NVAEasyJEE 2023Wave Motion Basics

JEE Physics 2023 Question with Solution

The distance between two consecutive points with phase difference of 6060^\circ in a wave of frequency 500Hz500 \, \text{Hz} is 6.0m6.0 \, \text{m}. The velocity with which the wave is traveling is _____ km/s\text{km/s}:

Answer

Correct answer:18

Step-by-step solution

Standard Method

Given: Phase difference Δϕ=π3\Delta \phi = \frac{\pi}{3}, distance between the points Δx=6m\Delta x = 6 \, \text{m}, and frequency f=500Hzf = 500 \, \text{Hz}.

Find: Wave velocity.

The phase difference is given by

Δϕ=kΔx\Delta \phi = k \Delta x

where

k=2πλk = \frac{2\pi}{\lambda}

is the wave number.

Substituting Δϕ=π3\Delta \phi = \frac{\pi}{3} and Δx=6m\Delta x = 6 \, \text{m},

π3=2πλ6\frac{\pi}{3} = \frac{2\pi}{\lambda} \cdot 6

So,

λ=36m\lambda = 36 \, \text{m}

The wave velocity is

v=λf=36500=18000m/s=18km/sv = \lambda f = 36 \cdot 500 = 18000 \, \text{m/s} = 18 \, \text{km/s}

Therefore, the velocity is 18km/s18 \, \text{km/s}.

Using phase difference and wavelength relation

Given: Two consecutive points have phase difference 6060^\circ over a distance of 6m6 \, \text{m}.

Find: The speed of the wave.

For a progressive wave, phase difference over distance is proportional to wavelength:

Δϕ2π=Δxλ\frac{\Delta \phi}{2\pi} = \frac{\Delta x}{\lambda}

Using

Δϕ=60=π3\Delta \phi = 60^\circ = \frac{\pi}{3}

we get

π/32π=6λ\frac{\pi/3}{2\pi} = \frac{6}{\lambda} 16=6λ\frac{1}{6} = \frac{6}{\lambda} λ=36m\lambda = 36 \, \text{m}

Now use

v=fλv = f\lambda v=500×36=18000m/sv = 500 \times 36 = 18000 \, \text{m/s} v=18km/sv = 18 \, \text{km/s}

Thus, the required numerical value is 18.

Common mistakes

  • Using 6060 directly instead of converting 6060^\circ to radians or using the fraction of a full cycle is incorrect. Phase formulas require angular phase consistency. Convert 6060^\circ to π3\frac{\pi}{3} or use that it is 16\frac{1}{6} of 360360^\circ.

  • Confusing the given 6m6 \, \text{m} with the wavelength is incorrect. The question gives the distance corresponding to a phase difference of only 6060^\circ, not a full cycle. Use the phase-distance relation first to find λ\lambda.

  • Forgetting to convert 18000m/s18000 \, \text{m/s} into km/s\text{km/s} leads to the wrong final numerical answer. Since the blank asks for km/s\text{km/s}, divide by 10001000 and report only 18 in the answer field.

Practice more Wave Motion Basics questions

Get unlimited AI-adaptive practice, mastery tracking, and an AI tutor that explains every step — free to start.

Related questions