IB PHYSICS | COMPLETED NOTES

Simple Harmonic Motion

IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
 Warm up
What words would you use to describe
the motion of a bobble head doll?

• Oscillating
• Back and Forth
• Repeating
• Etc.
A Mass on a Spring

Simple Harmonic Motion

 Let’s look at the forces…

Restoring Force
Always toward equilibrium

–
Fnet

+
 Force and Displacement

Hooke’s Law: F = -kΔx

Force is opposite to the displacement

– -F -a
+Δx Acceleration is in the same
direction as the force
Fnet
-Δx F = ma
+ +F +a
Why the Negative Sign??
“Acceleration is proportional to the
opposite of the displacement” a  -x
Proportional to
-a
+Δx

-Δx
+a
 Let’s look at this one more time…
When is the force largest?
When is the acceleration largest?
When is the velocity largest?

– –
Fnet a

+ +
Where is the Greatest…

Displacement Velocity Acceleration

C X X
B X
A X X
Graphing Displacement vs Time
Displacement C
B B Time +Δx

A -Δx

B
Velocity

A C Time
Slope of d vs t

B
A
Acceleration

B Time Slope of v vs t
B Opposite of disp
C
 Energy for SHM
Displacement

Time

PE
Energy

Time
 Energy for SHM
Velocity

Time

KE
Energy

Time
 Energy for SHM

Time

Total Energy
PE KE
Energy

Time
 Acceleration vs Displacement
Acceleration

C –
Displacement
B a

A
A B C
 Velocity vs Displacement
Velocity

C
Displacement
B v

A
A B C
 _____ vs Displacement
Velocity Acceleration

Displacement Displacement

A B C A B C
 Properties of SHM
Displacement

Time

Property What is it? Symbol Unit

Period Time per cycle T [s]

Frequency Cycles per second f [Hz]
Period is related to Frequency

Period = 1 / Frequency
Period is related to Frequency

Period = 1 / Frequency

1 1
𝑓= 𝑇=
𝑇 𝑓
 1 1
𝑓=
𝑇 Try this… 𝑇=
𝑓

Taylor Swift’s song Shake it Off has a

tempo of 160 beats per minute
(2.67 Hz) how many seconds are in
between each beat (the period)

𝑓 = 2.67 𝐻𝑧
1 1
𝑇 = ?? 𝑇= = = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟕 𝒔
𝑓 2.67 𝐻𝑧
 1 1
𝑓=
𝑇 Try this… 𝑇=
𝑓

You are standing on the beach with your

feet in the water and notice that a new
wave comes crashing in every 4 seconds,
what is the frequency of these waves?

𝑇 =4𝑠
1 1
𝑓 =? ? 𝑓= = = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟓 𝑯𝒛
𝑇 4𝑠
 A little harder…
You are pushing your younger brother on a swing
and you end up pushing 12 times in one minute.
What is the period and frequency of the swing?

60 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑠
𝑇= =𝟓𝐬
12 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠

1 1
𝑓= = = 𝟎. 𝟐 𝐇𝐳
𝑇 5s
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can relate the acceleration of an object in simple
harmonic motion to its position
❑ I can graph the displacement, velocity, and acceleration
vs time for simple harmonic motion
❑ I can describe and relate the properties of period and
frequency
❑ I can calculate period and frequency from a scenario
Properties of
Traveling Waves
IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
What is a Wave?
 What is a Wave?

A wave is a disturbance that

energy
carries __________ through
matter or space

medium
matter through
which a wave travels
 Is the Medium Moving?

The medium particles

oscillate back and forth
 Two Types of Waves
Transverse Longitudinal
Particles move perpendicular Particles move parallel
to the wave’s motion to the wave’s motion

Examples: Examples:
• Ripples in a pond • Sound Waves
• Light Waves • Earthquake Waves
Properties of a Wave
compression rarefaction

peak/crest trough
 Properties of a Wave
λ

A
λ distance

Property Symbol Unit

Amplitude A [m]
Wavelength λ [m]
Waves and Energy

↑ Amplitude = ⃝ Energy
↓ Amplitude = ⃝ Energy

↑ Wavelength = ⃝ Energy
↓ Wavelength = ⃝ Energy
 Label this wave
Can you identify the wave properties from this diagram?

