Standing Waves on a String

1. Choose any of the three optional investigations above the apparatus. Read the question, make a prediction, then try it. You can freely explore all controls.
2. Switch on the oscillator. Adjust the generator frequency until the string forms clear, large loops. Each resonance is a harmonic.
3. Change the hanging mass, vibrating length, or string density. Explore how the resonance frequencies change. The harmonic buttons tune the generator exactly.
4. Turn on Strobe lock to see the string at the same point in every cycle. This virtual synchronized light holds a stationary view without flashing the screen. Use the phase slider to inspect different positions. Track one string point to see transverse motion: it moves up and down, not along the string.
5. Show nodes and antinodes at resonance. Nodes stay still; antinodes have the largest motion.
6. Move the two measurement cursors using their sliders, or drag their handles along the ruler. The adjacent-node button aligns the cursors at resonance. The readout only converts spacing to wavelength when the cursors sit on neighboring nodes. Adjacent nodes are half a wavelength apart: λ = 2Δx.

Normal viewing shows slow motion so you can follow the vibration. The generator displays the physical frequency. No observations are saved.