Chapter16openstax

Check Your Understanding
A famous magic trick involves a performer singing a note toward a crystal glass until the glass shatters. Explain why the trick
works in terms of resonance and natural frequency.
Solution
The performer must be singing a note that corresponds to the natural frequency of the glass. As the sound wave is directed
at the glass, the glass responds by resonating at the same frequency as the sound wave. With enough energy introduced
into the system, the glass begins to vibrate and eventually shatters.
16.9 Waves
Learning Objectives
By the end of this section, you will be able to:
• Describe various characteristics associated with a wave.
• Differentiate between transverse and longitudinal waves.
Figure 16.29 Waves in the ocean behave similarly to all other types of waves. (credit: Steve Jurveston, Flickr)
What do we mean when we say something is a wave? The most intuitive and easiest wave to imagine is the familiar water wave.
More precisely, a wave is a disturbance that propagates, or moves from the place it was created. For water waves, the
disturbance is in the surface of the water, perhaps created by a rock thrown into a pond or by a swimmer splashing the surface
repeatedly. For sound waves, the disturbance is a change in air pressure, perhaps created by the oscillating cone inside a
speaker. For earthquakes, there are several types of disturbances, including disturbance of Earth’s surface and pressure
disturbances under the surface. Even radio waves are most easily understood using an analogy with water waves. Visualizing
water waves is useful because there is more to it than just a mental image. Water waves exhibit characteristics common to all
waves, such as amplitude, period, frequency and energy. All wave characteristics can be described by a small set of underlying
principles.
A wave is a disturbance that propagates, or moves from the place it was created. The simplest waves repeat themselves for
several cycles and are associated with simple harmonic motion. Let us start by considering the simplified water wave in Figure
16.30. The wave is an up and down disturbance of the water surface. It causes a sea gull to move up and down in simple
harmonic motion as the wave crests and troughs (peaks and valleys) pass under the bird. The time for one complete up and
down motion is the wave’s period T . The wave’s frequency is f = 1 / T , as usual. The wave itself moves to the right in the
figure. This movement of the wave is actually the disturbance moving to the right, not the water itself (or the bird would move to
the right). We define wave velocity vw to be the speed at which the disturbance moves. Wave velocity is sometimes also called
the propagation velocity or propagation speed, because the disturbance propagates from one location to another.
Misconception Alert
Many people think that water waves push water from one direction to another. In fact, the particles of water tend to stay in
one location, save for moving up and down due to the energy in the wave. The energy moves forward through the water, but
the water stays in one place. If you feel yourself pushed in an ocean, what you feel is the energy of the wave, not a rush of
water.
700 Chapter 16 | Oscillatory Motion and Waves
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Figure 16.30 An idealized ocean wave passes under a sea gull that bobs up and down in simple harmonic motion. The wave has a wavelength λ ,
which is the distance between adjacent identical parts of the wave. The up and down disturbance of the surface propagates parallel to the surface at a
speed vw .
The water wave in the figure also has a length associated with it, called its wavelength λ , the distance between adjacent
identical parts of a wave. ( λ is the distance parallel to the direction of propagation.) The speed of propagation vw is the
distance the wave travels in a given time, which is one wavelength in the time of one period. In equation form, that is
(16.66)
vw = λ
T
or
(16.67)vw = fλ.
This fundamental relationship holds for all types of waves. For water waves, vw is the speed of a surface wave; for sound, vw
is the speed of sound; and for visible light, vw is the speed of light, for example.
Applying the Science Practices: Different Types of Waves
Consider a spring fixed to a wall with a mass connected to its end. This fixed point on the wall exerts a force on the complete
spring-and-mass system, and this implies that the momentum of the complete system is not conserved. Now, consider
energy. Since the system is fixed to a point on the wall, it does not do any work; hence, the total work done is conserved,
which means that the energy is conserved. Consequently, we have an oscillator in which energy is conserved but
momentum is not. Now, consider a system of two masses connected to each other by a spring. This type of system also
forms an oscillator. Since there is no fixed point, momentum is conserved as the forces acting on the two masses are equal
and opposite. Energy for such a system will be conserved, because there are no external forces acting on the spring-two-
masses system. It is clear from above that, for momentum to be conserved, momentum needs to be carried by waves. This
is a typical example of a mechanical oscillator producing mechanical waves that need a medium in which to propagate.
Sound waves are also examples of mechanical waves. There are some waves that can travel in the absence of a medium of
propagation. Such waves are called “electromagnetic waves.” Light waves are examples of electromagnetic waves.
Electromagnetic waves are created by the vibration of electric charge. This vibration creates a wave with both electric and
magnetic field components.
Take-Home Experiment: Waves in a Bowl
Fill a large bowl or basin with water and wait for the water to settle so there are no ripples. Gently drop a cork into the middle
of the bowl. Estimate the wavelength and period of oscillation of the water wave that propagates away from the cork.
Remove the cork from the bowl and wait for the water to settle again. Gently drop the cork at a height that is different from
the first drop. Does the wavelength depend upon how high above the water the cork is dropped?
Example 16.9 Calculate the Velocity of Wave Propagation: Gull in the Ocean
Calculate the wave velocity of the ocean wave in Figure 16.30 if the distance between wave crests is 10.0 m and the time
for a sea gull to bob up and down is 5.00 s.
Strategy
Chapter 16 | Oscillatory Motion and Waves 701

We are asked to find vw . The given information tells us that λ = 10.0 m and T = 5.00 s . Therefore, we can use
vw = λ
T
to find the wave velocity.
Solution
1. Enter the known values into vw = λ
T
:
(16.68)
vw = 10.0 m
5.00 s
.
2. Solve for vw to find vw = 2.00 m/s.
Discussion
This slow speed seems reasonable for an ocean wave. Note that the wave moves to the right in the figure at this speed, not
the varying speed at which the sea gull moves up and down.
Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
A simple wave consists of a periodic disturbance that propagates from one place to another. The wave in Figure 16.31
propagates in the horizontal direction while the surface is disturbed in the vertical direction. Such a wave is called a transverse
wave or shear wave; in such a wave, the disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of propagation. In contrast, in a
longitudinal wave or compressional wave, the disturbance is parallel to the direction of propagation. Figure 16.32 shows an
example of a longitudinal wave. The size of the disturbance is its amplitude X and is completely independent of the speed of
propagation vw .
Figure 16.31 In this example of a transverse wave, the wave propagates horizontally, and the disturbance in the cord is in the vertical direction.
Figure 16.32 In this example of a longitudinal wave, the wave propagates horizontally, and the disturbance in the cord is also in the horizontal
direction.
Waves may be transverse, longitudinal, or a combination of the two. (Water waves are actually a combination of transverse and
longitudinal. The simplified water wave illustrated in Figure 16.30 shows no longitudinal motion of the bird.) The waves on the
strings of musical instruments are transverse—so are electromagnetic waves, such as visible light.
Sound waves in air and water are longitudinal. Their disturbances are periodic variations in pressure that are transmitted in
fluids. Fluids do not have appreciable shear strength, and thus the sound waves in them must be longitudinal or compressional.
Sound in solids can be both longitudinal and transverse.

