A long rope is fixed rigidly to a wall at one end and is free to move at the other end, which a student holds loosely. The student produces a single downward flick at the free end, sending a pulse toward the wall.
(a) Describe the motion of a small marked segment of the rope that is initially 2m from the wall as the pulse approaches, passes, and then moves away from that segment.
(b) After reflecting from the rigid wall, the pulse is observed to be inverted. Explain why the pulse inverts upon reflection at the wall, referring to the forces acting on the rope at the boundary.
(c) Discuss how energy associated with the pulse travels along the rope even though individual segments of rope do not experience permanent displacement from their equilibrium positions.