Explain why (or how):

the shape of a pulse gets distorted during propagation in a dispersive medium.

Explain why (or how):

a violin note and sitar note may have the same frequency, yet we can distinguish between the two notes,

Explain why (or how):

solids can support both longitudinal and transverse waves, but only longitudinal waves can propagate in gases, and

A train, standing at the outer signal of a railway station blows a whistle of frequency 400 Hz in still air. (i) What is the frequency of the whistle for a platform observer when the train (a) approaches the platform with a speed of 10 m s^–1, (b) recedes from the platform with a speed of 10 m s^–1? (ii) What is the speed of sound in each case? The speed of sound in still air can be taken as 340 m s^–1.

A train, standing in a station-yard, blows a whistle of frequency 400 Hz in still air. The wind starts blowing in the direction from the yard to the station with a speed of 10 m s^–1. What are the frequency, wavelength, and speed of sound for an observer standing on the station’s platform? Is the situation exactly identical to the case when the air is still and the observer runs towards the yard at a speed of 10 m s^–1? The speed of sound in still air can be taken as 340 m s^–1.