Question

We have seen that when you generate a wave on a stretched spring, as long as the medium doesn’t change (that is, the tension and the linear mass density remain the same), the speed of the wave on the spring is constant. Does this mean that the particles of the spring always have zero acceleration? Explain why or why not.

Answer 1

Answer:

No, the acceleration is not always zero.

Explanation:

It does not mean that the acceleration of the particle is zero.

The velocity of wave is different from the velocity of particle.

The acceleration of wave is different from the acceleration of particle.

the acceleration of the particle is given by

$a =- w^2 y$

where, w is the angular frequency and y is the displacement from the mean position.

So, the acceleration is zero at mean position only and it varies as the position changes.