Experiment 7: Waves on a

Vibrating String









Vincent Vuong
March 4th, 2014
Tuesday 11am
Roli Esha
Ming-Hei Tai
Introduction
The purpose of this experiment is to study the motion of waves on a large string. Instead of
observing a single point mass engaged in harmonic motion, the waves will be analyzed as a body of mass
oscillating harmonically at each and every point residing in that body. The goal of the experiment is to
measure the velocity of the traveling waves, both experimentally and theoretically, and use it to predict
resonant frequencies for successive modes.
Calculating the mass density
The linear mass density will be calculated by dividing the mass of the string by the length of the
string. However, when tension is applied to the string, it will stretch. The linear mass density will be
calculated as the mass divided by the total stretched length of the string. This stretched length is the
length of the string from the clamp all the way to the knot where the masses are hanging. Since this
stretched length will vary depending on the applied tension whereas the mass of this segment of the
string will not, the mass densities for each applied tension can be calculated.
Determining the wave speed
Wave speed is a function of both the tension in the string and also the linear mass density and is
related to these two variables through the equation:

where v is the wave speed, T is the tension, and is the linear mass density of the string.
Setup
The experimental setup consists of mainly a massive, elastic string clamped on one end and weighed
down over a pulley on the other. A wave generator is placed a very short distance from the clamped
end. The position of the wave driver is such that the string barely rests at the tip when the driver is
unpowered. At the other end, the string hangs over a pulley, with a loop at the end to hang weights to
apply tension. Near the pulley end of the setup, a laser and an accompanying photo-sensor is mounted
to record the vibrations of the string. The laser is angled from above so that it hits roughly one third of
the string and the light bounces off into a photo-detector. The vibration of the string will induce
fluctuating light intensities recorded in the sensor, which allows the behavior of the wave to be
monitored.



a) Entire lab setup
b) Wave driver position
c) Laser and light detector setup.
Fig. 1: Experimental Setup
Procedure
The strings mass and unstretched lengths were recorded. Weights of 400g, 500g, and 600g
were then attached to the string and the stretched lengths were also measured in order to calculate the
strings linear mass density for each case. Using the equation

, where v is the velocity, T is the

tension, and is the mass density, the predicted velocities were calculated. Next, measured values for
velocity can be obtained from a plot of light intensity vs. time for all three cases of applied tension in
which the wave driver produces square waves. The velocity was obtained by dividing twice the vibrating
length by the time between successive peaks or troughs in the plot, as shown later in the calculations.
In part two of the experiment, the frequency of the fundamental mode was found by adjusting
the frequency until the first mode formed (no nodes, one antinode). Measured frequencies were taken
up to the 6
th
mode, and these were compared with a predicted value for the resonant frequency based
off of the velocity calculated in part I, given by f(n) = n

.

Experimental Results and Data Analysis
Total mass of string: 15.0 g = 0.015 kg
Total ustretched length: 209.8 cm = 2.098 m

Table 1: String Length Measurement: The total length of the string includes the constant length for
vibration, the length hanging off the pulley, as well as the unused length hanging off the clamp.
Hanging Mass
(g)
Length
Hanging (cm)
Length
Vibrating
(cm)
Length
Unused (cm)
Total Used
Length (cm)
Total Length
(cm)
400 32.0 170.6 13.7 202.6 216.3
500 36.2 170.6 13.7 206.8 220.5
600 44.8 170.6 13.7 215.4 229.1

The mass of the segment of the string that is actually being used in the experiment, that is, the length
excluding the part hanging from the clamp, can be calculated by multiplying the total mass of the string
by the ratio of the used length with the full length. The mass is then equal to (15.0 g)(196.1
cm)/(209.8cm) = 14.0 g.
The linear mass density is calculated by dividing the mass of the used segment by the total stretched
length of the string from the clamp. Knowing all values for tension and the mass densities, the velocities
can be predicted for all three tensions.
Table 2: Calculating Velocity
Hanging Mass (g) Tension (N) (kg/m) Velocity (m/s)
400 3.92 0.00647 24.60.5
500 4.91 0.00635 27.80.5
600 5.89 0.00611 31.10.5

The velocity of the string can also be determined experimentally by analyzing how the string behaves
while being driven by a square wave. The recorded light intensity was plotted as a function of time in
the figure below:










