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Practical 13 - Melde's Experiment (Vibrator Generator)

This document provides instructions for Melde's experiment to investigate standing waves on a stretched elastic cord. The experiment aims to demonstrate standing waves by varying either the length of the cord with a fixed mass or the mass on the cord with a fixed length. Students are instructed to set up the apparatus with a vibration generator connected to a signal generator attached to an elastic cord. They will obtain the fundamental resonance condition, where the cord length between the vibration generator and bench pulley is half a wavelength, by adjusting the frequency for different cord lengths and masses. Students will then analyze the results by plotting graphs of frequency against inverse length and frequency against tension and investigating higher harmonics.

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Nasrin Sultana
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492 views1 page

Practical 13 - Melde's Experiment (Vibrator Generator)

This document provides instructions for Melde's experiment to investigate standing waves on a stretched elastic cord. The experiment aims to demonstrate standing waves by varying either the length of the cord with a fixed mass or the mass on the cord with a fixed length. Students are instructed to set up the apparatus with a vibration generator connected to a signal generator attached to an elastic cord. They will obtain the fundamental resonance condition, where the cord length between the vibration generator and bench pulley is half a wavelength, by adjusting the frequency for different cord lengths and masses. Students will then analyze the results by plotting graphs of frequency against inverse length and frequency against tension and investigating higher harmonics.

Uploaded by

Nasrin Sultana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Student 1 of 1

Practical 13 Melde’s experiment (vibration generator)

Purpose Safety

The aim of this experiment is to To protect the signal generator do not turn the voltage
investigate the standing waves on a up too high.
stretched elastic cord. It forms the If you are using a stroboscope, avoid frequencies
basis of all musical notes produced between 15–20Hz. If you have photoepilepsy avoid
on a stringed instrument. exposure to flickering stroboscope light.

You will need:


• Vibration generator • Leads
• Elastic cord (white) • Bench pulley
• Set of slotted masses (10 x 10 g) • G clamp to hold the vibration generator steady (this may not be
• Signal generator (1 – 20 Hz range) needed for small tensions and a heavy vibration generator).

Experimental instructions
Set up the apparatus as shown in the
figure with the vibration generator
connected to a signal generator. The
L
length (L) of the cord should be about
70 cm and the mass (m) on the end a
few tens of grams.

The idea is to obtain resonance


conditions and hence standing waves
for the cord in two experiments:
m
(a) varying the length of the cord
keeping the mass constant
(b) varying the mass on the cord
keeping the length constant. Figure 1: Apparatus to demonstrate standing waves

For each value of tension and length adjust the frequency


of the vibration generator until the cord oscillates in its /2

fundamental mode – that is one ‘loop’ (see figure 2). In


this condition the length of the cord between the vibration
generator and the bench pulley is half a wavelength.

The frequencies will probably be in the range 0.5–10 Hz. Figure 2: The fundamental mode

Analysis and conclusions


Plot two graphs:
(i) frequency against 1–L and (ii) frequency against T (= mg).

Investigate two other harmonics to give standing waves as


shown in figure 3. Identify the node and antinode positions. Figure 3: Simple standing waves

15

M01_ASPhys_TB_6399.indd 15 27/5/08 17:39:43

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