Physics

A traveling wave's equation reveals its direction through the sign of the $x$ term: positive $x$ means the wave moves left (negative direction), while negative $x$ means it moves right. You need to match three parameters—amplitude $A = 0.03\,\text{m}$, angular frequency $\omega = 40\pi\,\text{rad\,s}^{-1}$, and the correct sign pattern—to the standard form $y = A\sin(\omega t + kx + \phi)$ or $y = A\cos(\omega t + kx + \phi)$.

A traveling wave's equation reveals its direction through the sign of the $x$ term: positive $x$ means the wave moves left (negative direction), while negative $x$ means it moves right. You need to match three parameters—amplitude $A = 0.03\,\text{m}$, angular frequency $\omega = 40\pi\,\text{rad\,s}^{-1}$, and the correct sign pattern—to the standard form $y = A\sin(\omega t + kx + \phi)$ or $y = A\cos(\omega t + kx + \phi)$.