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Mac and Tosh are creating waves using a 3-inch zinc-coiled slinky. If they double the frequency of the waves which they are creating (without any alteration in the medium), then one can be sure that ____.
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Factors Affecting Wave Speed:
The speed of a wave is dependent upon the properties of the medium through which the wave is moving. An alteration in the properties of the medium will result in a change in the speed at which the wave moves through that medium.
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The speed of a wave is often calculated as the product of frequency and wavelength. This gives many students the wrong impression that the speed of a wave depends upon frequency and wavelength. But don't be fooled! The speed of a wave is independent of its frequency and wavelength. A change in the frequency value will not result in a change in the speed value. Rather, changing frequency will result in a change in the wavelength in such a manner that the speed value turns out the same. While the speed can be calculated from knowledge of the frequency and wavelength, its value is unaffected by changes in frequency and wavelength.
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It is often said that the speed of a wave depends upon the properties of the medium (see Know the Law section). If the properties of the medium are not changed, the speed of the wave is not changed. Frequency and wavelength are wave properties, not properties of a slinky. You would never look at a slinky sitting on a table and say "Look at that slinky. It has a wavelength of 20 cm." Wavelength is a property of a wave. The material a slinky is made of and the size of its coils and the tightness to which it is pulled are properties of a slinky. Alterations in these properties affect the ultimate speed of the wave.
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