Physics Commons^™

Vibrational Properties Of A Loaded String, Samantha Parmley, Tom Zobrist, Terry Clough, Anthony Perez-Miller, Mark Makela

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

In this paper we discuss our study of a string–mass chain and its anology to quantum mechanical systems. Theoretical predictions are made based upon the numerical solution to the wave equation. These predictions are tested experimentally using both normal mode analysis and pulse analysis. The frequency band structures for periodic and disordered string mass chains are studied as well as their corresponding eigenfunctions. The theoretical and experimental results are in accord. This experiment, suitable for advanced physics majors, demonstrates many important features of quantum mechanics: eigenvalues, superposition principle, band structure, gap modes, and Anderson localization.