Rather, the speed of the wave is dependent upon the properties of the medium such as the tension of the rope. In fact, the speed of a wave is not dependent upon (causally affected by) properties of the wave itself. So while the frequency did not affect the speed of the wave, the tension in the medium (the rope) did. Waves travel through tighter ropes at higher speeds. The speed of the waves was significantly higher at higher tensions. The obvious cause of this difference is the alteration of the tension of the rope. Observe that the speed of the waves in rows 6-8 is distinctly different than the speed of the wave in rows 1-5. The last three trials involved the same procedure with a different rope tension. An increase in wave frequency caused a decrease in wavelength while the wave speed remained constant. The data convincingly show that wave frequency does not affect wave speed. The small variations in the values for the speed were the result of experimental error, rather than a demonstration of some physical law. The speed remained a near constant value of approximately 16.2 m/s. The data in rows 1-5 of the table above demonstrate that a change in the frequency of a wave does not affect the speed of the wave. In the first five trials, the tension of the rope was held constant and the frequency was systematically changed. Sample data for the experiment are shown below. Finally, the tension of the rope is altered to investigate the effect of tension upon wave speed. ![]() Then the frequency of vibration of the generator is changed to investigate the effect of frequency upon wave speed. The wavelength, frequency and speed are determined. Suppose a wave generator is used to produce several waves within a rope of a measurable tension. What variables affect the speed at which a wave travels through a medium? Does the frequency or wavelength of the wave affect its speed? Does the amplitude of the wave affect its speed? Or are other variables such as the mass density of the medium or the elasticity of the medium responsible for affecting the speed of the wave? These questions are often investigated in the form of a lab in a physics classroom. In other words, the distance traveled by the sound wave in 1 second is equivalent to the 170 meters down to the canyon wall plus the 170 meters back from the canyon wall. Remember, when there is a reflection, the wave doubles its distance. In this instance, the sound wave travels 340 meters in 1 second, so the speed of the wave is 340 m/s. He shouts and hears the echo of his voice one second later. A classic physics problem goes like this: Noah stands 170 meters away from a steep canyon wall. The result is that you hear the echo (the reflected sound wave) of your holler. The sound wave travels through the medium (air in this case), reflects off the canyon wall and returns to its origin (you). When you let out a holler within a canyon, you often hear the echo of the holler. Reflection phenomena are commonly observed with sound waves. ![]() ![]() That is, by reflecting back to the original location, the wave has traveled a distance that is equal to twice the length of the slinky. A slinky wave that travels to the end of a slinky and back has doubled its distance. In the case of a slinky wave, the disturbance can be seen traveling back to the original end. When a wave undergoes reflection, it remains within the medium and merely reverses its direction of travel. The wave will reflect or bounce off the person's hand. One behavior that waves undergo at the end of a medium is reflection. For example, a wave introduced by a person into one end of a slinky will travel through the slinky and eventually reach the end of the slinky and the presence of the hand of a second person. Sometimes a wave encounters the end of a medium and the presence of a different medium. ![]() The faster wave travels a greater distance in the same amount of time. On the other hand, if the crest of an ocean wave moves a distance of 25 meters in 10 seconds (the same amount of time), then the speed of this ocean wave is 2.5 m/s. If the crest of an ocean wave moves a distance of 20 meters in 10 seconds, then the speed of the ocean wave is 2.0 m/s. In the case of a wave, the speed is the distance traveled by a given point on the wave (such as a crest) in a given interval of time. The speed of an object refers to how fast an object is moving and is usually expressed as the distance traveled per time of travel. If one watches an ocean wave moving along the medium (the ocean water), one can observe that the crest of the wave is moving from one location to another over a given interval of time. A wave is a disturbance that moves along a medium from one end to the other.
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