Amplitude? D Wavelength? C
 How Many Waves?

1.5 0.5

1 0.5

1 1.5
Wavelength is related to frequency

Longer wavelength
Lower frequency
_________

Shorter wavelength
Higher frequency
_________
 Wave Speed Equation
Speed = Frequency × Wavelength

v λ
Symbols

= f ×

[m s-1] = [Hz] × [m]

Units

[s-1]
 IB Physics Data Booklet

*Note: “c” represents the speed of light but the

relationship is the same for all wave speeds
 Try this…
A piano string vibrates with a
frequency of 262 Hz. If these sound
waves have a wavelength in the air of
1.30 m, what is the speed of sound?

𝑓 = 262 𝐻𝑧
𝜆 = 1.30 𝑚 𝑣 = 𝑓𝜆 = (262)(1.30) = 340.6 𝑚/𝑠
𝑣 = ??
 1 1
𝑓=
𝑇 Read a Wave #1 𝑇=
𝑓

# of Waves
3
3

2
Period
4s
1
Meters

0
Amplitude
2m
1

2
Frequency
3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0.25 Hz
Seconds
 1 1
𝑓=
𝑇 Read a Wave #2 𝑇=
𝑓

# of Waves
1.5
3

2
Period
8s
1
Meters

0
Amplitude
3m
1

2
Frequency
3

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0.125 Hz
Seconds
 One Final Question…
The crests of waves passing into a harbor are 2.1 m
apart and have an amplitude of 60 cm. 12 waves
pass an observer every minute.
What is their frequency? What is their speed?
12 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠 1 𝑚𝑖𝑛
× = 0.2 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑠
𝑠
𝑣 = 𝑓𝜆
1 𝑚𝑖𝑛 60 𝑠
= (0.2)(2.1)
𝑓 = 𝟎. 𝟐 𝐇𝐳 = 𝟎. 𝟒𝟐 𝒎 𝒔−𝟏
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can describe how waves carry energy through a
medium
❑ I can compare the properties of transverse and
longitudinal waves
❑ I can read a wave’s amplitude, wavelength, period, and
frequency from a graph
❑ I can describe the number of complete wavelengths
represented in a picture
❑ I can use the wave speed equation to mathematically
relate speed, wavelength, and frequency
Sound and
Standing Waves
IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
 Sound Waves start as Vibrations

What kind of wave is sound?

Longitudinal
 Sound is Pressure
Vibrations pressurize the air molecules and those pressure waves
cause our ears to vibrate too!
 Pitch is Related to Frequency
high frequencies
High pitched sounds have _________

low frequencies
Low pitched sounds have _________
 Sensing Pitch
Sadly, the range of Frequency
frequencies that we can 8,000 Hz
hear diminishes with age… 10,000 Hz
12,000 Hz
14,000 Hz
16,000 Hz
18,000 Hz
20,000 Hz
What do you notice from the video?
 Standing Waves

Nodes Antinodes
 Standing Waves
12 m # of Standing Waves # of Wavelengths Wavelength (m)

1 0.5 24
2 1 12
3 1.5 8
4 2 6
“Seeing” Standing Waves
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can relate the pitch of a sound to the frequency of the
sound wave
❑ I can identify and label the node and antinodes on a
standing wave diagram
Calculating Harmonics
and Instruments
IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
Standing Waves Review

Nodes Antinodes
Harmonics
 Open Pipe Resonance

L=
Antinode Antinode

3
2
𝜆
1𝜆
1
2
𝜆
 Closed Pipe Resonance

L=
Node Antinode

5
4
𝜆
3
4
𝜆
1
4
𝜆
Strings make sound too!
wave speed
_________________
changes depending
on the string tension

