Interaction of two pulses: Qualitative Observational Experiment

Aim

Come up with a rule to describe how two pulses interact with each other.

Prior Knowledge

  • Vectors, addition of vectors
  • Displacement.
  • Displacement versus time graph and displacement versus position graph for a pulse.

Description of the Experiment

Two pulses move on the same slinky in the opposite directions.

Youtube movies can be stepped frame by frame using the , and . keys on your keyboard. If you want to download the movie to your computer, right-click or control-click HERE.

Youtube movies can be stepped frame by frame using the , and . keys on your keyboard. If you want to download the movie to your computer, right-click or control-click HERE.

Questions

  • Describe what you observed in two videos.
  • Compare and contrast your observations.
  • Explain the observations. Use graphical representations such as displacement versus position and displacement versus time.
  • Does the same explanation work for both experiments? If yes, then what is a more general principle that governs both phenomena?