C4 practical: Standing waves in a slinky
In this experiment a transverse standing wave will be set up in a length of slinky spring and its time period measured with a stop watch.If we treat the spring as a thick string then the velocity of the wave is given byv = (FT/μ)½Where FT is the tension and μ the mass per unit length.We also know that v=fλSo;fλ=(FT/μ)½For the 1st harmonic the wavelength = 2 x length