NS 101 Lab 3 Instruction Sheet Spring 2012

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STANDING WAVES ON A CONDUCTING WIRE When two identical waves traveling in opposite direction pass through each other, a standing wave is created. It is called a standing wave because the crests (top of the wave) and troughs (bottom of the wave) seem to stand in place as the wave oscillates. In this experiment, we use standing waves to study fundamental properties of waves. Standing waves can be generated using an experimental setup shown in Figure 1. A conducting wire, carrying regular city current (alternating current; AC), is fixed from both ends and hanging weights control the wire tension. A heavy-duty magnet around the wire induces oscillations at the fixed AC frequency. Standing waves are observed when the tension of the wire, and consequently, the wave velocity and wavelength, are just right. AC-current carrying wire Magnet Pulley

Mass AC source Figure 1 Let us look at closely how the wave is created in this system. Suppose we connect one end of the wire to a negative terminal () and the other end to a positive (+) terminal (see Figure 2). Electrons in the wire experience a drift with a velocity vd from negative to positive terminal, and electrical current I flows from + to terminal as a result of this electron movement. + eB FL vd I

Figure 2 If we expose the wire to a constant magnetic field B, by means of placing a magnet near the wire, such a magnetic field will exert a sideway Lorentz force on the moving charges (electrons in this case). There will be a net force on the wire since the moving electrons are inside of the wire. The Lorentz force exerted on a charge q in an electric field E and a magnetic field B is given by

r r r r FL = qE + qv d B .

NS 101 Lab 3 Instruction Sheet Spring 2012

In this experiment, we are just concerned about the effect of the magnetic field. The direction of the force can be obtained using the right-hand rule, as seen in Figure 3. z B e FL Figure 3 As can be seen in Figure 3, since the electrons charge is negative (i.e., q = e), the force, FL = evd B , points in the opposite direction of (v d B ) vector. Now, let us see what happens if we connect both ends of the wire to an alternating current (AC) source, instead of a direct current (DC). The AC current source alternates the potential between the terminals, say, 50 times per second (= 50 Hz). In this case, the current (i.e., electron velocity), and therefore the force FL reverse their directions at a rate of 50 Hz. Such oscillations in the force direction causes a mechanical vibration in the wire, and a standing wave can be excited when the length L and the tension of the wire are set to certain values (see Figure 4).
/2

x y

vd

Figure 4: A standing wave of n = 3 In this experiment we investigate a fundamental property of a standing wave, namely a relation between the wavelength () and the system size (length of the wire, L). For a standing wave excited on the wire, an integer number n of half-wavelengths (i.e., /2) will fit the length L. The relation between the generated number of half-wavelengths and the wire length is given by L = n/2, where n = 1, 2, 3, We will try to excite standing waves of various wavelengths and observe that the standing waves are excited only for those special wavelengths n for which L = n wavelengths, we use the following information: (i) For all waves (standing or traveling waves), the wavelength and frequency f obey the relation f = V; where V is the phase velocity of the wave, which depends on the physical properties of the system. The wave velocity on a wire with mass per unit length and with tension is given by

n
2

. To vary

(ii)

V =
(iii)

=f .

For this experiment, the frequency f is constant (f = 50 Hz; the frequency of the city AC). The mass density is also a constant property of the wire we are using. We can vary continuously by varying the tension in the wire, since =

V 1 = f f

(1). We will observe that the standing

NS 101 Lab 3 Report Sheet Spring 2012

waves are excited for n = tension . We can rewrite equation (1) as

2L , where n = 1, 2, 3, 4, corresponding to certain values of the n

2L 1 = n f

. Notice that n and are inversely related. That is, you need

less tension to obtain higher n (more /2 fitted in a given L); conversely, you will need the highest tension to obtain one half-wavelength, 1 /2 (n = 1), fitted within L. It is interesting to underline the following point: The above equation (1) can also be written as 2 =

. If the density of the wire is known, then, it is f 2

1 s
.

possible to determine the frequency value of the vibration from a plot of 2 versus . The slope s of the bestfit line gives 1 / f 2 . Therefore, you can easily determine the frequency as f =

THE EXPERIMENT APPARATUS: wire, masses, mass hanger, pulley, clamps, magnet, stand, two cables with alligator clips, AC source (33 Volts), and meter stick. AIM: To observe standing waves of various n excited on a wire and verify the relations between L, n, , and . PROCEDURE: 1. Make sure that the wire is straight and has no knots. Hang a mass hanger on one end of the wire. 2. Connect the cables to the AC source and to both ends of the wire.

The wire can become very HOT! Do not touch the wire!! Disconnect the cables from the AC source while not in use.
3. Find a standing wave of a certain n, using a set of suggested n and madd in Table 1. You should be able to find these standing waves keeping the length of the wire at L = 1.5 m 0.1 m. You will need to slowly adjust the position of the stand to obtain a standing wave. If you find a standing wave of any n with any length L and mass m other than those listed in Table 1, you can also use that. Table 1: Suggested n and madd for obtaining standing waves of various n. madd is a mass needed in addition to the mass hanger (~13 g). 2 6 5 4 3 3 2 2 n 110 0 10 20 40 50 120 130 madd (g) 1.4 1.6 m L 4. Record M, L, /2 and n in Table 2 below. Here, the mass M is a total mass (M = 13 g + madd).

NS 101 Lab 3 Instruction Sheet Spring 2012

5. Repeat these at least once for each n (n = 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6). 6. Calculate , , and 2, and record them in Table 2. [Hint: = Mg, where M is mass in kg, and g = 9.8 ms2. Use a spreadsheet program for calculation.]

7. Plot 2 versus using a spreadsheet program, and print the graph. 8. Draw the best-fit line by hand, on the printed graph. 9. Calculate the slope of the best-fit line using any two points on the line. 10. Calculate the frequency of the AC source The mass density of the wire is = 2.44 104 kg m-1. 11. The actual frequency of the city AC is 50 Hz. Compare this to your result by calculating the percentage error. [Percentage error {|True value experimental value| / True value} 100%]

Table 2 n 2 3 4 5 6 M( ) L( )

/2 (

2 (