A wave lab inside a coaxial cable

The study of electromagnetic wave propagation in a coaxial cable can be a powerful approach to the study of waves at an undergraduate level. This study can explore different experimental situations, going from those where the finite velocity of propagation must be considered (distributed or transmission line behaviour), to those where this velocity may be considered infinite (lumped behaviour). We believe that the student observation of the existence of these two regimes can be important for the understanding of wave phenomena in general. In this work we show that this can be achieved using low-cost equipment and a set of quite simple experiments, such as the measurement of wave propagation velocity or the study of standing waves and resonance. The results obtained in a coherent set of selected experiments are discussed