Figure 16.33 The wave on a guitar string is transverse. The sound wave rattles a sheet of paper in a direction that shows the sound wave is
longitudinal.
Earthquake waves under Earth’s surface also have both longitudinal and transverse components (called compressional or P-
waves and shear or S-waves, respectively). These components have important individual characteristics—they propagate at
different speeds, for example. Earthquakes also have surface waves that are similar to surface waves on water.
Applying the Science Practices: Electricity in Your Home
The source of electricity is of a sinusoidal nature. If we appropriately probe using an oscilloscope (an instrument used to
display and analyze electronic signals), we can precisely determine the frequency and wavelength of the waveform. Inquire
about the maximum voltage current that you get in your house and plot a sinusoidal waveform representing the frequency,
wavelength, and period for it.
Why is it important to differentiate between longitudinal and transverse waves?
Solution
In the different types of waves, energy can propagate in a different direction relative to the motion of the wave. This is
important to understand how different types of waves affect the materials around them.
PhET Explorations: Wave on a String
Watch a string vibrate in slow motion. Wiggle the end of the string and make waves, or adjust the frequency and amplitude
of an oscillator. Adjust the damping and tension. The end can be fixed, loose, or open.
Figure 16.34 Wave on a String (http://cnx.org/content/m55281/1.2/wave-on-a-string_en.jar)
16.10 Superposition and Interference
Learning Objectives
• Determine the resultant waveform when two waves act in superposition relative to each other.
• Explain standing waves.
• Describe the mathematical representation of overtones and beat frequency.

Figure 16.35 These waves result from the superposition of several waves from different sources, producing a complex pattern. (credit: waterborough,
Wikimedia Commons)
Most waves do not look very simple. They look more like the waves in Figure 16.35 than like the simple water wave considered
in Waves. (Simple waves may be created by a simple harmonic oscillation, and thus have a sinusoidal shape). Complex waves
are more interesting, even beautiful, but they look formidable. Most waves appear complex because they result from several
simple waves adding together. Luckily, the rules for adding waves are quite simple.
When two or more waves arrive at the same point, they superimpose themselves on one another. More specifically, the
disturbances of waves are superimposed when they come together—a phenomenon called superposition. Each disturbance
corresponds to a force, and forces add. If the disturbances are along the same line, then the resulting wave is a simple addition
of the disturbances of the individual waves—that is, their amplitudes add. Figure 16.36 and Figure 16.37 illustrate superposition
in two special cases, both of which produce simple results.
Figure 16.36 shows two identical waves that arrive at the same point exactly in phase. The crests of the two waves are precisely
aligned, as are the troughs. This superposition produces pure constructive interference. Because the disturbances add, pure
constructive interference produces a wave that has twice the amplitude of the individual waves, but has the same wavelength.
Figure 16.37 shows two identical waves that arrive exactly out of phase—that is, precisely aligned crest to trough—producing
pure destructive interference. Because the disturbances are in the opposite direction for this superposition, the resulting
amplitude is zero for pure destructive interference—the waves completely cancel.
Figure 16.36 Pure constructive interference of two identical waves produces one with twice the amplitude, but the same wavelength.
Figure 16.37 Pure destructive interference of two identical waves produces zero amplitude, or complete cancellation.

While pure constructive and pure destructive interference do occur, they require precisely aligned identical waves. The
superposition of most waves produces a combination of constructive and destructive interference and can vary from place to
place and time to time. Sound from a stereo, for example, can be loud in one spot and quiet in another. Varying loudness means
the sound waves add partially constructively and partially destructively at different locations. A stereo has at least two speakers
creating sound waves, and waves can reflect from walls. All these waves superimpose. An example of sounds that vary over
time from constructive to destructive is found in the combined whine of airplane jets heard by a stationary passenger. The
combined sound can fluctuate up and down in volume as the sound from the two engines varies in time from constructive to
destructive. These examples are of waves that are similar.
An example of the superposition of two dissimilar waves is shown in Figure 16.38. Here again, the disturbances add and
subtract, producing a more complicated looking wave.
Figure 16.38 Superposition of non-identical waves exhibits both constructive and destructive interference.
Standing Waves
Sometimes waves do not seem to move; rather, they just vibrate in place. Unmoving waves can be seen on the surface of a
glass of milk in a refrigerator, for example. Vibrations from the refrigerator motor create waves on the milk that oscillate up and
down but do not seem to move across the surface. These waves are formed by the superposition of two or more moving waves,
such as illustrated in Figure 16.39 for two identical waves moving in opposite directions. The waves move through each other
with their disturbances adding as they go by. If the two waves have the same amplitude and wavelength, then they alternate
between constructive and destructive interference. The resultant looks like a wave standing in place and, thus, is called a
standing wave. Waves on the glass of milk are one example of standing waves. There are other standing waves, such as on
guitar strings and in organ pipes. With the glass of milk, the two waves that produce standing waves may come from reflections
from the side of the glass.
A closer look at earthquakes provides evidence for conditions appropriate for resonance, standing waves, and constructive and
destructive interference. A building may be vibrated for several seconds with a driving frequency matching that of the natural
frequency of vibration of the building—producing a resonance resulting in one building collapsing while neighboring buildings do
not. Often buildings of a certain height are devastated while other taller buildings remain intact. The building height matches the
condition for setting up a standing wave for that particular height. As the earthquake waves travel along the surface of Earth and
reflect off denser rocks, constructive interference occurs at certain points. Often areas closer to the epicenter are not damaged
while areas farther away are damaged.
Figure 16.39 Standing wave created by the superposition of two identical waves moving in opposite directions. The oscillations are at fixed locations in
space and result from alternately constructive and destructive interference.
Standing waves are also found on the strings of musical instruments and are due to reflections of waves from the ends of the
string. Figure 16.40 and Figure 16.41 show three standing waves that can be created on a string that is fixed at both ends.
Nodes are the points where the string does not move; more generally, nodes are where the wave disturbance is zero in a

standing wave. The fixed ends of strings must be nodes, too, because the string cannot move there. The word antinode is used
to denote the location of maximum amplitude in standing waves. Standing waves on strings have a frequency that is related to
the propagation speed vw of the disturbance on the string. The wavelength λ is determined by the distance between the points
where the string is fixed in place.
The lowest frequency, called the fundamental frequency, is thus for the longest wavelength, which is seen to be λ1 = 2L .
Therefore, the fundamental frequency is f1 = vw / λ1 = vw / 2L . In this case, the overtones or harmonics are multiples of the
fundamental frequency. As seen in Figure 16.41, the first harmonic can easily be calculated since λ2 = L . Thus,
f2 = vw / λ2 = vw / 2L = 2f 1 . Similarly, f3 = 3f 1 , and so on. All of these frequencies can be changed by adjusting the
tension in the string. The greater the tension, the greater vw is and the higher the frequencies. This observation is familiar to
anyone who has ever observed a string instrument being tuned. We will see in later chapters that standing waves are crucial to
many resonance phenomena, such as in sounding boxes on string instruments.
Figure 16.40 The figure shows a string oscillating at its fundamental frequency.
Figure 16.41 First and second harmonic frequencies are shown.
Beats
Striking two adjacent keys on a piano produces a warbling combination usually considered to be unpleasant. The superposition
of two waves of similar but not identical frequencies is the culprit. Another example is often noticeable in jet aircraft, particularly
the two-engine variety, while taxiing. The combined sound of the engines goes up and down in loudness. This varying loudness
happens because the sound waves have similar but not identical frequencies. The discordant warbling of the piano and the
fluctuating loudness of the jet engine noise are both due to alternately constructive and destructive interference as the two waves
go in and out of phase. Figure 16.42 illustrates this graphically.

