Particle Pulses Mental Model of the Mathematics of Waves
Particle Pulses Mental Model of the Mathematics of Waves
- The following situation was given in pretests (N=68) and interviews (N=9)
x=0
x
y
Consider a pulse propagating in the +x-direction along a taut string. The string is lying on a table, and there is no friction between
the string and the table. The diagram above shows the shape of the
pulse at t = 0 sec. Suppose the displacement of the string at various
values of x is given by the equation:
Pulse Shape: Correct Response