A wave travels in a string at 58 m/s.A second string of 10% greater linear density has the same tension applied as in the first string.What will be the resulting wave speed in the second string?
A)also 58 m/s
B)61 m/s.
C)180 m/s
D)55 m/s
E)61 m/s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The wave speed in a string is given by $v = \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$, where $T$ is the tension in the string and $\mu$ is the linear density. If the second string has a 10% greater linear density, its linear density is 1.1 times that of the first string. Since the tension is the same in both strings, the wave speed in the second string will be $\frac{1}{\sqrt{1.1}}$ times the wave speed in the first string, which calculates to approximately 55 m/s.

A Wave Travels in a String at 58 M/s