The transverse displacement of a wire (clamped at both its ends) is described as :
y (x, t) = 0.06 sin(2π/3x) cos(120πt)
The mass of the wire is 6 x 10-2 kg and its length is 3m. Provide answers to the following questions:
( I ) Is the function describing a stationary wave or a travelling wave?
( ii ) Interpret the wave as a superposition of two waves travelling in opposite directions. Find the speed, wavelength and frequency of each wave.
( iii ) Calculate the wire’s tension. [X and y are in meters and t in secs]
We know,
The standard equation of a stationary wave is described as:
y (x, t) = 2a sin kx cos ωt
Our given equation y (x, t) =0.06sin(2π/3x)cos(120πt) is similar to the general equation .
( i ) Thus, the given function describes a stationary wave.
( ii ) We know, a wave travelling in the positive x – direction can be represented as :
y1 = a sin( ωt – kx )
Also,
Wave travelling in the negative x – direction is represented as :
y2 = a sin( ωt + kx )
Super- positioning these two waves gives us :
y = y1 + y2
= a sin( ωt – kx ) – a sin( ωt + kx )
= asin(ωt)cos(kx) – asin(kx)cos(ωt) – asin(ωt)cos(kx) – asin(kx)cos(ωt)
= – 2asin(kx)cos(ωt)
= −2asin(2πλx)cos(2πvt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ( 1 )
The transverse displacement of the wires is described as :
0.06sin(2π3x)cos(120πt) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .( 2 )
Comparing equations ( 1 ) and ( 2 ) , we get :
2π/ λ = 2π/ 3
Therefore, wavelength λ = 3m
Also, 2πv/λ = 120π
Therefore, speed v = 180 m/s
And, Frequency = v/λ = 180/3
= 60 Hz
( iii )Given, Velocity of the transverse wave, v = 180 m / s
The string’s mass, m = 6 × 10-2 kg
String length, l = 3 m
Mass per unit length of the string, μ = m/l = (6 x 10-2 )/3
= 2 x 10-2 kg/m
Let the tension in the wire be T
Therefore, T = v2 μ
= 1802 x 2 x 10-2
= 648 N.
A transverse harmonic wave on a string is described by
y(x,t) = 3.0 sin [36t + 0.018x + π /4]
Where x and y are in cm and t in s. The positive direction of x is from left to right.
(a) Is this a travelling wave or a stationary wave? If it is travelling, what are the speed and direction of its propagation?
(b) What are its amplitude and frequency?
(c) What is the initial phase at the origin?
(d) What is the least distance between two successive crests in the wave?
Use the formula v = √ γP/ρ to explain why the speed of sound in air (a) is independent of pressure, (b) increases with temperature, (c) increases with humidity.
A narrow sound pulse (for example, a short pip by a whistle) is sent across a medium.
(a) Does the pulse have a definite (i) frequency, (ii) wavelength, (iii) speed of propagation?
(b) If the pulse rate is 1 after every 20 s, (that is the whistle is blown for a split of second after every 20 s), is the frequency of the note produced by the whistle equal to or 0.05 Hz?
A stone dropped from the top of a tower of height 300 m high splashes into the water of a pond near the base of the tower. When is the splash heard at the top given that the speed of sound in air is 340 m s-1? (g= 9.8 m s-2)
A travelling harmonic wave on a string is described by
y(x,t) = 7.5sin [0.0050x + 12t + π/4]
(a) What are the displacement and velocity of oscillation of a point at x = 1 cm, and t = 1 s? Is this velocity equal to the velocity of wave propagation?
(b) Locate the points of the string which have the same transverse displacements and velocity as the x = 1 cm point at t = 2 s, 5 s and 11 s.
A bat emits ultrasonic sound of frequency 1000 kHz in air. If the sound meets a water surface, what is the wavelength of (a) the reflected sound, (b) the transmitted sound? Speed of sound in air is 340 m s-1 and in water 1486 m s-1.
A pipe 20 cm long is closed at one end. Which harmonic mode of the pipe is resonantly excited by a 430 Hz source? Will the same source be in resonance with the pipe if both ends are open? (Speed of sound in air is 340 m s-1).
A steel wire has a length of 12.0 m and a mass of 2.10 kg. What should be the tension in the wire so that speed of a transverse wave on the wire equals the speed of sound in dry air at 20 °C = 343 m s-1.
