Physics Blogger

Here's what a free end of a spring looks like: (The end of the string is free to move loosely) When a force is applied on one end of the slinky and the wave travels to the other end, the wave "bounces back" and move back towards the direction it came from on the same side of the slinky. This is because of the forces acting on the slinky as it travels towards and goes through the free end of the slinky. As seen in the diagram, at the 5th dot, the net force is pulling upwards because the end of the slinky is not tied to a pole to counteract that upward force, resulting in the wave to continue the pattern on the same side of the slinky but in opposite directions. Here's what a fixed end of a spring looks like: (The end of the string is fixed and cannot move loosely) When a force is applied on one end of the slinky and the wave travels to the other end, the wave "bounces back" and move back towards the direction it came from on the opposite