Figure 16.42 Beats are produced by the superposition of two waves of slightly different frequencies but identical amplitudes. The waves alternate in
time between constructive interference and destructive interference, giving the resulting wave a time-varying amplitude.
The wave resulting from the superposition of two similar-frequency waves has a frequency that is the average of the two. This
wave fluctuates in amplitude, or beats, with a frequency called the beat frequency. We can determine the beat frequency by
adding two waves together mathematically. Note that a wave can be represented at one point in space as
(16.69)
x = X cos
⎛
⎝
2π t
T
⎞
⎠ = X cos⎛
⎝2π ft⎞
⎠,
where f = 1 / T is the frequency of the wave. Adding two waves that have different frequencies but identical amplitudes
produces a resultant
(16.70)x = x1 + x2.
More specifically,
(16.71)x = X cos⎛
⎝2π f1 t⎞
⎠ + X cos⎛
⎝2π f2 t⎞
⎠.
Using a trigonometric identity, it can be shown that
(16.72)x = 2X cos⎛
⎝π fB t⎞
⎠cos⎛
⎝2π fave t⎞
⎠,
where
(16.73)fB = ∣ f1 − f2 ∣
is the beat frequency, and fave is the average of f1 and f2 . These results mean that the resultant wave has twice the
amplitude and the average frequency of the two superimposed waves, but it also fluctuates in overall amplitude at the beat
frequency fB . The first cosine term in the expression effectively causes the amplitude to go up and down. The second cosine
term is the wave with frequency fave . This result is valid for all types of waves. However, if it is a sound wave, providing the two
frequencies are similar, then what we hear is an average frequency that gets louder and softer (or warbles) at the beat frequency.
Real World Connections: Tuning Forks
The MIT physics demo (http://openstaxcollege.org/l/31tuningforks/) entitled “Tuning Forks: Resonance and Beat
Frequency” provides a qualitative picture of how wave interference produces beats.
Description: Two identical forks and sounding boxes are placed next to each other. Striking one tuning fork will cause the
other to resonate at the same frequency. When a weight is attached to one tuning fork, they are no longer identical. Thus,
one will not cause the other to resonate. When two different forks are struck at the same time, the interference of their
pitches produces beats.
Real World Connections: Jump Rop
This is a fun activity with which to learn about interference and superposition. Take a jump rope and hold it at the two ends
with one of your friends. While each of you is holding the rope, snap your hands to produce a wave from each side. Record
your observations and see if they match with the following:
a. One wave starts from the right end and travels to the left end of the rope.
b. Another wave starts at the left end and travels to the right end of the rope.
c. The waves travel at the same speed.
d. The shape of the waves depends on the way the person snaps his or her hands.
e. There is a region of overlap.
f. The shapes of the waves are identical to their original shapes after they overlap.
Now, snap the rope up and down and ask your friend to snap his or her end of the rope sideways. The resultant that one
sees here is the vector sum of two individual displacements.

This activity illustrates superposition and interference. When two or more waves interact with each other at a point, the
disturbance at that point is given by the sum of the disturbances each wave will produce in the absence of the other. This is
the principle of superposition. Interference is a result of superposition of two or more waves to form a resultant wave of
greater or lower amplitude.
While beats may sometimes be annoying in audible sounds, we will find that beats have many applications. Observing beats is a
very useful way to compare similar frequencies. There are applications of beats as apparently disparate as in ultrasonic imaging
and radar speed traps.
Imagine you are holding one end of a jump rope, and your friend holds the other. If your friend holds her end still, you can
move your end up and down, creating a transverse wave. If your friend then begins to move her end up and down,
generating a wave in the opposite direction, what resultant wave forms would you expect to see in the jump rope?
Solution
The rope would alternate between having waves with amplitudes two times the original amplitude and reaching equilibrium
with no amplitude at all. The wavelengths will result in both constructive and destructive interference
Define nodes and antinodes.
Solution
Nodes are areas of wave interference where there is no motion. Antinodes are areas of wave interference where the motion
is at its maximum point.
You hook up a stereo system. When you test the system, you notice that in one corner of the room, the sounds seem dull. In
another area, the sounds seem excessively loud. Describe how the sound moving about the room could result in these
effects.
Solution
With multiple speakers putting out sounds into the room, and these sounds bouncing off walls, there is bound to be some
wave interference. In the dull areas, the interference is probably mostly destructive. In the louder areas, the interference is
probably mostly constructive.
PhET Explorations: Wave Interference
Make waves with a dripping faucet, audio speaker, or laser! Add a second source or a pair of slits to create an interference
pattern.
Figure 16.43 Wave Interference (http://cnx.org/content/m55282/1.2/wave-interference_en.jar)
16.11 Energy in Waves: Intensity
Learning Objectives
• Calculate the intensity and the power of rays and waves.

Figure 16.44 The destructive effect of an earthquake is palpable evidence of the energy carried in these waves. The Richter scale rating of
earthquakes is related to both their amplitude and the energy they carry. (credit: Petty Officer 2nd Class Candice Villarreal, U.S. Navy)
All waves carry energy. The energy of some waves can be directly observed. Earthquakes can shake whole cities to the ground,
performing the work of thousands of wrecking balls.
Loud sounds pulverize nerve cells in the inner ear, causing permanent hearing loss. Ultrasound is used for deep-heat treatment
of muscle strains. A laser beam can burn away a malignancy. Water waves chew up beaches.
The amount of energy in a wave is related to its amplitude. Large-amplitude earthquakes produce large ground displacements.
Loud sounds have higher pressure amplitudes and come from larger-amplitude source vibrations than soft sounds. Large ocean
breakers churn up the shore more than small ones. More quantitatively, a wave is a displacement that is resisted by a restoring
force. The larger the displacement x , the larger the force F = kx needed to create it. Because work W is related to force
multiplied by distance ( Fx ) and energy is put into the wave by the work done to create it, the energy in a wave is related to
amplitude. In fact, a wave’s energy is directly proportional to its amplitude squared because
(16.74)W ∝ Fx = kx2
.
The energy effects of a wave depend on time as well as amplitude. For example, the longer deep-heat ultrasound is applied, the
more energy it transfers. Waves can also be concentrated or spread out. Sunlight, for example, can be focused to burn wood.
Earthquakes spread out, so they do less damage the farther they get from the source. In both cases, changing the area the
waves cover has important effects. All these pertinent factors are included in the definition of intensity I as power per unit area:
(16.75)
I = P
A
where P is the power carried by the wave through area A . The definition of intensity is valid for any energy in transit, including
that carried by waves. The SI unit for intensity is watts per square meter ( W/m2
). For example, infrared and visible energy
from the Sun impinge on Earth at an intensity of 1300 W/m2
just above the atmosphere. There are other intensity-related units
in use, too. The most common is the decibel. For example, a 90 decibel sound level corresponds to an intensity of 10−3
W/m2
. (This quantity is not much power per unit area considering that 90 decibels is a relatively high sound level. Decibels will be
discussed in some detail in a later chapter.
Example 16.10 Calculating intensity and power: How much energy is in a ray of sunlight?
The average intensity of sunlight on Earth’s surface is about 700 W/m2
.
(a) Calculate the amount of energy that falls on a solar collector having an area of 0.500 m2
in 4.00 h .
(b) What intensity would such sunlight have if concentrated by a magnifying glass onto an area 200 times smaller than its
own?
Strategy a
Because power is energy per unit time or P = E
t , the definition of intensity can be written as I = P
A
= E / t
A
, and this
equation can be solved for E with the given information.
Solution a
1. Begin with the equation that states the definition of intensity:
(16.76)
I = P
A
.

