Standing Waves in Nonuniform Rope
Safety Warnings
Warning: Electrical Safety
Warning: Strobe Light Warning
Purpose
Demonstrates that wave velocity depends on the linear mass density of the medium. Two ropes of different thickness, joined and driven at the same frequency, show different wavelengths — the thicker rope has more nodes per unit length. Visualizes wave impedance mismatch and boundary behavior.
Figure 1:
Standing waves at four successive harmonics. The thicker rope (left of center) develops more nodes per unit length than the thinner rope (right), demonstrating the wavelength difference due to different linear mass densities.
Figure 2:
Close-up of the rope junction. The racking knot (left) connects the thicker rope to the lightweight cord. The coil wrapping (right) secures the thin rope to the thicker rope's loop.
Demo Apparatus
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