Wave Motion - Mission WM5 Detailed Help


When a wave is moving through a more dense medium and approaching the boundary with a less dense medium, a portion of the wave will be transmitted across the boundary and a portion of the wave will be reflected. The reflected wave will ___.


 
Inversion of the Reflected Pulse
When a transverse wave or pulse traveling through a rope reaches a boundary with another rope, part of the wave or pulse is reflected and travels back through the original rope. The reflected part has the same wavelength, wave speed and frequency as the incident wave or pulse. However, the wave or pulse can become inverted (or flipped) if the end of the rope is attached to a more dense rope. Such a boundary causes any upward-displaced incident pulse to reflect as a downward-displaced reflected pulse. If the end of the rope is attached to a less dense rope at the boundary, then the reflected pulse will not be inverted.