Speed of transverse waves in a string revisited
| Autor: | Joseph A. Rizcallah |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
05 social sciences Process (computing) 050301 education General Physics and Astronomy Classical Physics (physics.class-ph) FOS: Physical sciences Transverse wave Physics - Classical Physics 01 natural sciences String (physics) Finite element method Education Acceleration Classical mechanics 0103 physical sciences Pulse wave 010306 general physics 0503 education Energy transport |
| DOI: | 10.48550/arxiv.1907.11103 |
| Popis: | In many introductory-level physics textbooks, the derivation of the formula for the speed of transverse waves in a string is either omitted altogether or presented under physically overly idealized assumptions about the shape of the considered wave pulse and the related velocity and acceleration distributions. In the paper, we derive the named formula by applying Newton's second law or the work-energy theorem to a finite element of the string, making no assumptions about the shape of the wave. We argue that the suggested method can help the student gain a deeper insight into the nature of waves and the related process of energy transport, as well as provide a new experience with the fundamental principles of mechanics as applied to extended and deformable bodies. Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, typos corrected |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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