An engineer investigates sound waves in a metal beam used in a bridge.
A vibration generator produces a steady wave in the beam at a frequency of 3.20 kHz3.20\ \text{kHz}3.20 kHz. A pickup connected to an oscilloscope is used to locate five consecutive nodes.
The table shows the distance between each pair of adjacent nodes.
| Pair of nodes | Distance between nodes in m\text{m}m |
|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | 0.77 |
| 2 and 3 | 0.78 |
| 3 and 4 | 0.77 |
| 4 and 5 | 0.78 |
Adjacent nodes are half a wavelength apart.
Calculate the speed of the wave in the metal beam.
The engineer increases the frequency of the vibration generator to 4.00 kHz4.00\ \text{kHz}4.00 kHz.
Calculate the predicted distance between adjacent nodes at this frequency.
The engineer sends a single pulse along 3.10 m of the beam. The travel time is measured using two methods.
| Timing method | Measured travel time |
|---|---|
| hand-operated stopwatch | 0.20 s |
| pickups connected to a data logger | 0.625 ms |
Explain which timing result is more suitable for determining the speed of the pulse.
112 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 4.1 Wave properties, covering 4.1.1 Waves transfer energy and information, 4.1.2 Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, period and wavefronts, 4.1.3 Longitudinal and transverse waves, 4.1.4 The wave speed equations, 4.1.5 Measuring wave velocity, and 4.1.6 Calculating depth or distance from waves. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.