Unit 2 Lesson 4
A student moves the end of a compressed coiled spring up and down to demonstrate wave motion. She then moved the compressed coiled spring faster but keeps everything else the same. Which characteristic will increase? (1 point)
Frequency
When the student moves the compressed coiled spring faster, the characteristic that will increase is the frequency of the wave.
To determine which characteristic will increase when the student moves the compressed coiled spring faster, let's analyze the properties of wave motion.
Waves have several key characteristics, including wavelength, frequency, amplitude, and speed.
1. Wavelength: The distance between two consecutive points in a wave that are in phase. It is typically measured from crest to crest or trough to trough.
2. Frequency: The number of complete cycles of a wave that occur in one second. It is commonly measured in hertz (Hz). Frequency is inversely proportional to the wavelength, meaning that as the frequency increases, the wavelength decreases.
3. Amplitude: The maximum displacement of a particle or point from its equilibrium position in a wave. It represents the intensity or energy of the wave. In simpler terms, it measures the height or depth of the wave.
4. Speed: The rate at which a wave propagates through a medium, typically measured in meters per second (m/s). It is dependent on the properties of the medium through which the wave travels.
Now, let's apply this knowledge to the given scenario.
When the student moves the compressed coiled spring faster while keeping everything else the same, the characteristic that will increase is the frequency.
As mentioned earlier, frequency is the number of complete cycles of a wave that occur in one second. By moving the spring faster, the total number of cycles completed within a given time period increases, which directly correlates to an increase in frequency.
To summarize, when the student moves the compressed coiled spring faster, the characteristic that will increase is the frequency of the wave.