Required Practical: Measuring Wave Properties Flashcards

All 4 cards in this deck

What are the steps to measure the frequency of ripples in a ripple tank?
e.g. 10 wave fronts pass a mark in 8 s

1. Time how long 10 wave fronts take to pass a fixed mark: 8 s
2. Period $=\dfrac{8}{10} = 0.8$ s
3. $f = \dfrac{1}{T} = 1.25$ Hz

What are the steps to measure the wavelength of ripples in a ripple tank?
e.g. 10 ripples spanning 20 cm

1. Use a lamp above the tank to project the ripple shadows onto paper below
2. Measure across 10 wavelengths with a ruler: 20 cm
3. Divide by 10: wavelength $= 2$ cm $= 0.02$ m

In RP8, how is the frequency of waves on a stretched string (waves in a solid) found?

Read it from the display of the signal generator driving the vibration generator.

True or false? Timing 10 ripples and dividing by 10 gives a more accurate period than timing a single ripple.

True. It reduces the percentage uncertainty caused by reaction time.