Past exam of the physics A course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / Paper 2 / Section B / B9 / c

The fixed edge at $y=0$ is automatically satisfied by $\sin (qy)$. At $y=a$, the displacement must vanish at every $x,t$, so $\sin (qa)=0$. Thus the allowed transverse normal modes haveThe case $n=0$ gives zero displacement for this sine solution and is not a physical propagating mode. Negative $n$ only reverses the amplitude sign and does not create a distinct transverse mode. This discrete transverse spectrum is a consequence of the Dirichlet boundary conditions, rather than quantization of the longitudinal wavenumber in an indefinitely long guide.