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3B10.u1 - Waves Traveling through Different Media

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3B10.u1 - Waves Traveling through Different Media

Preview
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Title3B10.u1 - Waves Traveling through Different Media
Objective

To demonstrate a transverse wave travel through a suspended slinky of a single type of material vs. a slinky of two different types of media.​

StatusAvailable
Assembly Instructions

Attach two bench clamps to the catwalk and feed the support rod for each of the slinkies ​so that they hang about 4 feet apart from one another.  There is a string fed through the center of the slinkies.  This is used to slowly lower the slinkies down from the catwalk.  When completed with the demo, slowly bring up the slinky while leaving the string hanging down.  Once all of the slinky is collected, take the hanging string and use that to secure the slinky.

Setup Time10
Operation Time5
Preview Time10
Operation Instructions

The effect is more obvious if you can ​send a wave up both slinkies at the same time.  Just quickly displace the bottom of the slinkies to create a pulse that will travel up the slinky, get reflected, and come back down.  For the slinky that is all one type of material, you will see a pulse travel just as was described.  For the slinky that is two different types of material, at the boundary between the two types there will be a reflection of the incoming wave as well as the reflection from the top of the suspended slinky.  Since the metal slinky is more dense than the plastic slinky, the wave that passes through two different types of slinkies will reach the bottom faster than the slinky only made of plastic.

ExportableNo
Demo on DimeNo
PIRA 200No
Export Instructions (if different)
HazardsNone
Analysis/Information
Category3 Oscillations
Subcategory3B - Wave Motion
Keywordstransverse wave, media, wave speed, slinky
Construction Information
 
Equipment TitleUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
  
QuantityUse SHIFT+ENTER to open the menu (new window).
  
mounted plastic slinky with string through center
1
mounted plastic to metal slinky with string through center
1
bench clamp
2