Module 5.

Sounds
Propagation & Characteristics of Sound

1) Characteristics of waves
2) Properties of waves
3) Properties of sound
4) Speed of sound waves
Waves
 What is a wave?

• A disturbance that transfers energy from

one place to another.

• Created when a source of energy causes a

medium to vibrate .

• It can be transmitted through a medium.

 Types of Mechanical Waves

Three types based on the way the wave moves.

1. Transverse
– Medium moves at right angles to the direction of wave movement
– Top = crest; Bottom = trough; middle = rest position
– Ex: Rope Wave
2. Longitudinal
– Medium and wave move in same direction.
– Area close together = compression; Area spread out = rarefaction
– Ex: Springs
3. Surface waves
– Combination of transverse and longitudinal
– Occurs at surface between two mediums like water and air.
– Works in a circle.
 Properties of Waves

1. Reflection
– The bouncing back of a wave when hitting a substance it can not
penetrate.
– Angle of incidence (degree of angle wave hits barrier at) =
Angle of reflection (degree of angle wave bounces off at).
2. Refraction
– Bending of a wave due to change in speed.
– Wave enters a new medium at an angle and the new medium
causes a change in speed causing the wave to bend.
3. Diffraction
– Bending of waves around the edge of barriers.
– Waves bend and spread out as they pass barriers or holes in
barriers.
 4. Interference
•When two or more waves meet. They will have an effect on one another.

Types of interference:
a. Constructive Interference
– Waves combine and make a new wave with larger amplitudes.
– If wavelengths are the same the crests will be at the same point. The
crests will be added together to make a larger amplitude.
b. Destructive Interference
– Waves combine and make smaller amplitudes.
– If crests don’t meet at the same place they cancel each other out
making smaller amplitudes.
– If the crest lines up with the trough the waves will cancel exactly. This
produces amplitudes of zero.
 Sound

• Begins with a vibration

• Travels longitudinally through a medium
(solid, liquid or gas)
• Humans make sound by vibrating vocal
cords found in the larynx.
• Due to diffraction sound can bend around
corners.
 Properties of Sound
• Intensity
– The amount of energy the wave carries per second through a
unit area.
– Measured in watts per square meter (W/m2)
– Larger the amplitude the higher the intensity.
• Loudness
– Describes what you hear.
– Measured in decibels (dB).
– A sound wave of greater intensity is heard as a louder sound.
• Frequency
– The number of vibrations that happen per second.
– Frequency range of human hearing = 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz.
• Above 20,000 Hz = ultrasound
• Below 20 Hz = infrasound
• Pitch
– Describes what you hear (high or low).
– High frequency = high pitch.
– Low frequency = low pitch.
 Drawing sounds…

This sound wave has a

_____ frequency:

This sound wave has a

___ _frequency:
 Drawing sounds…

This sound wave has a

_____ amplitude
(loud):

This sound wave has a

_____ amplitude
(quiet):
 Sound – The basics
We hear things when they vibrate.

If something vibrates with a high frequency (vibrates very

______) we say it has a _____ pitch.
If something vibrates with a low frequency (vibrates
______) we say it has a ____ pitch.

The lowest frequency I could hear was…

Words – slowly, low, high, quickly

 Other sound effects…

Like light, sound can be…

1) Reflected – sound reflections are called

______.
2) Refracted – this is why you might sound
strange if you try talking underwater
 Speed of Sound
• Depends on the properties of the medium it travels through.
• Medium properties = elasticity, density, and temperature.
– Elasticity
• Is the ability of a material to bounce back after being
disturbed (stretched rubber band vs.’ stretched clay)
• Sound moves faster through mediums that have high
elasticity
• Solids usually more elastic than liquids or gases.
• Gases less elastic than liquids.
– Density
• Is the amount of matter or mass there is in a given space or
volume.
• Sound moves slower in denser materials like lead, iron or
steel.
– Temperature
• Sound moves slower at lower temperature
 Module 6. Colors of Light

1) Properties of Light
2) Reflection of Light
3) Refraction of Light
4) Speed of Light
 Properties of Light

Light travels in straight lines:

Laser
 Light travels VERY FAST – around
300,000 kilometers per second.

At this speed it can

go around the world 8
times in one second.
 Electromagnetic Waves
• Transverse waves with electrical and magnetic
properties that do not require a medium.
• Electromagnetic radiation = energy transferred by
wave.
• Speed in a vacuum = 300,000,000 meters per second.
• All travel at the same speed.
– Speed = Wavelength x Frequency
– So as wavelength decreases the frequency must
increase.
• Can be used in many applications
– Microwaves, radar, MRI, thermograms, and X-rays.
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Light travels much faster than sound. For example:

1) Thunder and lightning

start at the same time,
but we will see the
lightning first.

