Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2018/paper-2/section-b/b9/c/solution

For a rightgoing harmonic travelling wave in the lossless string, its force and transverse-velocity complex amplitudes satisfy with real . Thus the supplied mean-power expression gives
where is the displacement complex amplitude and for convention . The same result follows directly from instantaneous string power averaged over a cycle. The amplitudes here are peak amplitudes; with root mean square force or velocity the factor is absent. If reflections return to the driver, its net mean input is still , but its input mechanical impedance need not equal the travelling-wave value .

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