Normal Wave vs. Standing Wave

[justadream]

---

Members do not see this ad.

This is a question from TPR. My question is: How do I know this is NOT a standing wave? Apparently it's a normal transverse wave.

"A physics student is doing a wave experiment with a 1m long cord stretched across the lab table. In the middle of the cord, a 1 cm section is painted red. A specially designed machine creates vibrations so that a sine wave will travel on the cord from the east side of the table to the west side of the table. The vibrations of the sine wave are parallel to the table and peak at the north side of the table and the south side of the table. Which of the following best describes the motion of the red spot?"

Answer: Spot vibrates between the north side and south side of the table.

One of the incorrect choices is "the spot remains in a fixed location" - which I think would indicate a standing wave.

 

[dnrs]

I believe the fact that it the wave travels from the east side of the table to the west side of the table indicates that it is NOT a standing wave.

 

[tdod]

it sounds to me like it is a standing wave. even in a standing wave, the spot will still vibrate along the north/south coordinate and therefore will not be stationary.

 

[orangetea]

The clue here is "Sine wave" Sine waves are transverse waves. Transverse waves travel up and down(a lot like light) and longitudinal waves move horizontally (sound)

 

[DrknoSDN]

A specially designed machine creates vibrations so that a sine wave will travel on the cord from the east side of the table to the west side of the table.

This says that it is a traveling wave and not a standing wave.

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/Lesson-4/Traveling-Waves-vs-Standing-Waves