General Physics I Chapter 14 Wave Motion

21. Find the (a) amplitude, (b) wavelength, (c) period, and (d) speed of wave whose displacement
is given by y=1.6 cos ( 0.67 x +30 t) , where x and y are in centimeters and t in
seconds. (e) In which direction is the wave propagating?

Sol)

y 1= Acos(kx t)
2 2
Here, A is the amplitude, k= is the wave number, = is the angular
T
frequency where T is the period.

(a) 1.6 cm

2 23.14
(b) = = =9.37 cm
k 0.67
2 23.14
(c) T= = =0.21 s
30
9.37
(d) v= = =44.6 cm/s
T 0.21
(e) negative x-direction. (a plus sign in front of 0.67 x , and a plus sign in front of 30 t
again.)

39. When a stretched string is clamped at both ends, its fundamental frequency is 145 Hz . (a)
Whats the next higher frequency? If the same string, with the same tension, is now clamped at
one end and free at the other, what are (b) the fundamental and (c) the next higher frequency?

Sol)

1
f giventhe same speed ,other words ,the same stringthe same tension .

(a) 290 Hz

(b) 72.5 Hz

(c) 217.5 Hz

42. A car horn emits 361Hz sound. If the car moves at 20 m/s with its horn blasting,
what frequency will a person standing in front of the car hear?

Sol) The car is approaching to the person. The speed of sound is 343 m/s.

f 361
f'= = =383 Hz
1u /v 120/ 343

53. Two waves have the same angular frequency , wave number k , and amplitude A ,
but they differ in phase: y 1= Acos( kxt ) and y 2= Acos(kxt +) . Show that their
superposition is also a simple harmonic wave, and determine its amplitude as a function of the
phase difference .

Sol)

X +Y X Y
cosX + cosY =2cos ( )cos ( )
2 2

y 1+ y 2= Acos ( kxt ) + Acos ( kxt+ ) 2 Acos ( 2 ) cos (kxt+ 2 )

(
A' cos kxt +
2 )
Thus the superposition of those waves is also a simple harmonic wave, with A' its amplitude.

A ' =2 Acos ( 2 )
70. Show by differentiation and substitution that any function of the form y=f ( x vt)
2 2
y 1 y
satisfies the wave equation, =
x2 v t 2

Sol)

u x vt
 u u
=1, = v
x t

y f u f
= f ( x vt ) = =
x x u x u
2 2 2
y f f u f
2
= = 2 = 2
x x u u x u

y f u f
= f ( x vt ) = = v
t t u t u

2 y f 2 f u f
2
= v = v 2
=v 2
t t u u t u

2 y 1 2 y
=
x2 v t2