SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEM SET NO.

CONCEPTUAL EXERCISES
WAVES
1. Every particle in the medium moves in a periodic manner. The wave also travels in a
periodic manner. Differentiate the motions of the particles in the medium and the
propagating wave.

ANSWER:
In a longitudinal wave the particle displacement is parallel to the direction of wave
propagation. The particles do not move down the tube with the wave; they simply
oscillate back and forth about their individual equilibrium positions.
In a transverse wave the particle displacement is perpendicular to the direction of
wave propagation. The particles do not move along with the wave; they simply oscillate
up and down about their individual equilibrium positions as the wave passes by.
2. The six strings of a guitar are of the same tension, but have different thickness. On which
string do waves travel the fastest?

ANSWER:
The thickest string. According to Issac Newton's Second Law of Motion helps us answer
this question. This law studied the behavior of objects when all forces of the object are
not equal. The law found that the acceleration of an object depends on the mass of the
object. If the mass increases, so will the acceleration. With that, we will find that the
thickest string would move faster. That is because the thicker the string, the more it will
weight in mass. On the other hand, the smaller strings will move slower, because their
mass is less.
3. How do you increase the frequency of the sound produced by a guitar string without
changing its length? (For standing waves, the wavelength is fixed.)

ANSWER:

The mass of the string: more massive strings vibrate more slowly. On steel string guitars,
the strings get thicker from high to low. On classical guitars, the size change is
complicated by a change in density: the low density nylon strings get thicker from the E
to B to G; then the higher density wire-wound nylon strings get thicker from D to A to E.
The frequency can also be changed by changing the tension in the string using the tuning
pegs: tighter gives higher pitch.
DOPPLER EFFECT
1.a) While standing at the NIP lobby, you see a moving jeepney. Inside the jeepney is a
device that amplifies the sound of a 440-Hz tuning fork. According to the jeepney driver,
what is the frequency of the sound coming from the amplifier? 
 ANSWER: THE FREQUENCY OF THE IS 440Hz.

1.b) While standing at the NIP lobby, you see a moving jeepney. Inside the jeepney is a
device that amplifies the sound of a 440-Hz tuning fork. According to you, what is the
frequency of the sound coming from the amplifier?

ANSWER: IF THE JEEPNEY IS MOVING ME THE FREEQUENCY

IS 440Hz BUT WHEN THE JEEPNEY IS MOVING AWAY FROM
ME THE FREQUENCY IS LESS THAN 440Hz.

PROBLEM SOLVING
WAVES
1. If the speed of sound is 344m/s, and the frequency of a sound wave is 384Hz, what is the
wavelength of the sound wave?

m
344
c s
λ= = =0.895 m
f 38 4 s−1

2. A certain transverse wave is described by:

Find the wave’s:

(a) Amplitude = 6.5m

(b) Wavelength = 0.28 m

1
(c) Frequency =  f = =27.8 Hz
0.0360 s
(d) Speed of propagation= v= (0.280m) (27.8 Hz) = 7.78 m/s 
(e) Direction of propagation= Since there is a minus in a front of the t/T
terms, the wave is traveling in the +x-direction

3. A string is tied to a fixed point at one end, and the free end is moved up and down
sinusoidally with frequency 2.00Hz and amplitude 0.075m. The wave speed is
v=12.0m/s. Assume that the initial displacement of the particle at x=0 is maximum and
that it is initially at rest. Find the wave’s 
a. Amplitude 

A=0.075 m
 b. angular frequency

rad cycles
ω=2 πf = 2 π(cycle
2.00 )(
s )
rad rad
ω=4.00 π =12.6
s s

c. period

1 1
T = = =0.50 s
f 2
d. wavelength

m
12.0
v s
λ= = =6.00 m
f 2.0 s−1
e. wave number

2 π 2 π rad rad
k= = =1.05
λ 6.00 m m

f. What is the wave function y(x,t)? Assume the wave is moving to the right.

x t
y ( x , t )= A cos π ( −¿ )¿
λ T

x t
y ( x , t )=( 0.075 m ) cos 2 π ( − )
6.00 m 0.500 s

rad rad
(
y ( x , t )=( 0.075 m ) cos [ 1.05
m ) (
x − 12.6
s )t]

4. One end of a uniform nylon rope is tied to a stationary support at the top of a vertical
mine shaft 80.0m deep. The rope is stretched taut by a box of mineral samples with mass
20.0kg attached to the lower end. The mass of the rope is 2.00kg. The geologist at the
bottom of the mine signal to his colleague at the top by jerking the rope sideways.
 a. Neglecting the mass of the rope in calculating the tension:
    Find the speed of a transverse wave on a rope.