For the travelling harmonic wave
y (x, t) = 2.0 cos 2π (10t - 0.0080 x + 0.35)
Where x and y are in cm and t in s. Calculate the phase difference between oscillatory motion of two points separated by a distance of
(a) 4 m,
(b) 0.5 m,
(c) λ / 2 ,
(d) 3λ / 4
Some of the most profound statements on the nature of science have come from Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time. What do you think did Einstein mean when he said : “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible”?
The sign of work done by a force on a body is important to understand. State carefully if the following quantities are positive or negative:
(a) work done by a man in lifting a bucket out of a well by means of a rope tied to the bucket.
(b) work done by gravitational force in the above case,
(c) work done by friction on a body sliding down an inclined plane,
(d) work done by an applied force on a body moving on a rough horizontal plane with uniform velocity,
(e) work done by the resistive force of air on a vibrating pendulum in bringing it to rest.
A geyser heats water flowing at the rate of 3.0 litres per minute from 27 °C to 77 °C. If the geyser operates on a gas burner, what is the rate of consumption of the fuel if its heat of combustion is 4.0 x 104 J/g?
Estimate the fraction of molecular volume to the actual volume occupied by oxygen gas at STP. Take the diameter of an oxygen molecule to be 3Å.
A famous relation in physics relates 'moving mass' m to the 'rest mass' m0 of a particle in terms of its speed v and the speed of light, c. (This relation first arose as a consequence of special relativity due to Albert Einstein). A boy recalls the relation almost correctly but forgets where to put the constant c. He writes:
m = m0 / (1-v2)½
A cricketer can throw a ball to a maximum horizontal distance of 100 m. How much high above the ground can the cricketer throw the same ball?
The ceiling of a long hall is 25 m high. What is the maximum horizontal distance that a ball thrown with a speed of 40 m s–1 can go without hitting the ceiling of the hall?
Figure 3.24 gives the x-t plot of a particle in one-dimensional motion. Three different equal intervals of time are shown. In which interval is the average speed greatest, and in which is it the least? Give the sign of average velocity for each interval.
A physical quantity P is related to four observables a, b, c and d as follows :
The percentage errors of measurement in a, b, c and d are 1%, 3%, 4% and 2%, respectively. What is the percentage error in the quantity P ? If the value of P calculated using the above relation turns out to be 3.763, to what value should you round off the result ?
A large steel wheel is to be fitted on to a shaft of the same material. At 27 °C, the outer diameter of the shaft is 8.70 cm and the diameter of the central hole in the wheel is 8.69 cm. The shaft is cooled using ‘dry ice’. At what temperature of the shaft does the wheel slip on the shaft? Assume coefficient of linear expansion of the steel to be constant over the required temperature range: αsteel = 1.20 x 10–5 K–1.
The position-time (x-t) graphs for two children A and B returning from their school O to their homes P and Q respectively are shown in Fig. 3.19. Choose the correct entries in the brackets below;
(a) (A/B) lives closer to the school than (B/A)
(b) (A/B) starts from the school earlier than (B/A)
(c) (A/B) walks faster than (B/A)
(d) A and B reach home at the (same/different) time
(e) (A/B) overtakes (B/A) on the road (once/twice).
The velocity-time graph of a particle in one-dimensional motion is shown in Fig. 3.29:
Which of the following formulae are correct for describing the motion of the particle over the time-interval t2 to t1?
(a) x(t2) = x (t1) + v (t1) (t2–t1) + (1/2) a (t2–t1)2
(b) v(t2)= v(t1) + a(t2–t1)
(c) vAverage = (x(t2) – x (t1)) / (t2 – t1)
(d) aAverage = (v(t2) – v(t1)) / (t2 – t1)
(e) x(t2) = x(t1) + vAverage(t2 – t1) + ( 1/2 ) aAverage (t2–t1)2
(f) x(t2) – x(t1) = area under the v–t curve bounded by the t-axis and the dotted line shown.
Estimate the average thermal energy of a helium atom at
(i) room temperature (27 °C),
(ii) the temperature on the surface of the Sun (6000 K),
(iii) the temperature of 10 million Kelvin (the typical core temperature in the case of a star).
Read each statement below carefully and state, with reasons, if it is true or false:
(a) The net acceleration of a particle in circular motion is always along the radius of the circle towards the centre
(b) The velocity vector of a particle at a point is always along the tangent to the path of the particle at that point
(c) The acceleration vector of a particle in uniform circular motion averaged over one cycle is a null vector