Standing waves on a string: A wave pulse traveling to the right along a thin cord reaches a discontinuity where the rope becomes thicker and heavier. What is the orientation of the reflected and transmitted pulses?
A) Both pulses are right side up.
B) The reflected pulse returns right side up while the transmitted pulse is inverted.
C) The reflected pulse returns inverted while the transmitted pulse is right side up.
D) Both pulses are inverted.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a wave pulse travels along a thin cord and reaches a thicker and heavier rope, it encounters a boundary where the wave speed and rope characteristics change. This causes the pulse to reflect backwards and transmit forward. For this scenario, the reflected pulse returns inverted while the transmitted pulse remains right side up. Therefore, the correct choice is C.

Standing Waves on a String: a Wave Pulse Traveling to the Right