m
(
F=m box g=( 20.0 kg ) 9.80
s2
=196 N
)
m rope 2.0 kg kg
μ= = =0.0250
L 80.0 m m
F 196 N m
λ=
μ√ =
√
0.0250
kg
m
=88.5
s

b. Neglecting the mass of the rope in calculating the tension:

If the rope is given a transverse simple harmonic motion with f=2.00Hz, how many cycles
of the wave are there in the rope’s length?

m
88.5
v s
λ= = =44.3 m
f 2.00 s−1
80.0 m
44.3 ( )
=1.81 wavelengths ( that is , cycles of the wave ) ∈the rope

c. If we include the weight of the rope in calculating the tension:

What is the speed of a wave on the rope at the top?

m
F=m box g=( 20.0 kg +2 kg ) 9.80
( )
s2
=215.6 N

m rope 2.0 kg kg
μ= = =0.0250
L 80.0 m m
 F 215.6 N m
λ=
√ μ
=
√ 0.0250
kg
m
=92.9
s

What is the speed of a wave on the rope at the bottom?

m
F=m box g=( 20.0 kg−2 kg ) 9.80
( s2 )
=215.6 N

m rope 2.0 kg kg
μ= = =0.0250
L 80.0 m m
F 176.4 N m
λ=
μ√ =
√
0.0250
kg
m
=84
s

BECAUSE OF THE ROPE’S WEIGHT, ITS TENSION IS GREATER

AT THE TOP THAN AT THE BOTTOM. HENCE BOTH THE WAVE
SPEED AND THE WAVELENGTH INCREASE AS A WAVE
TRAVELS UP THE ROPE.

5. A piano wire with mass 3.00g and length 80.0cm is stretched with a tension of 25.0N. A
wave with frequency 120.0Hz and amplitude 1.6mm travels along the wire.
a. Calculate the maximum instantaneous power carried by the wave.

Pmax =√ μF ω2 A2
kg
Pmax = ( √( 3.75 x 1 0−3
m ) )
( 120 Hz ) ¿
Pmax =0.446 W

b. Calculate the average power carried by the wave.

m 0.003 kg kg
μ= = =3.75 x 1 0−3
l 0.800 m m
ω=2 π ( 120 Hz )=754 Hz
1 kg

Pavg =0.223W
2 √
Pavg = (3.75 x 1 0−3 )(25.0)¿
m

c. What happens to the average power if the amplitude is halved?

 A1
C
P avg 1
=
2
A1 ()=
1
4
Pavg 1 0.223
Pavg 2= = =0.056 W
4 4

6. At a distance of 15.0m from the source, the intensity of a sound wave is 0.250W/m2. At
what distance from the siren is the intensity 0.010 W/m2? 

r2 ¿ r1
√ I1
I2
=( 15.0 m )
(√ )
0.250
m2
W
0.010 2
m
=75.0 m

7. What is the resulting wave function from the addition of two identical wave pulses
moving with the same speed but in opposite directions?

ANSWER:

The interference of waves causes the medium to take on a shape that results from
the net effect of the two individual waves upon the particles of the medium. As the sine
pulses move towards each other, there will eventually be a moment in time when they are
completely overlapped. At that moment, the resulting shape of the medium would be an
upward displaced sine pulse with an amplitude of 2 units.

8. How about the following case?

ANSWER:

THE SHAPE OF THE STRING AT t= 4.00s, t= 6.00s and t= 10.00s.

9. The frequency of the E-key is 330 Hz. If a string has a mass 10.0g and is 1m long: 
a. What must be the tension in the string for it to produce an E sound when it is tied
at both ends?
T

f=
√ m
( )
L
2L
T

330 Hz=
T =4356
(
√1m
kg

2(1m)
0.01
m3
)

b. What is the frequency and wavelength of the second overtone (third harmonic)?
f 3=3 f 1=3 ( 330 Hz )=990 Hz

2 l 2(1m)
λ 3= = =0.667
3 e

DOPPLER EFFECT
1. The frequency of a car horn is 400 Hz. If an observer moves with a speed 17m/s
towards the car and the car moves with a speed 17m/s towards the observer, find 
(a) The wavelength
SOLUTION:
(A)
v−u s
λ= =¿
fs
 m m
340 −17
s s ¿ 0.808 m
¿
400 Hz
(b) The frequency of the sound as observed by the observer. 
Use 340m/s for the speed of sound in still air. 
SOLUTION:
(B)
v ± vl
f L=( )
v±vs s
f

340+ 17
(
f L=
340−17 )400 Hz

f L =442.1 Hz