Two identical wave pulses, inverted relative to each other, travel from the two ends of a stretched string. At the instant they meet in the middle the string is completely straight. What happens to th

Question

Two identical wave pulses, inverted relative to each other, travel from the two ends of a stretched string. At the instant they meet in the middle the string is completely straight. What happens to the energy of the pulses?

TestHub · Accepted Answer

At full overlap the displacement is zero everywhere, so there is no stretch and no potential energy. Energy is conserved, so it is all kinetic (the string elements are moving fastest). The pulses then separate and continue with their original shapes.

Physics - Wave on String Question with Solution | TestHub

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