Name___________________

Phet: Waves On a String

Waves on a String – Simulation

Aim: to observe relationships between frequency, wavelength, speed of waves in a rope, and observe how
these change with changing tension in the rope.

Method: Use the pHet app “Wave on a string”

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/wave-on-a-string/latest/wave-on-a-string_en.html

Experiment 1 – Speed of wave and tension

Set to “Pulse”; “Fixed End”; Damping = None; Normal; Tension = Low
Turn the Ruler and Timer on

Use the ruler to measure the length of the piece of string. Record: 7.5 cm
Click the button on the pulse generator to send a pulse through the string
Use the timer to measure how long it takes for the pulse to travel back and forth 5 times.

Repeat on moderate and High tension

Results:
String length =
Tension Time for pulse Time to travel Length of one Speed of wave
to travel 5 one round trip round trip = length / time
round trips
Low 59 s 12 s 15 cm 1.25 cm/s
Medium 21 s 4.31 s 15 cm 3.48 cm/s
High 12.5 s 2.2 s 15 cm 6.82 cm/s

Conclusion:
How does tension affect the speed of a wave in a rope?

The higher the tension, the faster the sound of the wave.
Experiment 2 – Generating Standing Waves of Different Harmonics
Set to “Oscillate”; “Fixed End”; Damping = None; Normal; Tension = Medium, Amplitude = 0.20 cm
Turn the Ruler and Timer on

Use the ruler to measure the length of the piece of string. Record it here: 7.5 cm

Use the results of Experiment 1 to determine the speed of the wave when the rope is set to medium
tension. Record here: 3.48 cm/s

Analysis:
1) Determine the wavelength that will generate a second
harmonic standing wave. Record it here: 3.75 cm

Use v = λ * f to calculate the frequency of this wave.

f = v/ λ = 3.48 cm/s / 3.75 cm = 0.93 Hz

Record it here: 0.93 Hz

Input this frequency into the simulator and press restart. If it works, show your teacher and get it
checked off: Yes. It worked

2) Determine the wavelength that will generate a third

harmonic standing wave. Record it here: 2.5 cm

Use v = λ * f to calculate the frequency of this wave.

f = v/ λ = 3.48 cm/s / 2.3 cm = 1.51 Hz

Record it here: 1.51 Hz

Input this frequency into the simulator and press restart. If it works, show your teacher and get it
checked off: Yes. It worked

3) Draw a picture of a fifth harmonic standing wave:

Determine the wavelength that will generate a fifth

harmonic standing wave.
and Record it here: 1.5 cm

Use v = λ * f to calculate the frequency of this wave.

f = v/ λ = 3.48 cm/s / 1.5 cm = 2.32 Hz
Record it here: 2.32 Hz
Input this frequency into the simulator and press restart. If it works, show your teacher and get it
checked off: Yes. It worked

Experiment 3: Relationship between wavelength and frequency

Set to “Oscillate” and “No End”

Keep the ruler and timer on

Set the frequency to 1 and tension to low

Measure the time it takes for a wave to travel the length of the string
Measure the length of a single wave length.

Do the same measurements at Frequency = 2 and 3

Repeat the experiment at moderate and high tension

Results:
Tension Frequency Time to Wavelength Speed = Frequency
travel the Length/time X
length of wavelength
the string
Low 1 6.15 s 1.25 cm 1.22 cm/s 1.25 cm/s
Low 2 6.13 s 0.7 cm 1.22 cm/s 1.4 cm/s
Low 3 6.07 s 0.5 cm 1.24 cm/s 1.5 cm/s
Moderate 1 2.14 s 3.75 cm 3.5 cm/s 3.75 cm/s
Moderate 2 2.08 s 1.9 cm 3.61 cm/s 3.8 cm/s
Moderate 3 2.00 s 1.15 cm 3.75 cm/s 3.45 cm/s
High 1 1.3 s 6 cm 5.77 cm/s 6 cm/s
High 2 1.26 s 3.1 cm 5.95 cm/s 6.2 cm/s
High 3 1.2 s 2.1 cm 6.25 cm/s 6.3 cm/s

Conclusion:
1. If the tension remains constant and the frequency increases, what happens to the wavelength?

The wavelength decreases as the frequency increases.

2. Is there any pattern in the last two columns of the table (speed and Frequency X wavelength)?

The values are similar since velocity is wavelength x frequency. The slight variance is due
to minor errors in measurement. Most values are proportional to each other as well.
3. What is the relationship between frequency, wavelength and speed of a wave?

The frequency and speed of waves are directly proportional to each other in the same
manner as the wavelength and speed of waves. On the other hand, frequency and wavelength are
inversely proportional to each other.