2. Replace P with its equivalent E / t :
(16.77)
I = E / t
A
.
3. Solve for E :
(16.78)E = IAt.
4. Substitute known values into the equation:
(16.79)E = ⎛
⎝700 W/m2⎞
⎠
⎛
⎝0.500 m2⎞
⎠
⎡
⎣(4.00 h)(3600 s/h)⎤
⎦.
5. Calculate to find E and convert units:
(16.80)5.04×106
J,
Discussion a
The energy falling on the solar collector in 4 h in part is enough to be useful—for example, for heating a significant amount
of water.
Strategy b
Taking a ratio of new intensity to old intensity and using primes for the new quantities, we will find that it depends on the ratio
of the areas. All other quantities will cancel.
Solution b
1. Take the ratio of intensities, which yields:
(16.81)I′
I
= P′ / A′
P / A
= A
A′
⎛
⎝The powers cancel because P′ = P
⎞
⎠.
2. Identify the knowns:
(16.82)A = 200A′,
(16.83)I′
I
= 200.
3. Substitute known quantities:
(16.84)I′ = 200I = 200⎛
⎝700 W/m2⎞
⎠.
4. Calculate to find I′ :
(16.85)I′ = 1.40×105
W/m2
.
Discussion b
Decreasing the area increases the intensity considerably. The intensity of the concentrated sunlight could even start a fire.
Example 16.11 Determine the combined intensity of two waves: Perfect constructive
interference
If two identical waves, each having an intensity of 1.00 W/m2
, interfere perfectly constructively, what is the intensity of the
resulting wave?
Strategy
We know from Superposition and Interference that when two identical waves, which have equal amplitudes X , interfere
perfectly constructively, the resulting wave has an amplitude of 2X . Because a wave’s intensity is proportional to amplitude
squared, the intensity of the resulting wave is four times as great as in the individual waves.
Solution
1. Recall that intensity is proportional to amplitude squared.
2. Calculate the new amplitude:
(16.86)I′ ∝ (X′)2
= (2X)2
= 4X2
.
3. Recall that the intensity of the old amplitude was:
(16.87)I ∝ X2
.
4. Take the ratio of new intensity to the old intensity. This gives:

amplitude:
antinode:
beat frequency:
constructive interference:
critical damping:
deformation:
destructive interference:
elastic potential energy:
force constant:
(16.88)I′
I
= 4.
5. Calculate to find I′ :
(16.89)I′ = 4I = 4.00 W/m2
.
Discussion
The intensity goes up by a factor of 4 when the amplitude doubles. This answer is a little disquieting. The two individual
waves each have intensities of 1.00 W/m2
, yet their sum has an intensity of 4.00 W/m2
, which may appear to violate
conservation of energy. This violation, of course, cannot happen. What does happen is intriguing. The area over which the
intensity is 4.00 W/m2
is much less than the area covered by the two waves before they interfered. There are other areas
where the intensity is zero. The addition of waves is not as simple as our first look in Superposition and Interference
suggested. We actually get a pattern of both constructive interference and destructive interference whenever two waves are
added. For example, if we have two stereo speakers putting out 1.00 W/m2
each, there will be places in the room where
the intensity is 4.00 W/m2
, other places where the intensity is zero, and others in between. Figure 16.45 shows what this
interference might look like. We will pursue interference patterns elsewhere in this text.
Figure 16.45 These stereo speakers produce both constructive interference and destructive interference in the room, a property common to the
superposition of all types of waves. The shading is proportional to intensity.
Which measurement of a wave is most important when determining the wave's intensity?
Solution
Amplitude, because a wave’s energy is directly proportional to its amplitude squared.
Glossary
the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position of an object oscillating around the equilibrium position
the location of maximum amplitude in standing waves
the frequency of the amplitude fluctuations of a wave
when two waves arrive at the same point exactly in phase; that is, the crests of the two waves are
precisely aligned, as are the troughs
the condition in which the damping of an oscillator causes it to return as quickly as possible to its
equilibrium position without oscillating back and forth about this position
displacement from equilibrium
when two identical waves arrive at the same point exactly out of phase; that is, precisely aligned
crest to trough
potential energy stored as a result of deformation of an elastic object, such as the stretching of a
spring
a constant related to the rigidity of a system: the larger the force constant, the more rigid the system; the
force constant is represented by k

frequency:
fundamental frequency:
intensity:
longitudinal wave:
natural frequency:
nodes:
oscillate:
over damping:
overtones:
period:
periodic motion:
resonance:
resonate:
restoring force:
simple harmonic motion:
simple harmonic oscillator:
simple pendulum:
superposition:
transverse wave:
under damping:
wave:
wave velocity:
wavelength:
number of events per unit of time
the lowest frequency of a periodic waveform
power per unit area
a wave in which the disturbance is parallel to the direction of propagation
the frequency at which a system would oscillate if there were no driving and no damping forces
the points where the string does not move; more generally, nodes are where the wave disturbance is zero in a
standing wave
moving back and forth regularly between two points
the condition in which damping of an oscillator causes it to return to equilibrium without oscillating; oscillator
moves more slowly toward equilibrium than in the critically damped system
multiples of the fundamental frequency of a sound
time it takes to complete one oscillation
motion that repeats itself at regular time intervals
the phenomenon of driving a system with a frequency equal to the system's natural frequency
a system being driven at its natural frequency
force acting in opposition to the force caused by a deformation
the oscillatory motion in a system where the net force can be described by Hooke’s law
a device that implements Hooke’s law, such as a mass that is attached to a spring, with the
other end of the spring being connected to a rigid support such as a wall
an object with a small mass suspended from a light wire or string
the phenomenon that occurs when two or more waves arrive at the same point
a wave in which the disturbance is perpendicular to the direction of propagation
the condition in which damping of an oscillator causes it to return to equilibrium with the amplitude gradually
decreasing to zero; system returns to equilibrium faster but overshoots and crosses the equilibrium position one or more
times
a disturbance that moves from its source and carries energy
the speed at which the disturbance moves. Also called the propagation velocity or propagation speed
the distance between adjacent identical parts of a wave
Section Summary
16.1 Hooke’s Law: Stress and Strain Revisited
• An oscillation is a back and forth motion of an object between two points of deformation.
• An oscillation may create a wave, which is a disturbance that propagates from where it was created.
• The simplest type of oscillations and waves are related to systems that can be described by Hooke’s law:
F = −kx,
where F is the restoring force, x is the displacement from equilibrium or deformation, and k is the force constant of the
system.
• Elastic potential energy PEel stored in the deformation of a system that can be described by Hooke’s law is given by
PEel = (1 / 2)kx2
.
16.2 Period and Frequency in Oscillations
• Periodic motion is a repetitious oscillation.
• The time for one oscillation is the period T .
• The number of oscillations per unit time is the frequency f .
• These quantities are related by

