Objectives: Define Transverse and Longitudinal Wave using helix/slinky spring.

ng. Determine the compressions and rarefactions of a propagated by a helix/slinky spring. longitudinal wave

Demonstrate reflection in transverse and longitudinal waves.

Materials: Helix/Slinky Spring Meter Stick Abstract: A slinky is an example of a tension spring: in an unstretched state a slinky is collapsed, with turns touching, and a nite tension is required to separate the turns from this state. If a slinky is suspended from its top and stretched under gravity and then released, the bottom of the slinky does not begin to fall until the top section of the slinky, which collapses turn by turn from the top, collides with the bottom. The total time corresponds to the time required for a wave front to propagate from the slinky to communicate the release of the each end. The modication of the experiment has two parts: to move the slinky up and down and to move it back and forth. Data and Results: Analysis and Interpretation: For transverse waves the displacement of the medium is perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. Transverse waves cannot propagate in a gas or a liquid because there is no mechanism for driving motion perpendicular to the propagation of the wave. In Part A of the experiment, the motion used on the slinky spring is up and down motion in two kinds of end; one end stationary and simultaneous end motion. In the One end Stationary, the wave that has been produced is normal while the wave produced in the simultaneous end motion is propagated in a shaky manner which causes it to vibrate longer. A longitudinal wave is like a compression wave that travels along a Slinky (or similar long, soft spring) when you hold it up by one end and then "bounce" that end down and up again along the axis of the Slinky. The compression wave will travel along the length of the Slinky, and bounce off any obstruction at the end. A transverse wave is probably best represented by the waves on the surface of the ocean, where the wave form is characterized by peaks and troughs that travel along the medium. Notice that a small object floating on the surface will move up and down Stop Watch

as the wave passes, but movement in the direction of the wave propagation will be minimal. In Part B, the motion of the spring is sideways with the same kind of end in Part A. The outcome of the one end stationary is in a patterned way. The one end of the spring is quite loose which is called rarefaction then it suddenly compresses then refracts again. In the simultaneous back and forth motion, the refraction part at one end of the spring is more stretched while in the middle part, the compression is starting to build up then it looses again at the other end. Conclusion: The fall of a slinky illustrates the physics of a tension spring, and more generally wave propagation in a spring. This paper investigates the dynamics of an initially stretched slinky which is stretched. During the experiment the slinky turns collapse from the top down or back and forth, as a wave front propagate along the slinky. The bottom of the slinky does not begin to fall until the top collides with it. A modication to an existing model for the fall is presented, providing an improved description of the collapse of the slinky turns. Answers to Questions: 1. Define superposition of waves. - The principle of superposition may be applied to waves whenever two (or more) waves travelling through the same medium at the same time. The waves pass through each other without being disturbed. The net displacement of the medium at any point in space or time is simply the sum of the individual wave displacements. This is true of waves which are finite in length (wave pulses) or which are continuous sine waves.

2. What is interference? Explain. - is a phenomenon in which two waves superimpose to form a resultant wave of greater or lower amplitude. Interference usually refers to the interaction of waves that are correlated or coherent with each other, either because they come from the same source or because they have the same or nearly the same frequency.

3. What happens to the waves produced when both ends of the spring is moved up and down simultaneously? - The waves are being more produced whenever the both ends are being moved fast.

4. What happens to the waves produced when both ends of the spring is moved sideways simultaneously? - There is a compression in the middle while both ends had rarefaction.

5. Define transverse wave. Give 3 examples. - A transverse wave is a wave in which particles of the medium move in a direction perpendicular to the direction that the wave moves. Examples of these are: The S waves (Secondary waves) in an earthquake, light waves and electromagnetic waves.

6. Define longitudinal wave. Give 3 examples - In a longitudinal wave the particle displacement is parallel to the direction of wave propagation. Examples of these are: Sound waves, Oscillations in spring and internal water waves. References: [1] Retrieved 18 August 2008 http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/superposition/superposition.html [2] Retrieved 11 July http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interference_(wave_propagation) 2012 from from

[3] Retrieved 10 September 2010 from http://www.edurite.com/kbase/how-dotransverse-and-longitudinal-waves-differ [4] Retrieved 11 July 2012 http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~wheat/tmp/CrossWheatlandAJP20120602.pdf [5] Retrieved 11 July astr.gsu.edu/hbase/sound/tralon.html 2012 from from

http://hyperphysics.phyfrom from from

[6] Retrieved 02 March 2011 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_example_of_longitudinal_waves [7] Retrieved 10 July 2012 http://www.acs.psu.edu/drussell/Demos/waves/wavemotion.html [8] Retrieved 10 July http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/u10l1c.cfm 2012

[9] Retrieved 11 July 2012 from http://www.ask.com/questions-about/Examples-ofTransverse-Waves