A 3m slinky rests on a table with a student holding each end. The students laterally shake the ends of the slinky to generate transverse waves. The student on the left shakes the slinky at 4 Hz with a 5 cm amplitude and the student on the right shakes it at 3 Hz with a 7 cm amplitude.

Question

Which student's wave travels fastest?

Answer 1

The speed of a wave depends on the medium through which it travels, not on the frequency or amplitude of the wave. Therefore, the student's wave on the left and the student's wave on the right will both travel at the same speed.