94.8k views
5 votes
A string fixed at one end only is vibrating in its third harmonic. The wave function is y(x,t)=0.02sin(3.13x)cos(512t), where y and x are in meters and t is in seconds. (a) What is the wavelength of the wave?

1 Answer

1 vote

Final answer:

The wavelength of the wave represented by the wave function y(x,t)=0.02sin(3.13x)cos(512t) is approximately 2.00 meters. This is computed by using the relationship between the wave number and the wavelength, where the wave number k provided in the wave function is 3.13 m^-1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the wavelength of a wave when a string is vibrating in its third harmonic. The wave function provided is y(x,t)=0.02sin(3.13x)cos(512t), which represents a standing wave. The general form of a sinusoidal wave on a string is y(x, t) = A sin(kx - ωt), where A is the amplitude, k is the wave number, and ω is the angular frequency. The wave number k is related to the wavelength λ by the formula k = 2π/λ. Therefore, we can determine the wavelength λ by rearranging the formula to λ = 2π/k.

From the given wave function y(x,t)=0.02sin(3.13x)cos(512t), we can see that the wave number k is 3.13 m-1. By applying the formula for wavelength, we get:

λ = 2π/3.13 m-1 ≈ 2.00 meters

Therefore, the wavelength of the wave is approximately 2.00 meters.

User Jeff Hernandez
by
8.2k points