f = 1
T
.
16.3 Simple Harmonic Motion: A Special Periodic Motion
• Simple harmonic motion is oscillatory motion for a system that can be described only by Hooke’s law. Such a system is also
called a simple harmonic oscillator.
• Maximum displacement is the amplitude X . The period T and frequency f of a simple harmonic oscillator are given by
T = 2π m
k
and f = 1
2π
k
m , where m is the mass of the system.
• Displacement in simple harmonic motion as a function of time is given by x(t) = X cos 2πt
T
.
• The velocity is given by v(t) = − vmax sin2πt
T
, where vmax = k / mX .
• The acceleration is found to be a(t) = −kX
m cos 2πt
T
.
16.4 The Simple Pendulum
• A mass m suspended by a wire of length L is a simple pendulum and undergoes simple harmonic motion for amplitudes
less than about 15º.
The period of a simple pendulum is
T = 2π L
g,
where L is the length of the string and g is the acceleration due to gravity.
16.5 Energy and the Simple Harmonic Oscillator
• Energy in the simple harmonic oscillator is shared between elastic potential energy and kinetic energy, with the total being
constant:
1
2
mv2
+ 1
2
kx2
= constant.
• Maximum velocity depends on three factors: it is directly proportional to amplitude, it is greater for stiffer systems, and it is
smaller for objects that have larger masses:
vmax = k
mX.
16.6 Uniform Circular Motion and Simple Harmonic Motion
A projection of uniform circular motion undergoes simple harmonic oscillation.
16.7 Damped Harmonic Motion
• Damped harmonic oscillators have non-conservative forces that dissipate their energy.
• Critical damping returns the system to equilibrium as fast as possible without overshooting.
• An underdamped system will oscillate through the equilibrium position.
• An overdamped system moves more slowly toward equilibrium than one that is critically damped.
16.8 Forced Oscillations and Resonance
• A system’s natural frequency is the frequency at which the system will oscillate if not affected by driving or damping forces.
• A periodic force driving a harmonic oscillator at its natural frequency produces resonance. The system is said to resonate.
• The less damping a system has, the higher the amplitude of the forced oscillations near resonance. The more damping a
system has, the broader response it has to varying driving frequencies.
16.9 Waves
• A wave is a disturbance that moves from the point of creation with a wave velocity vw .
• A wave has a wavelength λ , which is the distance between adjacent identical parts of the wave.
• Wave velocity and wavelength are related to the wave’s frequency and period by vw = λ
T
or vw = fλ.
• A transverse wave has a disturbance perpendicular to its direction of propagation, whereas a longitudinal wave has a
disturbance parallel to its direction of propagation.
• Superposition is the combination of two waves at the same location.

• Constructive interference occurs when two identical waves are superimposed in phase.
• Destructive interference occurs when two identical waves are superimposed exactly out of phase.
• A standing wave is one in which two waves superimpose to produce a wave that varies in amplitude but does not
propagate.
• Nodes are points of no motion in standing waves.
• An antinode is the location of maximum amplitude of a standing wave.
• Waves on a string are resonant standing waves with a fundamental frequency and can occur at higher multiples of the
fundamental, called overtones or harmonics.
• Beats occur when waves of similar frequencies f1 and f2 are superimposed. The resulting amplitude oscillates with a
beat frequency given by
fB = ∣ f1 − f2 ∣ .
Intensity is defined to be the power per unit area:
I = P
A
and has units of W/m2
.
Conceptual Questions
1. Describe a system in which elastic potential energy is stored.
16.3 Simple Harmonic Motion: A Special Periodic Motion
2. What conditions must be met to produce simple harmonic motion?
3. (a) If frequency is not constant for some oscillation, can the oscillation be simple harmonic motion?
(b) Can you think of any examples of harmonic motion where the frequency may depend on the amplitude?
4. Give an example of a simple harmonic oscillator, specifically noting how its frequency is independent of amplitude.
5. Explain why you expect an object made of a stiff material to vibrate at a higher frequency than a similar object made of a
spongy material.
6. As you pass a freight truck with a trailer on a highway, you notice that its trailer is bouncing up and down slowly. Is it more
likely that the trailer is heavily loaded or nearly empty? Explain your answer.
7. Some people modify cars to be much closer to the ground than when manufactured. Should they install stiffer springs? Explain
your answer.
8. Pendulum clocks are made to run at the correct rate by adjusting the pendulum’s length. Suppose you move from one city to
another where the acceleration due to gravity is slightly greater, taking your pendulum clock with you, will you have to lengthen or
shorten the pendulum to keep the correct time, other factors remaining constant? Explain your answer.
16.5 Energy and the Simple Harmonic Oscillator
9. Explain in terms of energy how dissipative forces such as friction reduce the amplitude of a harmonic oscillator. Also explain
how a driving mechanism can compensate. (A pendulum clock is such a system.)
10. Give an example of a damped harmonic oscillator. (They are more common than undamped or simple harmonic oscillators.)
11. How would a car bounce after a bump under each of these conditions?
• overdamping
• underdamping
• critical damping
12. Most harmonic oscillators are damped and, if undriven, eventually come to a stop. How is this observation related to the
second law of thermodynamics?
13. Why are soldiers in general ordered to “route step” (walk out of step) across a bridge?
16.9 Waves
14. Give one example of a transverse wave and another of a longitudinal wave, being careful to note the relative directions of the
disturbance and wave propagation in each.

15. What is the difference between propagation speed and the frequency of a wave? Does one or both affect wavelength? If so,
how?
16. Speakers in stereo systems have two color-coded terminals to indicate how to hook up the wires. If the wires are reversed,
the speaker moves in a direction opposite that of a properly connected speaker. Explain why it is important to have both
speakers connected the same way.
17. Two identical waves undergo pure constructive interference. Is the resultant intensity twice that of the individual waves?
Explain your answer.
18. Circular water waves decrease in amplitude as they move away from where a rock is dropped. Explain why.

