I am somewhat bewildered about the term vertical distance. The wave is NOT moving vertically, but horizontally. The wave has amplitude vertically, but does not move vertically as it moves. Now if you look at one point only, as the wave sweeps by, the vertical amplitude changes as various points of the wave pass the point. If you are asking how much the vertical amplitude changes, then...
The amount of vertical change depends on the starting ampltitude. Look at it in degrees of wave motion.
period=.2seconds. Osciallation is 3 seconds, or 15 periods, exactly. The starting point is exactly the ending point. The vertical amplitude goes through a max of 1.3 to a min of 1.3, and back. So the vertical change, without regard to direction, is 5.2cm per period, or a total of 15 times that.
check my thinking.
Suppose the amplitude and frequency of a transverse wave are, respectively, 1.3cm and 5.0Hz. Find the total vertical distance (in cm) through a fixed point in 3.0s.
PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS TO DO IT!!!THANKS A LOT!!!!!!!
2 answers
For the vertical change, why is it 5.2cm per period?Shouldn't it be 2.6cm?