Figure 2: Measured Value for Wavespeed: Ignoring the noise of the plots (the data recorded when no
pulse had yet to generate), each successive peak or trough represents a cycle where a pulse would have
started at the photo-sensor, travelled down one end, and came back to that point. Using the measured
vibrational length from table 1, the velocity v can be obtained by diving twice that length by , the time
separating each successive peak or trough in the plots, given by v = 2L/.The experimental
approximated velocities are shown below:
Table 3: Experimental Velocity
Hanging Mass (g) Velocity (m/s)
400 24.50.5
500 28.30.5
600 31.80.5

These values compare very well to the values calculated previously using the known tensions and linear
mass densities. The errors were estimated assuming uncertainties in the measuring apparatus.
Part II
0
5
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15
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25
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35
40
45
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6
L
i
g
h
t

I
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y

P
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a
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(
%
)

Time (s)
400g
500g
600g
Using the measured velocity and vibrational length, the frequency of the fundamental mode (n=1) can
be predicted using the equation:
f(n) = n

where v is the measured wavespeed, L is the vibrational length between the clamp and pulley, and n is
the mode.
Using the data from the heaviest weight in part 1, the frequency of the fundamental mode was
calculated to be 9.35.20 Hz.
This prediction comes very closed to the measured value for the frequency of the fundamental mode,
which was 9.46.01 Hz.
Table 4: Predicted vs. Recorded Frequencies
Mode Predicted Frequency (Hz) Measured Frequency (Hz)
2 18.71.20 18.93.02
3 28.10.20 28.34.02
4 37.41.20 37.11.10
5 46.77.20 47.24.20
6 56.12.20 56.60.05

Like the first node, the values for the predicted and measured frequencies agree quite well with each
other, with the measured frequency being slightly higher. The difference between the predicted and
measured values increases at the higher nodes. This is expected as most of this deviation can be
attributed directly to error propagation. Since the predicted values are calculated via multiplication of
strict constants, small unnoticeable errors can quickly be blown to large proportions in the higher
modes. Despite this difference, the predicted and measured values are still within close range of each
other, which shows that the measured data was accurate.
Intermediate Drive Frequency(optional?)
At frequencies between the first and second mode resonant frequencies, there was no noticeable
difference in the behavior on the string. Nodes and antinodes were difficult to distinguish and the wave
was blurry due to lack of organized interference of waves that lead to neither complete construction nor
destruction. However, when the frequency was set to the midpoint between the first and second mode
frequencies, the waves exhibited a nearly flat line, which was near complete destruction of the waves.
Prediction of Highest Detectable Frequency(optional/skipped)
Part III Constraint at the Node of a 2 Mode wave
When the string was constrained in the middle and in its second mode, the amplitude of one
side of the constraint increased whereas the other decreased. This is expected due to the fact that the
wave driver was operating on only one side of the entire string length, and the side it was on had the
increased amplitude. The antinode further away experienced a decrease in amplitude.
Conclusion
In this experiment, the objective was to obtain the velocities of the string in order to predict the
resonant frequencies for the standing waves. The measured frequencies at various modes were found to
be very close to the predicted ones, indicating that the data was taken accurately. The measured and
predicted velocities also agreed very well with one another, showing that the linear mass densities were
well-estimated.
One source of error in this lab lay in the precision of the meterstick used to measure the string
lengths. Length measurements could not be more precise than to the nearest millimeter. The slack in
the string also may have contributed to less than perfect measurements of the string length which too
would affect the calculation of the linear mass density. Another source of error was the stretching of the
knot used to hang the weights. Had this stretching been taken into account, the linear mass densities
may have been calculated more accurately, since stretching also occurred in the knot and not only in the
measured length. To prevent these errors, more precise measuring tools can be used as well as replaced
the tied knot with a metal loop that will not affect the mass density calculation. The slack in the string
can be reduced by either decreasing the length of the string, increasing the applied tension, or using a
string with less slack.
EC
The amplitudes of the waves were observed for three different cases. In the first case, a system
for constructive interference was set up by using two wave drivers, one placed on each end of the string.
The two constructed waves were displaced in the same direction. The second case is done similarly but
setup for destructive interference, in which the waves were displaced in opposite directions. These two
cases were compared with the normal case with just one wave driver. It is expected that the
constructive interference will result in a larger than normal amplitude whereas the destructive
interference will decrease the amplitude or cause the wave to exhibit a flat line (complete
destruction).The amplitudes were recorded as the difference between the maximum and minimum light
intensity percentages and are shown below:
Constructive interference: 14.3%
Destructive interference: 8.7%
No interference: 10.2%
The results are as predicted, showing that constructive interference did increase the waves amplitude
and destructive interference decreased it.