Physics waves question

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ptavasso

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Hi everyone,

in the EK textbook (page 104, the second yellow paragraph on the left) says that a wave going from medium 1 to medium 2 will the same frequency but a different wavelength. This is my understanding: the frequency must remain the same because if it increased or decreased that would mean the length of the string/ wave had to have changed (i.e. if talking about a string, a piece of string would have to have been removed or added). Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I understand that v is only affected by the medium the wave travels through, and thus, the medium is able to change v by changing wavelength, but then would that mean, in reflection/ refraction, that v is dictated only by wavelength changes in a medium (since it's saying frequency doesn't change)?

Thank you!
 
Last edited:
good question! In R/R. the speed of different wavelengths slows by differing amounts ( dispersion through prism) and speed of a wave slows according to n=c/v therefore n/wavelngth = n/wavelngth and they are directly proportional
 
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