PHY-10012 OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES

Spring Semester 2008/9

Assessed Problem Set 3
SOLUTIONS
QUESTION 1
(a) The one-dimensional wave equation is
1 2y
2y
=
x2
v 2 t2
where v is the wave speed (or phase speed). To show that the function
y(x, t) = 0.2 ex3t sin(x + 3t) [cm]
obeys such an equation, the product rule of differentiation has to be applied:

x3t
x3t
sin(x + 3t) + 0.2 e

= 0.2
e
sin(x + 3t)
x
x
x
= 0.2 ex3t sin(x + 3t) + 0.2 ex3t cos(x + 3t)
and then, using the product rule to differentiate both pieces of y/x,

2y
x3t
x3t
=
+0.2
e
sin(x
+
3t)

0.2
e
cos(x
+
3t)
x2

+
0.2 ex3t cos(x + 3t) 0.2 ex3t sin(x + 3t)
= 0.4 ex3t cos(x + 3t)

Similarly, the time derivatives of the wave function are

x3t
x3t
sin(x + 3t) + 0.2 e

= 0.2
e
sin(x + 3t)
t
t
t
= 0.6 ex3t sin(x + 3t) + 0.6 ex3t cos(x + 3t)
and

2y
x3t
x3t
=
+1.8
e
sin(x
+
3t)

1.8
e
cos(x
+
3t)
t2

+
1.8 ex3t cos(x + 3t) 1.8 ex3t sin(x + 3t)
= 3.6 ex3t cos(x + 3t)

This shows that 2 y/x2 and 2 y/t2 are related by

2y
1 2y
=
x2
9 t2
1

[where 1/9 = (0.4)/(3.6)], which proves that the function satisfies the 1-D wave
equation. The wave speed follows as
1/v 2 = 1/9

v = 3 cm s1

and the direction of propagation must be to the left (x direction), since x and t appear
in the wave function in the combination (x + 3t) only.
(b) From the expressions for y/t and 2 y/t2 in part (a), we have that
2y
y
+ 6
+ 18y =
2
t
t

3.6 ex3t cos(x + 3t)

+ 3.6 ex3t sin(x + 3t) + 3.6 ex3t cos(x + 3t)

+ 3.6 ex3t sin(x + 3t)

= 0
as required.

Considering that y/t is the velocity of a particle at position x, as a function of time,

and that 2 y/t2 is the (time-dependent) acceleration of a particle at position x, this
equation is of the basic form y + (/m)y + 02 y = 0, with /m = 6 and 02 = 18. Thus,
the equation of motion for a particle at any fixed x is that of an underdamped oscillator.

QUESTION 2
(a) The equation for a standing harmonic wave is
y(x, t) = 2A sin(kx) cos(t)
Thus, a particle at position x executes simple harmonic motion about y = 0, with an
angular frequency and an (x-dependent) amplitude 2A sin(kx).
A node is a point at which y = 0 at any time, i.e., a point at which the amplitude of
oscillation is 0. That is,
2A sin(kx) = 0

sin(kx) = 0 for a node

This is guaranteed at x = 0, which is the fixed end of the string in this problem.
An antinode is a point at which the amplitude of oscillation is the maximum possible:
|2A sin(kx)| = 2A

=
2

sin(kx) = 1

Here this occurs at the free end of the string, x = L. Thus,

sin(kL) = 1

3 5
,
,
, ...
2 2 2
n
n = 1, 3, 5, . . .
kL =
2

kL =

(note that n 0 is not allowed, since the length of the string is a positive quantity).
Then, since the wave number is k = 2/ by definition, the allowed wavelengths of the
normal modes follow from
kL =

2 L
n
=

n =

4L
,
n

n = 1, 3, 5, . . .

Notice the difference from the usual result for standing waves on a string with both
ends fixed. In that case, the wavelengths are n = 2L/n with n = 1, 2, 3, . . .. Here the
factor of 2 has changed to a factor of 4, and only the normal modes with odd-integer are
allowed. Both of these differences follow directly from the different boundary conditions
at x = L (i.e., fixed in the usual case versus free here). See also Benson, Chapter 17.2.
The frequencies of the normal modes are
fn

v
v
nv
=
=
=
n
4L/n
4L

fn

n
=
4L

F
,

n = 1, 3, 5, . . .

where,
p as usual, F is the tension in the sting and is its mass per unit length (so
v = F/ ). If the total mass of the string is M and its total length is L, then
s
r
F
F
n
n
= M/L
=
fn =
=
,
n = 1, 3, 5, . . .
4L M/L
4 ML
To write the wave function in full then requires only applying the definitions k n = 2/n
and n = 2fn , so that

2
yn (x, t) = 2A sin(kn x) cos(n t) = 2A sin
x cos (2fn t)
n

!
r
n
n
F
x cos
t
n = 1, 3, 5, . . .
(1)
= 2A sin
2L
2
ML
Sketches for n = 1, n = 3, and n = 5 are on the next page. General expressions for the
wavelengths n , frequencies fn , and oscillation periods at any fixed x (Tn = 1/fn ) are
indicated in each case. See Benson, Chapter 17.2, for similar illustrations in the context
of standing sound waves in pipes with one open end and one closed end.