Two ways to increase frequency in string:

increase decrease
tension length
 String Resonance

Node Node L=
3
2
𝜆
1𝜆
1
2
𝜆
 Review of End Conditions

Closed Pipe Node Antinode

Open Pipe Antinode Antinode

String Node Node

 All the Harmonics!
Open Closed String
Remember Pitch and Frequency
High pitched sounds have high frequencies

Low pitched sounds have low frequencies

Making Different Pitches
The lengths are designed
for the fundamental
frequency
 Calculating Frequency | Open Pipes
L
An open organ pipe is 2.1 m long and the
speed of sound in the pipe is 341 m/s.
What is the fundamental frequency of
the pipe?
𝑣 = 𝑓𝜆 𝑣 341
𝑓= =
𝑓 =? 𝜆 4.2
𝑣 = 341 𝑚 𝑠 −1
𝜆 = 4.2 𝑚 = 𝟖𝟏. 𝟐 𝐇𝐳

𝐿 = 12𝜆 𝜆 = 2𝐿 = 2 2.1 = 4.2 𝑚

 Resonant String Practice
The note produced on a violin
string of length 40 cm produces a
wave speed of 250 m/s. What is
the first harmonic of this note?

𝑣 = 𝑓𝜆 𝑣 250
𝑓= =
𝑓 =? 𝜆 0.8
𝑣 = 250 𝑚 𝑠 −1
𝜆 = 0.8 𝑚 = 𝟑𝟏𝟐. 𝟓 𝐇𝐳

𝐿 = 12𝜆 𝜆 = 2𝐿 = 2 0.4 = 0.8 𝑚

Finding Resonance
 Calculating Frequency | Closed Pipes
You found an unmarked tuning fork in your collection. You notice
that the smallest length for resonance is 12 cm. If the speed of
sound is 345 m/s, what is the tuning fork frequency?

𝐿 = 14𝜆 𝜆 = 4𝐿 = 4 0.12 = 0.48 𝑚 L

𝑣 345
𝑓= = = 𝟕𝟏𝟖. 𝟕𝟓 𝐇𝐳
𝜆 0.48

What should the length of the tube be for the 2nd resonant position?

𝐿 = 34𝜆 = 34 0.48 = 𝟎. 𝟑𝟔 𝒎
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can identify and label the node and antinodes on a
standing wave diagram
❑ I can describe the end conditions and nodes/antinodes
for open/closed pipes and vibrating strings
❑ I can calculate the wavelength or instrument length of a
standing wave for different harmonics
Speed of Sound
IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
 Speed of Sound Depends on Medium

Air (25 °C)

760 mph
0.21 miles/sec

Speed of Sound for Air (at any temp)

v = 331 m s-1 + 0.6 × (Temp in °C)
Speed of Sound Depends on Medium
Why does Medium
Affect Speed?
molecule spacing

iron

air
 Do other factors increase speed?

Frequency? No
v=f×λ v=f×λ
Amplitude? No
*Independent from all other wave properties
Sound is fast, but not THAT fast…

𝑑 = 335 m
𝑡 = 0.935 s

𝑑 335 m
𝑣= = = 𝟑𝟓𝟖 𝐦 𝐬 −𝟏
𝑡 0.935 s
 Using the Speed of Sound
You see lightning strike and
immediately start counting, once you
get to 7 seconds, you hear the boom
of thunder. How far away is the storm?

Air (25 °C) 𝑑 = 𝑣𝑡 = 0.21 7

346 m/s
760 mph = 𝟏. 𝟒𝟕 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬
0.21 miles/sec
 Shortcut for Clocking a Storm
As soon as you see lightning strike,
start counting…
One one thousand, Two one thousand…
Stop counting as soon as you hear the
thunder from that bolt of lightning

Distance in Miles = Time / 5

 ECHO…. Echo…. Echo….
When you hear an echo, you are hearing the sound
after it has reflected off of an object and returned to
your ear
Calculating Distance from an Echo
A saxophonist plays a duet with himself
using the echo of the sound in a long
pipe. If the speed of sound is 340 m/s
and echo returns 1.3 seconds after the
original sound, how long is the pipe?

