Four experiments are performed in which identical pulses travel along string segment 1 toward a junction with string segment 2. The strings are under the same tension, but the mass per unit length of segment 2, μ2, is varied. The ratio μ2/μ1 takes the values 0.10, 0.50, 2.0, and 10. In each experiment the incident pulse has the same shape and amplitude A0.
(a) For each value of μ2/μ1, state whether the reflected pulse is inverted, and indicate whether its amplitude is greater than, equal to, or less than the amplitude of the transmitted pulse. Provide qualitative justifications based on properties of the two media.
(b) Using a common vertical axis that represents “energy carried by the pulse,” sketch four side-by-side bar charts showing the relative incident, reflected, and transmitted energies for the four mass-ratio cases. Label all bars clearly, but do not assign numerical values.
(c) Identify which experiment comes closest to (i) total reflection and (ii) total transmission. Explain briefly in terms of the mass-ratio values.