Scientists use wave tanks to show the behaviour of waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Question 1
Scientists use wave tanks to show the behaviour of waves.
The diagram shows a wave tank from the side.
The length of the tank = 36 m
(i) Calculate the wavelength o... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:Scientists use wave tanks to show the behaviour of waves - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 1 - 2016 - Paper 1
Step 1
Calculate the wavelength of the waves.
96%
114 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
The wavelength (
λ
) can be calculated using the formula:
extLengthofthetank=nimesextwavelength
where
n is the number of wavelengths in the tank.
From the image, it appears there are 8 complete wavelengths in a 36 m long tank.
Thus, the calculation becomes:
extwavelength=836m=4.5m
Therefore, the wavelength is 4.5 m.
Step 2
Calculate the speed of the wave.
99%
104 rated
Only available for registered users.
Sign up now to view full answer, or log in if you already have an account!
Answer
To calculate the speed of the wave, we use the formula:
extSpeed=extTimeextDistance
In this case, the distance is the length of the tank, which is 36 m, and the time taken is 20 s.
Thus, the speed of the wave is:
extSpeed=20s36m=1.8m/s
The unit for the speed of the wave is meters per second (m/s).