Problems & Exercises
1. Fish are hung on a spring scale to determine their mass
(most fishermen feel no obligation to truthfully report the
mass).
(a) What is the force constant of the spring in such a scale if it
the spring stretches 8.00 cm for a 10.0 kg load?
(b) What is the mass of a fish that stretches the spring 5.50
cm?
(c) How far apart are the half-kilogram marks on the scale?
2. It is weigh-in time for the local under-85-kg rugby team.
The bathroom scale used to assess eligibility can be
described by Hooke’s law and is depressed 0.75 cm by its
maximum load of 120 kg. (a) What is the spring’s effective
spring constant? (b) A player stands on the scales and
depresses it by 0.48 cm. Is he eligible to play on this under-85
kg team?
3. One type of BB gun uses a spring-driven plunger to blow
the BB from its barrel. (a) Calculate the force constant of its
plunger’s spring if you must compress it 0.150 m to drive the
0.0500-kg plunger to a top speed of 20.0 m/s. (b) What force
must be exerted to compress the spring?
4. (a) The springs of a pickup truck act like a single spring
with a force constant of 1.30×105
N/m . By how much will
the truck be depressed by its maximum load of 1000 kg?
(b) If the pickup truck has four identical springs, what is the
force constant of each?
5. When an 80.0-kg man stands on a pogo stick, the spring is
compressed 0.120 m.
(a) What is the force constant of the spring? (b) Will the
spring be compressed more when he hops down the road?
6. A spring has a length of 0.200 m when a 0.300-kg mass
hangs from it, and a length of 0.750 m when a 1.95-kg mass
hangs from it. (a) What is the force constant of the spring? (b)
What is the unloaded length of the spring?
7. What is the period of 60.0 Hz electrical power?
8. If your heart rate is 150 beats per minute during strenuous
exercise, what is the time per beat in units of seconds?
9. Find the frequency of a tuning fork that takes
2.50×10−3
s to complete one oscillation.
10. A stroboscope is set to flash every 8.00×10−5
s . What
is the frequency of the flashes?
11. A tire has a tread pattern with a crevice every 2.00 cm.
Each crevice makes a single vibration as the tire moves.
What is the frequency of these vibrations if the car moves at
30.0 m/s?
12. Engineering Application
Each piston of an engine makes a sharp sound every other
revolution of the engine. (a) How fast is a race car going if its
eight-cylinder engine emits a sound of frequency 750 Hz,
given that the engine makes 2000 revolutions per kilometer?
(b) At how many revolutions per minute is the engine
rotating?
16.3 Simple Harmonic Motion: A Special
Periodic Motion
13. A type of cuckoo clock keeps time by having a mass
bouncing on a spring, usually something cute like a cherub in
a chair. What force constant is needed to produce a period of
0.500 s for a 0.0150-kg mass?
14. If the spring constant of a simple harmonic oscillator is
doubled, by what factor will the mass of the system need to
change in order for the frequency of the motion to remain the
same?
15. A 0.500-kg mass suspended from a spring oscillates with
a period of 1.50 s. How much mass must be added to the
object to change the period to 2.00 s?
16. By how much leeway (both percentage and mass) would
you have in the selection of the mass of the object in the
previous problem if you did not wish the new period to be
greater than 2.01 s or less than 1.99 s?
17. Suppose you attach the object with mass m to a vertical
spring originally at rest, and let it bounce up and down. You
release the object from rest at the spring’s original rest length.
(a) Show that the spring exerts an upward force of 2.00 mg
on the object at its lowest point. (b) If the spring has a force
constant of 10.0 N/m and a 0.25-kg-mass object is set in
motion as described, find the amplitude of the oscillations. (c)
Find the maximum velocity.
18. A diver on a diving board is undergoing simple harmonic
motion. Her mass is 55.0 kg and the period of her motion is
0.800 s. The next diver is a male whose period of simple
harmonic oscillation is 1.05 s. What is his mass if the mass of
the board is negligible?
19. Suppose a diving board with no one on it bounces up and
down in a simple harmonic motion with a frequency of 4.00
Hz. The board has an effective mass of 10.0 kg. What is the
frequency of the simple harmonic motion of a 75.0-kg diver on
the board?
20.
Figure 16.46 This child’s toy relies on springs to keep infants
entertained. (credit: By Humboldthead, Flickr)
The device pictured in Figure 16.46 entertains infants while
keeping them from wandering. The child bounces in a
harness suspended from a door frame by a spring constant.

(a) If the spring stretches 0.250 m while supporting an 8.0-kg
child, what is its spring constant?
(b) What is the time for one complete bounce of this child? (c)
What is the child’s maximum velocity if the amplitude of her
bounce is 0.200 m?
21. A 90.0-kg skydiver hanging from a parachute bounces up
and down with a period of 1.50 s. What is the new period of
oscillation when a second skydiver, whose mass is 60.0 kg,
hangs from the legs of the first, as seen in Figure 16.47.
Figure 16.47 The oscillations of one skydiver are about to be affected
by a second skydiver. (credit: U.S. Army, www.army.mil)
As usual, the acceleration due to gravity in these
problems is taken to be g = 9.80 m / s2
, unless
otherwise specified.
22. What is the length of a pendulum that has a period of
0.500 s?
23. Some people think a pendulum with a period of 1.00 s can
be driven with “mental energy” or psycho kinetically, because
its period is the same as an average heartbeat. True or not,
what is the length of such a pendulum?
24. What is the period of a 1.00-m-long pendulum?
25. How long does it take a child on a swing to complete one
swing if her center of gravity is 4.00 m below the pivot?
26. The pendulum on a cuckoo clock is 5.00 cm long. What is
its frequency?
27. Two parakeets sit on a swing with their combined center
of mass 10.0 cm below the pivot. At what frequency do they
swing?
28. (a) A pendulum that has a period of 3.00000 s and that is
located where the acceleration due to gravity is 9.79 m/s2
is
moved to a location where it the acceleration due to gravity is
9.82 m/s2
. What is its new period? (b) Explain why so many
digits are needed in the value for the period, based on the
relation between the period and the acceleration due to
gravity.
29. A pendulum with a period of 2.00000 s in one location
⎛
⎝g = 9.80 m/s2⎞
⎠ is moved to a new location where the
period is now 1.99796 s. What is the acceleration due to
gravity at its new location?
30. (a) What is the effect on the period of a pendulum if you
double its length?
(b) What is the effect on the period of a pendulum if you
decrease its length by 5.00%?
31. Find the ratio of the new/old periods of a pendulum if the
pendulum were transported from Earth to the Moon, where
the acceleration due to gravity is 1.63 m/s2
.
32. At what rate will a pendulum clock run on the Moon,
where the acceleration due to gravity is 1.63 m/s2
, if it
keeps time accurately on Earth? That is, find the time (in
hours) it takes the clock’s hour hand to make one revolution
on the Moon.
33. Suppose the length of a clock’s pendulum is changed by
1.000%, exactly at noon one day. What time will it read 24.00
hours later, assuming it the pendulum has kept perfect time
before the change? Note that there are two answers, and
perform the calculation to four-digit precision.
34. If a pendulum-driven clock gains 5.00 s/day, what
fractional change in pendulum length must be made for it to
keep perfect time?
16.5 Energy and the Simple Harmonic
Oscillator
35. The length of nylon rope from which a mountain climber is
suspended has a force constant of 1.40×104
N/m .
(a) What is the frequency at which he bounces, given his
mass plus and the mass of his equipment are 90.0 kg?
(b) How much would this rope stretch to break the climber’s
fall if he free-falls 2.00 m before the rope runs out of slack?
Hint: Use conservation of energy.
(c) Repeat both parts of this problem in the situation where
twice this length of nylon rope is used.
Near the top of the Citigroup Center building in New York City,
there is an object with mass of 4.00×105
kg on springs that
have adjustable force constants. Its function is to dampen
wind-driven oscillations of the building by oscillating at the
same frequency as the building is being driven—the driving
force is transferred to the object, which oscillates instead of
the entire building. (a) What effective force constant should
the springs have to make the object oscillate with a period of
2.00 s? (b) What energy is stored in the springs for a 2.00-m
displacement from equilibrium?
16.6 Uniform Circular Motion and Simple
Harmonic Motion
37. (a)What is the maximum velocity of an 85.0-kg person
bouncing on a bathroom scale having a force constant of
1.50×106
N/m , if the amplitude of the bounce is 0.200 cm?
(b)What is the maximum energy stored in the spring?
38. A novelty clock has a 0.0100-kg mass object bouncing on
a spring that has a force constant of 1.25 N/m. What is the
maximum velocity of the object if the object bounces 3.00 cm
above and below its equilibrium position? (b) How many
joules of kinetic energy does the object have at its maximum
velocity?
39. At what positions is the speed of a simple harmonic
oscillator half its maximum? That is, what values of x / X
give v = ±vmax / 2 , where X is the amplitude of the
motion?