2) When a starting pistol

is fired we see the
smoke first and then
hear the bang.
 Properties of Light
• Light can be reflected = bounced back; Absorbed = no light passes; or
Transmitted = passes right through

Transmission of light on different materials:

a. Opaque
– Reflects or absorbs all light
– Can not see through them
– Ex: wood, metal, cotton
b. Transparent
– Transmits light
– Can see through them
– Ex: clear glass, water, air
c. Translucent
– Scatters light as it passes; some light passes
– Can tell something is on the other side but you can’t make out details
– Ex: frosted glass, wax paper
 Luminous and non-luminous objects

A luminous object is one that produces light.

A non-luminous object is one that reflects light.

Luminous objects Reflectors

We see things because they
reflect light into our eyes:

Homework
 Shadows
Shadows are places where light is “blocked”:

Rays of light
 Reflection of Light
Reflection from a mirror:

Normal

Incident ray Reflected ray

Angle of Angle of
incidence reflection

Mirror
 The Law of Reflection

Angle of incidence = Angle of reflection

In other words, light gets reflected from a surface at

____ _____ angle it hits it.

The
same !!!
 Kinds of Reflection
• You see most objects because light reflects (bounces) off
them.
• Law of Reflection
– Rays = straight lines that represent the light waves
– Angle of Incidence = Angle of Reflection
• Angle of Incidence = angle light hits surface
• Angle of reflection = angle light bounces off surface
• Regular Reflection
– Occurs on smooth surface
– Parallel incidence rays all reflect at the same angle
• Diffuse Reflection
– Occurs on a uneven surface (bumpy)
 Clear vs. Diffuse Reflection

Smooth, shiny surfaces

have a clear reflection:

Rough, dull surfaces have

a diffuse reflection.

Diffuse reflection is when

light is scattered in
different directions
 Using mirrors
Two examples:

2) A car headlight

1) A periscope
 Refraction of Light

• Bending of light when it enters a new medium due to

change in speed
• Prisms
– Each wavelength of light is refracted at a different
angle revealing all the colors of the rainbow.
• Rainbow
– Raindrops act like tiny prisms revealing the colors of
the rainbow
• Mirages
– Image of distant object caused by refraction of light.
 Refraction

Refraction is when waves ____ __ or slow down due to

travelling in a different _________. A medium is
something that waves will travel through. When a ruler
is placed in water it looks like this:

In this case the light rays are slowed down by the water
and are _____, causing the ruler to look odd. The two
mediums in this example are ______ and _______.

Words – speed up, water, air, bent, medium

 Color
• Color you see is the wavelength of color
the object reflects.
• Primary Colors
– Three colors used to make every other
color.
– Red, Green, Blue
• Secondary Colors
– Two primary colors mixed in equal
amount.
• White light (all colors mixed)
 Color
White light is not a single color; it is made up
of a mixture of the seven colors of the
rainbow.

We can demonstrate this by

splitting white light with a
prism:

This is how rainbows are

formed: sunlight is “split up”
by raindrops.
The colors of the rainbow:

Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Indigo
Violet
 Adding colors
White light can be split up to make separate colors.
These colors can be added together again.

The primary colors of light are red, blue and green:

Adding blue and red Adding blue and

makes magenta green makes (light
(purple) blue)

Adding red Adding all

and green three makes
makes (yellow) white again
 Speed of Light

• Speed of light depends on the frequency of

light passing through a medium
• Colors with low frequencies travel faster,
while colors with high frequencies travel
slower

• In a medium with a uniform index of

refraction, red has the lowest frequency,
while violet has the highest frequency.
 Speed of Light

• This means that red travels fastest and

violet travels slowest among the colors of
the spectrum. The color with the fastest
speed (red) will bend the least, while the
color with the slowest speed (violet) will
bend the most.
• With the concept of dispersion, colors of
light are arranged as ROYGBIV according
to frequency and energy of the colors of
light.
 Speed of Light

• Energy and frequency increases as one

moves from red light towards violet light.
Therefore red have the lowest frequency
and the least energy, while violet have the
highest frequency and the highest energy.
 Seeing color
The color of an object depends on the color of light
it reflects.

For example, a red book only reflects red light:

White Only red light

light is reflected
A pair of purple pants would reflect purple light (and
red and blue, as purple is made up of red and blue):

Purple light

A white hat would reflect all seven colors:

White
light
 Using colored light
If we look at a colored object in colored light
we see something different. For example,
consider the pants and shirt:

Shirt looks red

White
light

Shorts look blue

In different colors of light this outfit would look
different:

Red
Shirt looks red
light

Shorts look black

Shirt looks black

Blue
light

Shorts look blue