Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2015/paper-2/section-a/2/solution

Let be the common tension and the linear mass densities. The characteristic impedance of a stretched string is . Continuity of displacement and transverse force at a massless junction gives and . Consequently
The reflected power is . The minus sign of represents a phase reversal, not negative power. Both incident and reflected waves travel in the first string, so their power ratio is simply the squared displacement-amplitude ratio. As a check, and .

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