40. A ladybug sits 12.0 cm from the center of a Beatles music
album spinning at 33.33 rpm. What is the maximum velocity
of its shadow on the wall behind the turntable, if illuminated
parallel to the record by the parallel rays of the setting Sun?
41. The amplitude of a lightly damped oscillator decreases by
3.0% during each cycle. What percentage of the mechanical
energy of the oscillator is lost in each cycle?
42. How much energy must the shock absorbers of a 1200-kg
car dissipate in order to damp a bounce that initially has a
velocity of 0.800 m/s at the equilibrium position? Assume the
car returns to its original vertical position.
43. If a car has a suspension system with a force constant of
5.00×104
N/m , how much energy must the car’s shocks
remove to dampen an oscillation starting with a maximum
displacement of 0.0750 m?
44. (a) How much will a spring that has a force constant of
40.0 N/m be stretched by an object with a mass of 0.500 kg
when hung motionless from the spring? (b) Calculate the
decrease in gravitational potential energy of the 0.500-kg
object when it descends this distance. (c) Part of this
gravitational energy goes into the spring. Calculate the
energy stored in the spring by this stretch, and compare it
with the gravitational potential energy. Explain where the rest
of the energy might go.
45. Suppose you have a 0.750-kg object on a horizontal
surface connected to a spring that has a force constant of 150
N/m. There is simple friction between the object and surface
with a static coefficient of friction µs = 0.100 . (a) How far
can the spring be stretched without moving the mass? (b) If
the object is set into oscillation with an amplitude twice the
distance found in part (a), and the kinetic coefficient of friction
is µk = 0.0850 , what total distance does it travel before
stopping? Assume it starts at the maximum amplitude.
46. Engineering Application: A suspension bridge oscillates
with an effective force constant of 1.00×108
N/m . (a) How
much energy is needed to make it oscillate with an amplitude
of 0.100 m? (b) If soldiers march across the bridge with a
cadence equal to the bridge’s natural frequency and impart
1.00×104
J of energy each second, how long does it take
for the bridge’s oscillations to go from 0.100 m to 0.500 m
amplitude?
16.9 Waves
47. Storms in the South Pacific can create waves that travel
all the way to the California coast, which are 12,000 km away.
How long does it take them if they travel at 15.0 m/s?
48. Waves on a swimming pool propagate at 0.750 m/s. You
splash the water at one end of the pool and observe the wave
go to the opposite end, reflect, and return in 30.0 s. How far
away is the other end of the pool?
49. Wind gusts create ripples on the ocean that have a
wavelength of 5.00 cm and propagate at 2.00 m/s. What is
their frequency?
50. How many times a minute does a boat bob up and down
on ocean waves that have a wavelength of 40.0 m and a
propagation speed of 5.00 m/s?
51. Scouts at a camp shake the rope bridge they have just
crossed and observe the wave crests to be 8.00 m apart. If
they shake it the bridge twice per second, what is the
propagation speed of the waves?
52. What is the wavelength of the waves you create in a
swimming pool if you splash your hand at a rate of 2.00 Hz
and the waves propagate at 0.800 m/s?
53. What is the wavelength of an earthquake that shakes you
with a frequency of 10.0 Hz and gets to another city 84.0 km
away in 12.0 s?
54. Radio waves transmitted through space at
3.00×108
m/s by the Voyager spacecraft have a
wavelength of 0.120 m. What is their frequency?
55. Your ear is capable of differentiating sounds that arrive at
the ear just 1.00 ms apart. What is the minimum distance
between two speakers that produce sounds that arrive at
noticeably different times on a day when the speed of sound
is 340 m/s?
56. (a) Seismographs measure the arrival times of
earthquakes with a precision of 0.100 s. To get the distance to
the epicenter of the quake, they compare the arrival times of
S- and P-waves, which travel at different speeds. Figure
16.48) If S- and P-waves travel at 4.00 and 7.20 km/s,
respectively, in the region considered, how precisely can the
distance to the source of the earthquake be determined? (b)
Seismic waves from underground detonations of nuclear
bombs can be used to locate the test site and detect
violations of test bans. Discuss whether your answer to (a)
implies a serious limit to such detection. (Note also that the
uncertainty is greater if there is an uncertainty in the
propagation speeds of the S- and P-waves.)
Figure 16.48 A seismograph as described in above problem.(credit:
Oleg Alexandrov)
57. A car has two horns, one emitting a frequency of 199 Hz
and the other emitting a frequency of 203 Hz. What beat
frequency do they produce?
58. The middle-C hammer of a piano hits two strings,
producing beats of 1.50 Hz. One of the strings is tuned to
260.00 Hz. What frequencies could the other string have?
59. Two tuning forks having frequencies of 460 and 464 Hz
are struck simultaneously. What average frequency will you
hear, and what will the beat frequency be?

