Question

A student sends pulses of transverse sinusoidal waves to the right, along a string, by whipping it up and down. With the help of a high-speed camera, plots of the displacement y of the wave are produced. Which of the following characteristics might be observed in the displacement plot of the transverse waves?

a) Peaks and valleys occurring periodically
b) Displacement only in a single direction
c) No discernible pattern in the displacement
d) Alternating patterns of compression and rarefaction

Answer 1

In the transverse waves created by whipping a string up and down, you would see a periodic pattern of peaks and valleys, but not patterns of compression and rarefaction, which are characteristic of longitudinal waves.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the displacement plot of the transverse waves, you might observe peaks and valleys occurring periodically, which corresponds to the crests and troughs in the wave. Transverse waves are characterized by the movement of the disturbance being perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. These waves do not display patterns of compression and rarefaction; those are associated with longitudinal waves, where the disturbance moves parallel to the direction of propagation. A transverse sinusoidal wave, which the student is creating, will not show displacement in only a single direction, nor will it lack a discernible pattern—the sinusoidal shape itself is the pattern.