A string under tension carries a transverse wave traveling at speed v.If the linear density of the string is halved,what is the wave speed?
A)The wave speed is unchanged.
B)The wave speed is halved.
C)The wave speed is quadrupled.
D)The wave speed decreases to about 71% of v.
E)The wave speed increases by about 41%.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The wave speed on a string is given by $v = \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$, where $T$ is the tension in the string and $\mu$ is the linear density. Halving the linear density ($\mu$) results in the square root of 2 times the original speed, which is an increase of about 41%.

A String Under Tension Carries a Transverse Wave Traveling at Speed