We propose the use of smartphone-based slow-motion video analysis techniques as a valuable tool for
investigating physics concepts ruling mechanical wave propagation. The simple experimental
activities presented here, suitable for both high school and undergraduate students, allows one to
measure, in a simple yet rigorous way, the speed of pulses along a spring and the period of
transverse standing waves generated in the same spring. These experiments can be helpful in
addressing several relevant concepts about the physics of mechanical waves and in overcoming some of
the typical student misconceptions in this same field.