DivisionofTechnicalEducationandManagementStudies

AppliedEngineeringScience ESC103

PassExamQuestion Spring2009
WavesinStrings

Fall 2002
(a) A cord of mass 0.55 kg is stretched between two supports 30m apart.
(i) If the tension in the cord is 1.50N, how long will it take a pulse to travel from one
support to the other?
(ii) If the string produces a resonant tone when being stuck, what is the lowest
frequency of the vibration?
(b) A string on a violin has a fundamental frequency of 440 Hz. The length of the vibrating
portion is 32 cm and has a mass of 0.35.g. Under what tension the string must be placed?
(c) If two successive overtones of a vibrating string are 280 Hz and 350 Hz. What is the
frequency of the fundamental? .(2
Marks)

Spring 2005

A cord of mass 75 grams and length 3.2 m is stretched between two supports 2.8 meters apart
(i) If the tension in the cord is 450N, how long will it take for a pulse to travel from one
support to the other?

(ii) What are the first three resonant frequency will the string produce if struck?
(iii) By what percentage should the tension be adjusted for the fundamental frequency to
change by 10%
Spring 2008

a) A string under tension is set in vibration to produce its third harmonic, how many
antinodes will exists on the string.
b) A cord of mass 200 grams and length 2.5 m is stretched between two supports 2.2 meters
apart
(i) If the tension in the cord is 968N, how long will it take for a pulse to travel from
one support to the other?
(ii) What are the first three resonant frequency will the string produce if struck?
(iii) By what percentage should the tension on a stretched string of unknown length and
mass be adjusted for the fundamental frequency to change by 10%

Spring 2007

a) A string stretched tightly between two supports is plucked and the frequency of vibration
noted. If you observe that the frequency of vibration is a bit too high, how can you reduce
the frequency?

b) A string of length 1800 mm and mass 12 grams was stretched tightly between two
supports 1300 mm apart. When plucked a resonance frequency of 1140Hz was observed
and the next resonance frequency of 1368 Hz was noted. Determine the following:
i) The first two harmonic frequencies
ii) The tension in the string
iii) If due to a decrease in temperature the tension increased by 4%, what would be
the percentage increase in the frequency.

Fall 2006

a) A wire clamped between two supports, when plucked resonated at 780Hz, 936Hz and
1092Hz. What was the fundamental frequency of the vibration?

b) If, due to an increase in temperature, the tension decreased by 6.1% what will be the
corresponding increase in the frequency of the fundamental?

c) Given that the wire had total length 4500 mm, a mass 75.0 grams and was tensioned to
5000 Newtons and clamped between supports 3600 mm apart..
i) What will be the velocity of the wave as it travels along the wire when it was
plucked?
ii) What will be the first four resonance frequencies produced by this wire?