60. Twin jet engines on an airplane are producing an average
sound frequency of 4100 Hz with a beat frequency of 0.500
Hz. What are their individual frequencies?
61. A wave traveling on a Slinky® that is stretched to 4 m
takes 2.4 s to travel the length of the Slinky and back again.
(a) What is the speed of the wave? (b) Using the same Slinky
stretched to the same length, a standing wave is created
which consists of three antinodes and four nodes. At what
frequency must the Slinky be oscillating?
62. Three adjacent keys on a piano (F, F-sharp, and G) are
struck simultaneously, producing frequencies of 349, 370, and
392 Hz. What beat frequencies are produced by this
discordant combination?
63. Medical Application
Ultrasound of intensity 1.50×102
W/m2
is produced by the
rectangular head of a medical imaging device measuring 3.00
by 5.00 cm. What is its power output?
64. The low-frequency speaker of a stereo set has a surface
area of 0.05 m2
and produces 1W of acoustical power.
What is the intensity at the speaker? If the speaker projects
sound uniformly in all directions, at what distance from the
speaker is the intensity 0.1 W/m2
?
65. To increase intensity of a wave by a factor of 50, by what
factor should the amplitude be increased?
A device called an insolation meter is used to measure the
intensity of sunlight has an area of 100 cm2
and registers
6.50 W. What is the intensity in W/m2
?
67. Astronomy Application
Energy from the Sun arrives at the top of the Earth’s
atmosphere with an intensity of 1.30 kW/m2
. How long
does it take for 1.8×109
J to arrive on an area of 1.00 m2
?
68. Suppose you have a device that extracts energy from
ocean breakers in direct proportion to their intensity. If the
device produces 10.0 kW of power on a day when the
breakers are 1.20 m high, how much will it produce when they
are 0.600 m high?
(a) A photovoltaic array of (solar cells) is 10.0% efficient in
gathering solar energy and converting it to electricity. If the
average intensity of sunlight on one day is 700 W/m2
,
what area should your array have to gather energy at the rate
of 100 W? (b) What is the maximum cost of the array if it must
pay for itself in two years of operation averaging 10.0 hours
per day? Assume that it earns money at the rate of 9.00 ¢ per
kilowatt-hour.
70. A microphone receiving a pure sound tone feeds an
oscilloscope, producing a wave on its screen. If the sound
intensity is originally 2.00×10–5
W/m2
, but is turned up
until the amplitude increases by 30.0%, what is the new
intensity?
71. Medical Application
(a) What is the intensity in W/m2
of a laser beam used to
burn away cancerous tissue that, when 90.0% absorbed, puts
500 J of energy into a circular spot 2.00 mm in diameter in
4.00 s? (b) Discuss how this intensity compares to the
average intensity of sunlight (about 700 W/m2
) and the
implications that would have if the laser beam entered your
eye. Note how your answer depends on the time duration of
the exposure.

Test Prep for AP® Courses
1. Which of the following represents the distance (how much
ground the particle covers) moved by a particle in a simple
harmonic motion in one time period? (Here, A represents the
amplitude of the oscillation.)
a. 0 cm
b. A cm
c. 2A cm
d. 4A cm
2. A spring has a spring constant of 80 N·m−1
. What is the
force required to (a) compress the spring by 5 cm and (b)
expand the spring by 15 cm?
3. In the formula F = − kx , what does the minus sign
indicate?
a. It indicates that the restoring force is in the direction of
the displacement.
b. It indicates that the restoring force is in the direction
opposite the displacement.
c. It indicates that mechanical energy in the system
decreases when a system undergoes oscillation.
d. None of the above
4. The splashing of a liquid resembles an oscillation. The
restoring force in this scenario will be due to which of the
following?
a. Potential energy
b. Kinetic energy
c. Gravity
d. Mechanical energy
5. A mass attached to a spring oscillates and completes 50
full cycles in 30 s. What is the time period and frequency of
this system?
16.3 Simple Harmonic Motion: A Special
Periodic Motion
6. Use these figures to answer the following questions.
Figure 16.49
a. Which of the two pendulums oscillates with larger
amplitude?
b. Which of the two pendulums oscillates at a higher
frequency?
7. A particle of mass 100 g undergoes a simple harmonic
motion. The restoring force is provided by a spring with a
spring constant of 40 N·m−1
. What is the period of oscillation?
a. 10 s
b. 0.5 s
c. 0.1 s
d. 1
8. The graph shows the simple harmonic motion of a mass m
attached to a spring with spring constant k.
Figure 16.50
What is the displacement at time 8π?
a. 1 m
b. 0 m
c. Not defined
d. −1 m
9. A pendulum of mass 200 g undergoes simple harmonic
motion when acted upon by a force of 15 N. The pendulum
crosses the point of equilibrium at a speed of 5 m·s−1
. What is
the energy of the pendulum at the center of the oscillation?
10. A ball is attached to a string of length 4 m to make a
pendulum. The pendulum is placed at a location that is away
from the Earth’s surface by twice the radius of the Earth.
What is the acceleration due to gravity at that height and what
is the period of the oscillations?
11. Which of the following gives the correct relation between
the acceleration due to gravity and period of a pendulum?
a. g = 2πL
T2
b. g = 4π2
L
T2
c. g = 2πL
T
d. g = 2π2
L
T
12. Tom has two pendulums with him. Pendulum 1 has a ball
of mass 0.1 kg attached to it and has a length of 5 m.
Pendulum 2 has a ball of mass 0.5 kg attached to a string of
length 1 m. How does mass of the ball affect the frequency of
the pendulum? Which pendulum will have a higher frequency
and why?
16.5 Energy and the Simple Harmonic
Oscillator

13. A mass of 1 kg undergoes simple harmonic motion with
amplitude of 1 m. If the period of the oscillation is 1 s,
calculate the internal energy of the system.
16.6 Uniform Circular Motion and Simple
Harmonic Motion
14. In the equation x = A sin wt, what values can the
position x take?
a. −1 to +1
b. –A to +A
c. 0
d. –t to t
15. The non-conservative damping force removes energy
from a system in which form?
a. Mechanical energy
b. Electrical energy
c. Thermal energy
16. The time rate of change of mechanical energy for a
damped oscillator is always:
a. 0
b. Negative
c. Positive
d. Undefined
17. A 0.5-kg object is connected to a spring that undergoes
oscillatory motion. There is friction between the object and the
surface it is kept on given by coefficient of friction
µk = 0.06 . If the object is released 0.2 m from equilibrium,
what is the distance that the object travels? Given that the
force constant of the spring is 50 N m-1
and the frictional force
between the objects is 0.294 N.
18. How is constant amplitude sustained in forced
oscillations?
16.9 Waves
19. What is the difference between the waves coming from a
tuning fork and electromagnetic waves?
20. Represent longitudinal and transverse waves in a
graphical form.
21. Why is the sound produced by a tambourine different from
that produced by drums?
22. A transverse wave is traveling left to right. Which of the
following is correct about the motion of particles in the wave?
a. The particles move up and down when the wave travels
in a vacuum.
b. The particles move left and right when the wave travels
in a medium.
c. The particles move up and down when the wave travels
in a medium.
d. The particles move right and left when the wave travels
in a vacuum.
23.
Figure 16.51 The graph shows propagation of a mechanical
wave. What is the wavelength of this wave?
24. A guitar string has a number of frequencies at which it
vibrates naturally. Which of the following is true in this
context?
a. The resonant frequencies of the string are integer
multiples of fundamental frequencies.
b. The resonant frequencies of the string are not integer
multiples of fundamental frequencies.
c. They have harmonic overtones.
25. Explain the principle of superposition with figures that
show the changes in the wave amplitude.
26. In this figure which points represent the points of
constructive interference?
Figure 16.52
a. A, B, F
b. A, B, C, D, E, F
c. A, C, D, E
d. A, B, D
27. A string is fixed on both sides. It is snapped from both
ends at the same time by applying an equal force. What
happens to the shape of the waves generated in the string?
Also, will you observe an overlap of waves?
28. In the preceding question, what would happen to the
amplitude of the waves generated in this way? Also, consider
another scenario where the string is snapped up from one
end and down from the other end. What will happen in this
situation?
29. Two sine waves travel in the same direction in a medium.
The amplitude of each wave is A, and the phase difference
between the two is 180°. What is the resultant amplitude?
a. 2A
b. 3A
c. 0
d. 9A
30. Standing wave patterns consist of nodes and antinodes
formed by repeated interference between two waves of the
same frequency traveling in opposite directions. What are
nodes and antinodes and how are they produced?

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