Pulse in a Coiled Spring Pulse in a Coiled Spring
When somebody sharply moves the end of the spring in the horizontal direction and back, a pulse originates traveling upward along the spring.
The velocity of the pulse is determined by the tension in the spring and its mass per unit length ratio
For the case shown in the picture, the tension is F=Mg, where M is the mass of the attached sphere.
Mass per unit length is
=m/L ,
where m is the mass of the spring and L is its length.
Unit 6, Question 7 ...
Unit 6 Table of Contents ...
Demonstrations