Consider a super basic 1D vibrating string, with standing waves on it. The string has length $L$, and the wave propagates at a velocity $v$. The fundamental frequency $f_1$ is given by
$$f_1 = \frac{v}{2L}$$
And $v$ is in turn given by
$$v = \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$$
where $T$ is the tension in the string and $\mu$ is the linear mass density. There will also be standing waves at integer multiples of $f_1$.
Now, consider a vibrating loop, made of a metal (so that it tries to retain its shape), like in this video. How do I calculate the fundamental frequency of a system like this? In particular, I understand what tension means in the context of the linear system, but I don't know how it works in the loop case.
I can't see where the tension in the wire is. It's not like a guitar string being stretched taut; nobody is pulling the ring tight, it maintains its shape by itself. At first, I thought the tension would be from the string originally being straight, and then being curled into a ring, but that can't be right because the tension in the outer edge would be counter-balanced by the compression on the inner edge. And besides, you could imagine a ring being made by pouring molten metal into a very thin ring-shaped mould — in that case there wouldn't be any stretching or compression at all — the ring shape would be the atomic lattice's natural state. Such a ring would presumably oscillate the same way as the ring in the video.
Then, I thought that the tension comes from the wire stretching when it oscillates — a sine wave is longer than a straight line. In this case, the tension would be related to the r.m.s. of the arc length of the wire through one oscillation(?). Apart from this requiring a horrible elliptical integral to solve, it doesn't work either, because if you increase the amplitude of the deflection you increase the tension in the wire, and that would change the fundamental frequency. But that isn't what actually happens — you can crank the oscillator up as much as you want and it doesn't alter the position of the nodes, it just makes them easier to see (I've done this).
So perhaps that we're outside the domain the equation is valid for? My question is: is there a different, tension-like quantity I can use in the equation? Presumably it would involve some kind of bulk property of the material like the Young's Modulus, but I couldn't figure out how to make the units work out. Or a different equation entirely?
Best Answer
The role of the tension in the linear string is to create a force that will pull back on any deviation from a straight line. This is what causes waves to propagate along the string. A point is moved away from equilibrium, and the tension acts to get it back to its equilibrium position. Things don't stop as the string now has kinetic energy, and keeps on moving against tension.
In a bulk material, there is already a force that will try to reduce any deviation from equilibrium. You don't need the tension, and the equation for a string is not valid. As you guessed, that force related to the elastic properties of the material. One thing that should not be confused is that in solids, you can have longitudinal waves and transverse waves, which will propagate at different speeds. There are different properties of the materials (Young's modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus and Poisson's ratio) that must be used for each specific case. The propagation speed will also depend on the density of the material.