Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
A wire is made of two parts joined end to end: a part long with a linear mass density of , and a part long with a linear mass density of . It is stretched between two rigid supports with a tension of , as in the figure, and set vibrating.
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Plan. Find the two wave speeds. A node at the joint makes each part a string of its own, so the frequency must be a harmonic of both parts at once. For (e), match the two parts at a joint that moves.
Step 1. Speeds (a). and .
Step 2. A node at the joint (b). Part 1 can vibrate at and part 2 at , for whole numbers and . They agree first when and , at .
Step 3. Nodes (c). There are loops in all, so nodes, the ends and the joint included.
Step 4. Wavelength (d). In the heavier part : three half-wavelengths fill its .
Step 5. The lowest mode of the whole wire (e). Take from the left support and from the right support, with . At the joint the displacements are equal and the transverse forces balance, which leaves
With (in ) this is . Its smallest root is , so and .
Answer: (a) and . (b) . (c) . (d) . (e) .
Check. The answer to (e) lies between and : the heavy part holds a little more than half a loop and the light part a little less, with the joint moving.
Watch out. The lowest frequency of the wire is not the lowest frequency with a node at the joint. Most of the wire's modes have a moving joint.
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