Question

10) Two students want to use a 12-meter long rope to create standing waves. They first measure the speed at which a single wave pulse moves from one end of the rope to another and find that it is 36 m/s. What frequency must they vibrate the rope at to create the second harmonic

Answer 1

To create a second harmonic the rope must vibrate at the frequency of 3 Hz

Step-by-step explanation:

First we find the fundamental frequency of the rope. The fundamental frequency is the frequency of the rope when it vibrates in only 1 loop. Therefore,

f₁ = v/2L

where,

v = speed of wave = 36 m/s

L = Length of rope = 12 m

f₁ = fundamental frequency

Therefore,

f₁ = (36 m/s)/2(12 m)

f₁ = 1.5 Hz

Now the frequency of nth harmonic is given in general, as:

fn = nf₁

where,

fn = frequency of nth harmonic

n = No. of Harmonic = 2

f₁ = fundamental frequency = 1.5 Hz

Therefore,

f₂ = (2)(1.5 Hz)

f₂ = 3 Hz