Scribd
Upload
21 views4 pages

What Are Waves - Key

The document discusses different types of mechanical waves including transverse, longitudinal, and surface waves. It describes key wave properties such as amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, and uses the universal wave equation to relate wavelength, frequency, and speed. Examples are provided to demonstrate calculating wave properties.

Uploaded by

samuelyajjala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
21 views4 pages

What Are Waves - Key

The document discusses different types of mechanical waves including transverse, longitudinal, and surface waves. It describes key wave properties such as amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, and uses the universal wave equation to relate wavelength, frequency, and speed. Examples are provided to demonstrate calculating wave properties.

Uploaded by

samuelyajjala
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Unit: Waves Name:_________________

Lesson 1: What are Waves Date: _________________


What are Waves
A wave is: a disturbance or vibration that transfers and transmits energy, but not matter. Example of this is
sound, light, radio waves, earthquakes and etc…

Three types of mechanical waves:

1. Transverse: is when the particle moves perpendicular to the motion of the wave.

Longitudinal: Particles move parallel to the motion of the wave. Examples of this type of a wave occurs through a solid
object like a stretched rope or a trampoline is an example of this type of wave.
2.

3. Surface Waves: Waves travel both in transverse and longitudinal making them travel in a circle.
Example of this are waves in the ocean and ripples in a cup of water.

http://scienceprimer.com/types-of-waves

Parts of a wave

Transverse Wave

Medium: Material that the wave


travels through.
Crest: High point of the wave.
Trough: Low point of the wave.
Amplitude (A): Max displacement
from rest.
Wavelength (): Distance travelled by
a SINGLE wave.
Pulse: A wave that consists of a single
disturbance.
Energy of a Wave: Energy is proportionate to the amplitude squared. The higher the amplitude, the shorter the
wavelength is, the more energy the wave has  Energy of a wave ∝ amplitude2
Unit: Waves Name:_________________
Lesson 1: What are Waves Date: _________________

Longitudinal Wave:

Compression: Region in the wave where the particles are closer together than normal.
Rarefaction: Region of the wave where the particles are farther apart than normal.

Describing the motion of a wave

USE THE PHET PENDULUM SIMULATOR TO SHOW THE MOTION OF A WAVE


https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/pendulum-lab

Cycle: One complete oscillation is a cycle of a wave.


Frequency: The number of complete cycles per second (in hertz HZ) 1 Hz = 1 cycle/second
Period: Time for one complete cycle (in seconds s)

f = 1/T or T = 1/f
Unit: Waves Name:_________________
Lesson 1: What are Waves Date: _________________

Example #1
A mass hung from a spring vibrates 15 times in 12 seconds. Calculate
a) The frequency
b) The period of vibration

Number of cycles = 15 cycles


Total time = 12 s
f=?
T=?

a) f = number of cycles/total time b) T = total time/number of cycles Or


f = 15 cycles/12 seconds T = 12 seconds/ 15 cycles T = 1/f
f = 1.2 cycles/second or 1.2 Hz. T = 0.80 s/cycle T = 1 / 1.2 Hz
T = 0.80 seconds T = 0.80 s/cycle
T = 0.80 seconds

Example #2

Playing middle C on a piano produces a sound with a frequency of 256 Hz.


a) What does 256 Hz represent?
b) What is the period of the sound wave?

a) 256 Hz is 256 cycles/second. I.E. there are 256 waves of sound every second.
b) T = 1/f
T = 1/256 Hz
T = 0.00391 seconds

Universal Wave Equation

Recall from kinematics that speed  v = d/t


If we look at a single wave then:
1) The distance travelled is one wavelength, 
2) The time is on Period T (1/f)

Therefore, the universal wave equation is:

v = f

where:
v = speed in m/s
 = wavelength in m
f = is in frequency in Hz.
Unit: Waves Name:_________________
Lesson 1: What are Waves Date: _________________

Example #3
The wavelength of a water wave in a ripple tank is 0.080 m. If the frequency of the wave is 2.5 Hz, what is its
speed?

 = 0.080 m
f = 2.5 Hz
v=?

v = f  (0.080 m) (2.5 Hz)


v = 0.20 m/s

Example #4
The distance between successive crests in a series of water waves is 4.0m, and the crest travels 9.0 m in 4.5
seconds. What is the frequency of the waves?

d = 9.0 m v = d/t  v = 9.0 m/4.5s  v = 2.0 m/s


t = 4.5 s
 = 4.0 m v = f  f = v/  f = 2.0 m/s / 4.0 m  f = 0.50 Hz.
f=?
v=? The frequency of the wave is 0.50 cycles per second or 0.50 Hz

You might also like