GUIDE QUESTIONS

1. If the length of the vibrating string and the frequency of vibration are kept constant,

what effect would increasing the tension have on the number of segments formed? Explain your

answer.

- The number of segments formed and the tension are inversely proportional to each

other. As the tension increases, the number of segments formed decreases or as the tension

decreases, the number of line segments increases. It is because every time the weight/tension

increases, the more the string will be stretched and therefore, cannot move freely. And as

weight/tension decreases, the more the string will be free thus, having its ability to move more in a

wave form, creating more segments.

2. The pitch or frequency of a guitar string also depends on its thickness and length. How

is the pitch of a guitar string related to its length?

- The pitch of a guitar string is inversely proportional to its length. Shorter strings have

higher frequency and therefore higher pitch. Longer strings have lower frequency and therefore

lower pitch.

How is the pitch of a guitar string related to its thickness?

- The pitch of a guitar string is also inversely proportional to its thickness. Thick strings

with large diameter/thickness vibrate slower, thus having lower frequency. Thin strings with

small diameter/thickness vibrate faster, thus having higher frequency.

ANALYSIS

The motion of objects is divided into particle motion and wave motion. In simple terms, a

wave may be defined as a disturbance that propagates from one location to another. There are

three main types of waves: mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves, and matter waves but this

experiment focuses only on transverse waves.

Mechanical waves are waves that need a material medium in order to propagate and exist.

Mechanical waves may be classified into two types: transverse waves and longitudinal waves. In

transverse waves, the disturbance in the medium caused by the wave is perpendicular to the wave

propagation. In longitudinal waves, the disturbance in the medium caused by the wave is parallel

to the wave propagation. The wavelength  of a wave is the distance between repetitions of the

shape of the wave. The node and the antinode refer to the regions of no vibration and maximum

vibration, respectively. The distance between two adjacent nodes is called a segment.

This experiment will be using different sizes of the strings, the dependency of frequency

to the linear mass density will be determined. Parameters like tension and number of segments

formed shall also be identified.

All in all, the experiment was divided into two parts. The first part is the frequency of

vibration and tension where the size of the guitar string is kept constant while there is an

increment on the mass added to the hanger, thus increasing its tension. It shows that the number

of segments formed and the tension are inversely proportional to each other. As the tension

increases, the number of segments formed decreases or as the tension decreases, the number of

line segments increases. The second part is the frequency of vibration and linear mass density

where the tension on the string is kept constant while there is a change in the sizes of the guitar
string. It shows that the frequency of a guitar string is inversely proportional to its thickness.

Thick strings with large diameter/thickness vibrate slower, thus having lower frequency. Thin

strings with small diameter/thickness vibrate faster, thus having higher frequency.
ERROR ANALYSIS

There are three main factors in the experiment that may cause serious errors in the final

computation, analysis, and conclusion. The first factor is the deformation of the string being

used. A recommended string is somehow straight without any obvious deformation in order to

count the number of segments properly as well as to measure its length easily. These deformation

may also affect the tension of the string. Another error is the faulty set-up of the experiment.

This will lead to serious errors since the set-up will not work the way it should be and therefore,

will produce different results. An example of this is the loose screw that places the string in its

proper place, hence, making the waves inconsistent. The last and the most factor that may cause

error in this experiment is the human errors. These includes wrong measurements, calculations,

and wrong input of data. Communication is also important during the experiment in order to

make everyone in the same page so that there will be no confusion in the procedures as well as

the computations. This will also make the experiment easier and faster.

All in all, the group did a great job in keeping these errors in minimum. The group only

got an error 18.11%, 6.71%, and 1.39% in the first part of the experiment and 15.62%, 1.39%,

and 11.39% in the second part of the experiment.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the group have met the objectives of the experiment since the group

determined the relationship between tension on a string and the frequency of vibration. It was

concluded that the two are directly proportional to one another. As the tension on the string

increases by adding more weight, the frequency also increases. Therefore, as the tension on the

string decreases by removing some weight, its frequency also decreases. Furthermore, the group

also determined the relationship between the length of a string and the frequency of vibration. It

was concluded that the two are inversely proportional to each other. As the length of the string

increases, the frequency decreases and as the length of the string decreases, the frequency then

increases. There are also several sub-topics which have learned by the group that is not specified

in the objectives which also helped during the experiment itself and in the computations,

analysis, and conclusion.

APPLICATION

There are several application of transverse waves not just in Mechanical Engineering but

also in life in general. A good example of application of waves is the electromagnetic waves

which includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, light, ultraviolet, x-rays, and gamma rays.

Each and everyone of this has its own use. Radio waves may be used for radio astronomy,

television transmitter, and other radio technology. Microwaves are widely used in modern

technology, it may be used to relay networks, radar, satellite, and spacecraft communication.

Furthermore, it is now also used for medical diathermy and cancer treatment. Infrared is most

commonly used in heat-sensitive thermal imaging cameras. Light or the visible light is what we

see in the naked eye. Ultraviolet are most commonly used in hospitals to sterilize surgical

equipment. X-rays are most commonly used for medical field like the x-ray we know and

mammograms. Lastly, gamma rays are most commonly used to kill cancerous cells.