𝑑
𝑣=
𝑡 Only half the time to go one way

𝑑 = 𝑣𝑡 = 340 0.65 = 𝟐𝟐𝟏 𝒎

 How do we locate sounds?
Sound reaches one ear before the other. It also sounds
different from different locations due to the shape of our ears.

source
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can describe why sound travels at different speeds in
different media
❑ I can calculate how far a distant object is by timing an
echo
Wave Interference
IB PHYSICS | WAVES - SOUND
 Interference
When several waves are in the same location,
they combine to produce a new wave that is
different from the original waves.
After waves pass
by one another
continue on
unchanged
_____________
 Name that Interference
Constructive Interference
_________ Destructive Interference
_________
 Constructive Interference

What is the resulting

amplitude when
these waves meet?
 Destructive Interference

What is the
resulting
amplitude
when these
waves meet?
 Superposition of Waves
Wave A

Time
Wave B

Time
Superposition

Time
 IB Sample Question
Both the waves below are moving at 0.5 m s-1 towards each other.
What is the displacement at a distance of 1 m, after 4 s has passed?

(+3) + (-2) = +1
Noise Canceling Headphones
IB Sample Question
Interference from Multiple Sources

Constructive Destructive
 1D Sound Interference
λ

Path Difference = 0.5λ

0λ 0.5λ 1λ 1.5λ 2λ 2.5λ

Constructive Path Difference = 𝑛𝜆

Destructive Path Difference = (𝑛 + 12)𝜆

*𝑛 is any integer

These are known as “coherent waves” because they have

the same frequency and a constant phase difference
IB Physics Data Booklet
 Finding a Minimum
λ = 0.6 m

2.1 m 1.8 m
Path Difference = 2.1 – 1.8 = 0.3 m

Path Difference = ( )×λ

Constructive | Path Difference = 𝑛𝜆
0.3 m = ( 0.5) × 0.6 m
Destructive | Path Difference = (𝑛 + )𝜆
1
2
 Finding a Maximum
λ = 0.6 m

2.1 m 1.5 m
Path Difference = 2.1 – 1.5 = 0.6 m

Path Difference = ( )×λ

Constructive | Path Difference = 𝑛𝜆
0.6 m = ( 1 ) × 0.6 m
Destructive | Path Difference = (𝑛 + )𝜆
1
2
 Try This
Two coherent point sources S1 and S2 emit spherical waves. P Q

Which of the following best describes the intensity of the

A Maximum Minimum
waves at P and Q? B Minimum Maximum
Max C Maximum Maximum
D Minimum Minimum
Min
 Try this #1
5m
Two speakers are separated by a distance of 5 meters,
if they emit a coherent sound signal of 850 Hz. If the
2.1 m 2.9 m
speed of sound is 340 m s-1, is this person in a
maximum or minimum location?

𝑣 = 𝑓𝜆
𝑣 340
𝜆= = = 0.4 𝑚
𝑓 850

Path Difference Path Difference = (___) × λ

2.9 – 2.1 = 0.8 m Maximum because result
0.8 is a perfect integer
=𝟐
0.4
 Try This #2
4m If these speakers are playing a note with a frequency of
680 Hz, is this person standing at a maximum or
Path Difference
minimum spot? Assume a speed of sound of 340 m s-2
5 - 3= 2 m
𝑣 340
𝜆= = = 0.5 𝑚
𝑓 680
Maximum because result
5m is a perfect integer
3m 2
Path Diff. = ( )×λ =𝟒
0.5
What frequency would result in the opposite effect?

2m 𝜆 = 0.44 m
( 𝟒. 𝟓 ) =
(Could be anything
𝜆 𝑣 340
𝑓= = = 𝟕𝟕𝟑 𝐇𝐳
that ends in .5) 𝜆 0.44
 Lesson Takeaways
❑ I can qualitatively and quantitatively interpret cases of
constructive and destructive interference
❑ I can add up two waves with superposition to create a
new waveform
❑ I can use wavelength and source distance to identify
maxima and minima for interference