ENG1081 Reflection O1: Sonometer

(Method)
Q1. Briefly describe two ways in which you estimated/determined the wave speed on the wire. What values did you
obtain using these methods? Lastly, how do those values compare (do they agree)?

The two ways in which we determined the wave speed on the wire was through the two different equations
for velocity, which were v=squareroot(T/µ) and v=f*λ, where T is the Tension in the wire and µ is the density
of the wire while f is the frequency and λ is the wavelength. Using the first equation to find the velocity was
quite easy as the tension and density were already provided. Using the values 16N and 0.94g/m, we
calculated the first velocity value to be 130.47m/s that we got. For the second equation, we discovered the
fundamental frequency for m=1 to be 51Hz which produced half a wavelength for the wire of length 1m. Thus,
f=51Hz and λ=2m as half a wavelength was 1m. This gives us a velocity of 102m/s which is quite different to
the value of 130.47. One reason for this difference is that we used the density of the red wire which was
0.94g/m however in fact we may have used a blue wire which density 1.44g/m which would give a velocity of
105.41m/s which is much closer to the value we calculated with the second equation.

R1. List the similarities and differences between your report and the expert answers. State what you have learnt from
the comparison.

Both the expert answers and my answers used the equations to work out the velocity value. Both answers
obtained the 130m/s value using the first equation.

The differences exist in the second equation as they obtained a value of velocity of 132m/s that was different
to my value but they don’t state how they got that value so it is hard to find out where the difference in
values occurs. The expert answers also provide uncertainties alongside their answers which I did not and
they provide a detailed description of the method of using the equipment to determine the answers.

Reflecting on the expert answers, it is clear that I need to first of all provide the uncertainties in my answers
as well as properly explaining the method used with more detail than I currently provide. I do feel however I
provided a proper explanation of the values I used to find the velocity values while the expert answers could
have done better.

(Results/Conclusions)
Q2. Discuss in detail where the uncertainty in your frequency comes from/how you estimated this value.

One of the main causes of uncertainties would be the Tension in the wire. The scale was in grams per force
and thus our 16N would mean we need to set the wire to 1632 grams per force. The scale provided has an
uncertainty of ±5 gf. The frequency was provided by the sonometer relied on the wire equipment set up for
the calculations and thus would have been effected by both the tension as well as the length of the wire. The
length of the wire had an estimated uncertainty of ±1mm as there was a ruler provided. The frequency
determined was found to have an uncertainty of ±2Hz due to the fact that we observed the oscillations on the
wire to be within ±2Hz of the stated frequency.

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R2. List the similarities and differences between your report and the expert answers. State what you have learnt from
the comparison.

The similarities between the answers are that we both addressed the reading uncertainty
that exists when reading values from the tension of the wire and the length of the wire.
However the differences are that my answer provided the values of the uncertainties and
where they come from while the expert answer goes in the theory of where the
uncertainties come from. Upon reflection, I should anayse what the question is asking and
understand the theory behind the uncertainties and where they come from and be able to
properly convey that information.

(Further Discussion/Investigation)
Q3. If you wanted to determine the effect of linear density of the string on the waves speed how would you do this?

To determine the effect of linear density, calculate the speed of the waves on the wires at different lengths
for higher accuracy as you can use the average velocity over those lengths. Then, plot a graph of linear
density against the average wave speed calculated for each wire, and thus determine whether a relationship
exists between an increase in linear density and the speed of the wave.

R3. List the similarities and differences between your report and the expert answers. State what you have learnt from
the comparison.

Both answers address the solution to be repeating the experiment with the other wires to
find their velocities and graphing the density of the wires against the velocities to find the
fit/relationship. The answer however went further and used a logarithmic fit on the
equation to create a graph with a better fit. Looking back on my answer after reading the

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expert answer, I’ve learnt that I should use the lecture material and use it to expand my
reasoning and methods and go further than simplistic ways to get the result.

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