs no energy, find how
a) the intensity and
b) the amplitude of the wave depend on the distance from the source.

15) A string of length 20 cm and linear mass density 0.40 gm/cm is fixed at both
ends and is kept under a tension of 16 N. A wave pulse is produced at t=0
near an end as shown, which travels towards the other end. 20 cm
a) When will the string have the shape shown in the figure again?
b) Sketch the shape of the string at a time half of that found in part (a).

16) A wave is given by the equation y  10sin 2 (100t  0.02 x)  10sin 2 (100t  0.02 x) . Find the following
quantities for the stationary wave produced:

(a) Loop length (b) Frequency (c) Velocity (d) Amplitude

2
Physics Assignment M. Prakash Academy

17) A steel wire of length 4.0 gm and length 80 cm is fixed at the two ends. The tension in the wire is 50 N. Find
the frequency and wavelength of the fourth harmonic of the fundamental.

18) A string of length L fixed at both ends vibrates in its fundamental mode at a frequency ν and maximum
amplitude A.
a) Find the wavelength and the wave number k.
b) Take the origin at one end of the string and X axis along the string. Take the Y axis along the direction of
the displacement. Take t=0 at the instant when the middle point of the string passes through its mean
position and is going towards the positive Y direction. Write the equation describing the standing wave.

19) Vibrations from a 600 Hz tuning fork set up waves in a string clamped at both ends. The wave speed for the
string is 400 m/s. The standing wave has four loops and amplitude of 2.0 mm.
a) What is the length of the string?
b) Write an equation for the displacement of the string as a function of position and time.

20) A somometer wire having a length of 1.5 m between the bridges vibrates in its second harmonic in resonance
with a tuning fork of frequency 256 Hz. What is the speed of the transverse wave on the wire?

21) Two wires are kept tight between the same pair on supports. The tensions in the wires are in the ratio 2:1, the
radii are in the ratio 3:1 and the densities are in the ratio 1:2. Find the ratio of their fundamental frequencies.

22) A string fixed at both ends is vibrating in a certain mode of vibration for which a point at quarter of its length
from one end is a point of maximum displacement. The frequency of vibration in this mode is 100 Hz. What
will be the frequency emitted when it vibrates in a next mode such that this point is again a point of maximum
displacement?

23) A string fixed at both ends has consecutive modes for which the distance between adjacent nodes is 18 cm
and 16 cm respectively.
a) What is the length of the string?
b) If the tension is 10 N and linear mass density is 4 g/m, what is its fundamental frequency?

24) A string 120 cm in length sustains a standing wave, with the points of the string at which the displacement
amplitude is equal to 3.5 mm being separated by 15.0 cm. Find the maximum displacement amplitude. To
which overtones do these oscillations correspond?

25) A string of mass m is fixed at both ends. Oscillations corresponding to fundamental angular frequency ω and
maximum amplitude A are excited in the string. Find
a) The maximum kinetic energy of the string
b) The mean kinetic energy of the string averaged over one oscillation period.

26) Figure shows an aluminum wire of length 60 cm joined to a steel wire of length
80 cm and stretched between two fixed supports. The tension produced is 40 N. steel aluminum
The cross-sectional area of the steel wire is 1.0 mm2 and that of the aluminum 80 cm 60 cm

3
Physics Assignment M. Prakash Academy

wire is 3.0 mm2. What could be the minimum frequency of a tuning fork which can produce standing waves
in the system with the joint as a node? The density of aluminum is 2.6 g/cc and that of steel is 7.9 g/cc.

27) The displacement of a string is given by the equation y=Acos(ax+bt), where A, a and b are positive constants.
The wave is reflected by an obstacle situated at x=0. The intensity of the reflected wave is 0.64 times that of
the incident wave.
a) What are the wavelength and frequency of the incident wave?
b) Write the equation of the reflected wave
c) In the resultant wave formed after reflection, find the maximum and minimum values of the particle
speeds of the string.
d) Express the complete resultant wave as a superposition of a standing wave and a travelling wave.
e) What are the positions of antinodes in the standing wave?

Answer Key

 10 x 
(1) These are unbounded functions (2) 0.010sin   1100 t 
 3 

(3) (a) 20 ms, 4 cm (b) Zero (c) Zero (d)9.7 cm/s, 18 cm/s, 25 cm/s

(4) (a) 12 cm (b) 1800 (5) ω/R (6) 8 m/s, 10√2 m/s (7) 0.12 N

(8) 5 cm (9) To be discussed in class. Just superpose the two wave forms

(10) 49 mW

 1 
(11) (a) In negative X direction (b) y  0.004 sin100  3t  0.5 x   , where all dimensions are in meter.
 400 
(c) 144π2x 10-5 J

(12) (a) 3.77 m/s (b) 11.3 N (c) Zero (d) 42.6 W (e) Zero (f) Zero (g) 0.5 cm

1 1
(13) 0.08 W/m2 (14) (a)  (b)  (15) (a) 0.02 s (16) (a) 25 (b) 100 (c) 5000 (d) 20 (17) 250 Hz,
R R
x 
40 cm (18) (a) 2L, π/L (b) y  A sin   sin(2 t )
 L 

(19) (a) 1.3 m (b) 2.0 103 sin(9.4 x) cos(3800t ) (20) 384 m/s (21) 2:3 (22) 300 Hz (23) (a) 144 cm (b)
17.36 Hz

1 1
(24) 5 mm, Third overtone (25) (a) m( A) 2 (b) m( A) 2 (26) 180 Hz (27) (a) 2π/a, b/2π
4 8

(b) yr=-0.8cos(bt-ax) (c) vmax=1.8Ab, vmin=0 (d) y=-1.6Asinaxsinbt+0.2cos(ax+bt) (e) x=(2n+1)π/2a