n a ripple tank of length 1.6 m, waves cover this length in 2 seconds. If the distance between two consecutive troughs is 20 cm, find the number of waves, the frequency of the waves, and their time period.

Waves in a ripple tank:

Given:

  • Length of the tank L=1.6 m
  • Time t=2 s
  • Distance between consecutive troughs (wavelength) λ=20 cm=0.2 m

The number of waves can be found as:

N=L/λ=1.6/0.2=8

The frequency f is:

f=N/t=8/2=4 Hz

The time period is:

T=1/f=1/4=0.25 s

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