Quick Answer: Melde's String Vibration Apparatus produces stationary waves on a stretched string driven by a vibrator, so students can study how frequency, tension and vibrating length change the number of loops.
Last updated: October 2026
Key Features
String tensioned over a pulley by a suspended load
Visible nodes, antinodes and multiple-loop patterns
Tension changed by adding or removing suspended masses
Vibrating length can be adjusted and measured
Vibrator type (mechanical or electromagnetic) depends on the model supplied
Technical Specifications
Specification
Value
Product category
Sound and Waves / String Vibration Apparatus
Scientific principle
Stationary transverse waves on a stretched string
Experiment capacity
Multiple tension, length and frequency observations
Vibrator type
Mechanical or electromagnetic
About This Product
One end of the string is attached to the vibrator and the other passes over the pulley to a mass hanger; students then adjust tension, length or frequency until stable loops form, count them and record the measurements. The results relate frequency to wavelength or give an estimate of the vibrator frequency, a measurement-based wave practical from Physics Miscellaneous Products for senior-secondary and introductory undergraduate classes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What do the loops on the string represent? Each loop lies between two adjacent nodes and contains an antinode where the vibration amplitude is greatest.
Q2. How is string tension changed? Tension is normally changed by adding or removing suspended masses on the hanger.
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