Speed of transverse wave on a stretched string
Wave motion · Physics
Transverse wave
Interactive 3DA travelling wave ribbon. Raise the amplitude to make it taller, the frequency to make it faster.
Controls
Drag the sliders or type a value — the simulation updates live.
m
0.1m1m
Hz
0.5Hz3Hz
Study notes
A sonometer wire of length 1.0 m and mass 4 g is stretched with tension 64 N. Find (a) the wave speed and (b) the fundamental frequency. Step 1: μ = mass/length = 0.004/1.0 = 4 × 10⁻³ kg/m. Step 2: (a) v = √(T/μ) = √(64/0.004) = √16000 ≈ 126.5 m/s. Step 3: (b) f₁ = v/(2L) = 126.5/2 = 63.25 Hz. Answer: (a) ≈ 127 m/s, (b) ≈ 63 Hz. To double the pitch, the tension must be quadrupled (f ∝ √T).