A travelling wave is described by the equation: . The velocity of the wave is: (All quantities are in SI units.)
- A
- B
- C
- D
A travelling wave is described by the equation: . The velocity of the wave is: (All quantities are in SI units.)
Correct answer:C
Standard Method
Given: The wave equation is .
Find: The velocity of the wave.
For a travelling wave of the form
we identify and .
The wave speed is
Substituting the given values,
Therefore, the correct option is C and the velocity of the wave is .
Using the coefficient of or directly as the wave speed. This is wrong because those coefficients represent and , not . Use instead.
Confusing amplitude with wave speed. The amplitude only gives the maximum displacement and has no role in calculating velocity here. Identify and from the wave equation.
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