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A group of students conducts an experiment to measure the speed of a wave along a slinky spring by timing how long it takes for a wave pulse to travel 5.0 meters. They record various times and are tasked with calculating the average time and speed, while also addressing potential errors such as parallax and variations in recorded times. Additionally, they discuss methods to improve measurement accuracy and how to slow down the wave pulse for more precise speed measurement.

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6 views

w2

A group of students conducts an experiment to measure the speed of a wave along a slinky spring by timing how long it takes for a wave pulse to travel 5.0 meters. They record various times and are tasked with calculating the average time and speed, while also addressing potential errors such as parallax and variations in recorded times. Additionally, they discuss methods to improve measurement accuracy and how to slow down the wave pulse for more precise speed measurement.

Uploaded by

shhadiimran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5

2 A group of students measures the speed of a wave along a slinky spring. For
Examiner’s
A teacher and a student hold the ends of a slinky spring stretched along a bench, as shown Use

in Fig. 2.1.

spring

bench

five metre rules

Fig. 2.1

The teacher moves one end of the spring to make a wave pulse travel along the spring.
Five metre rules are placed end-to-end alongside the spring.
Five students with stopwatches stand together near the centre of the spring to measure the
time t taken by the wave pulse to travel the distance of 5.0 m.

(a) The five students record the following values for t, measured in seconds.

1.71 1.64 1.78 1.75 1.67

(i) Find the average time tav for the wave to travel 5.0 m along the spring.

tav = ................................................ [1]

(ii) Calculate the average speed vav of the wave pulse along the spring.
Give your answer to a suitable number of significant figures.

vav = ................................................ [2]

© UCLES 2010 5054/41/O/N/10 [Turn over


6

(b) (i) Explain why, in practice, the position of the students and the metre rules causes a For
parallax error. Examiner’s
Use

..................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................ [1]

(ii) Explain why this parallax error causes the measured values of t to be too small.

..................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................ [1]

(iii) Explain one other reason why the times recorded by the students are not all exactly
the same.

..................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................ [1]

(iv) Describe how the students could measure the time t more accurately.

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................ [2]

(c) One student suggests that the speed of a slower wave pulse can be measured more
accurately.
Suggest a method of making a wave pulse travel more slowly along the spring.

..........................................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................................... [1]

© UCLES 2010 5054/41/O/N/10

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