PHYS130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Standing Wave, Linear Density, Hydrodynamic Stability

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Physics
• Course: PHYS130
• Professor: Kim Chow

Document Summary

Many different types of motion follow the same patterns and principles that are dictated by simple harmonic motion. One specific type of motion that obeys the laws of simple harmonic notion is standing/stationary waves. By utilizing the principles of simple harmonic motion, we can observe the effects of oscillation on a string. When waves are superimposed, their energies are either added to each other or subtracted and cancelled out. This phenomenon is known to produce standing waves. A standing wave is a combination of two waves moving in opposite directions and have the same amplitude and frequency. Resonance can be used to induce standing waves by vibrating a medium at a certain frequency. Therefore, by fixing one end of a string at a fixed position and vibrating the other end at a certain frequency, we can create a system that creates standing waves. When these waves travel through a the string, they reflect back in the opposite direction.