A snapshot graph of a travelling wave is shown. The wave is travelling to the right at 50.0 m/s. What is the amplitude if the maximum displacement is 38.0 cm and the total distance travelled by the wave is 16.0 m?
38 cm is the amplitude
To find the amplitude of the travelling wave, we need to understand the components of a wave. The amplitude of a wave is the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position. In this case, the maximum displacement is given as 38.0 cm.
The total distance travelled by the wave is 16.0 m. The distance travelled by a wave is one complete cycle, which consists of one wavelength.
Now, we know that the wave is travelling to the right at a speed of 50.0 m/s. The speed of a wave is given by the equation:
speed = wavelength × frequency
In this case, the speed of the wave is given as 50.0 m/s, and the wavelength is equivalent to the total distance travelled by the wave, which is 16.0 m. Therefore, we can rearrange the equation to find the frequency:
frequency = speed / wavelength
frequency = 50.0 m/s / 16.0 m
frequency = 3.125 Hz
Now that we have the wavelength (16.0 m) and the frequency (3.125 Hz), we can find the amplitude using the following equation:
amplitude = maximum displacement / 2
amplitude = 38.0 cm / 2
amplitude = 19.0 cm
Therefore, the amplitude of the travelling wave is 19.0 cm.