(b) Given M = 0.008 kg, L = 2 m, and

y(x, t) = 0.03 sin(3.25 x) cos(162.5 t) metres
we can use the final expression in part (a) for the normal modes to write, essentially by
inspection,
n
= 3.25 m1
2L
and then
r
n
F
= 162.5 s1
2
ML

n = 6.5 L = 6.5 2 = 13

2 162.5
325
F
=
=
= 25 s1
ML
n
13

Solving for the tension,

F = (25 s1 )2 M L = (25 s1 )2 (0.008 kg) (2 m) = 10 N

QUESTION 3
(a) For an adiabatic process,
P V = constant
which means that the derivative with respect to volume (or indeed any variable) is
d
(P V ) = 0
dV
Using the product rule of differentiation, this becomes
dP
d
V + P
V = 0
dV
dV

dP
+ P V 1 = 0
dV

B V

and thus
P
P V 1
dP
=
=

dV
V
V

dP
= + P
dV

With this result, the adiabatic sound speed in an ideal gas (i.e., one with P V = N kT )
with ratio of specific heats and a mass density = hmiN/V follows as
s
s
s
s
s
s
B
P
P
PV
N kT
kT
v =
=
=
=
=
=

hmiN/V
hmiN
hmiN
hmi
(b) Treating air as a diatomic ideal gas ( = 7/5) composed of 80% N2 (mass 2 14.007 =
28.014 amu) and 20% O2 (mass 2 15.999 = 31.998 amu), the mean particle mass is
(with 1 amu = 1.661 1027 kg)
hmi = (0.8 28.014 + 0.2 31.998) amu = 28.811 amu = 4.785 1026 kg
Thus, at room temperature, T = 293 K, the formula in part (a) gives
s
(7/5) (1.381 1023 J/K) (293 K)
= 344.1 m s1
v =
4.785 1026 kg
for the speed of sound.
In a cloud of molecular hydrogen, = 7/5 again, but hmi = 2 1.0079 = 2.0158 amu =
3.348 1027 kg, so at an interstellar temperature of T = 10 K the speed of sound
predicted by the equation of part (a) is
s
(7/5) (1.381 1023 J/K) (10 K)
v =
= 240.3 m s1
3.348 1027 kg

QUESTION 4
(a) The dark fringes in the interference pattern from two slits separated by d are located at
angles

1
,
m = 0, 1, 2, . . .
d sin =
m+
2
in which (assuming that the screen is at a distance L d from the slits)
sin ' tan =

z
L

for z the distance on the screen from the centre of the screen to the mth-order fringe.
Thus, we have

z
1 L
1
d

=
z =
m+
=
m+
,
m = 0, 1, 2, . . .
L
2
2
d
for the distances of the dark fringes from the centre of the screen.
The third dark fringe corresponds to m = 2 (or m = 2), while the sixth dark fringe
corresponds to m = 5 (or m = 5). The distance between them is therefore

1 L
1 L
L
z =
5+
2+
= 3
2
d
2
d
d
Given that d = 1.2 mm, L = 3.6 m, and z = 5.3 mm, the wavelength of the light
follows as
=

d z
(1.2 103 m) (5.3 103 m)
=
= 5.889 107 m = 588.9 nm
3L
3 (3.6 m)

(b) For diffraction from a single slit of width a, the condition for destructive interference on
a screen a distance L a away is
a sin ' a

z
= M
L

M = 1, 2, 3, . . .

Given that a = 0.15 mm, L = 3.6 m, and = 588.9 nm from part (a), the diffraction
minima closest to the centre of the screen, on either side of the z = 0 intensity peak, are
at
M = +1 = z = L/a = 0.01413 m
M = 1 = z = L/a = 0.01413 m
Hence the total width of the central diffraction maximum is
0.01413 ( 0.01413) = 0.02826 m
6

(2.826 cm)

The number of bright interference fringes contained within this peak follows from an
equation for the positions of constructive interference in the two-slit pattern:
d sin ' d

z
= m
L

z =

mL
d

so if a bright fringe is observed at position z, its order is

m = z

d
L

The bright fringes appearing within the central diffraction peak must have positions
0.01413 < z < +0.01413 metres, and hence orders
d
d
< m < + 0.01413
L
L
(0.01413 m) (1.2 103 m)
(0.01413 m) (1.2 103 m)
< m <

(588.9 109 m) (3.6 m)

(588.9 109 m) (3.6 m)
8 < m < 8
0.01413

Consequently, there are fifteen bright fringes (those with m = 7, 6, . . . , +6, +7)
contained within the central diffraction peak in this case.