Waves

What are waves?
Wave
 Definition: A disturbance that transfers
energy from place to place.
 What carries waves? A medium, a
medium is the material through which a
wave travels.
 A medium can be a gas, liquid, or solid.
Light from the sun travels through empty space.
What causes waves?
 Waves are created
when a source of
energy causes a
medium to vibrate.
 A vibration is a
repeated back and
forth or up and
down motion.
Types of waves: Waves are
classified according to how they
move.
Transverse wave
 Waves that move the
medium at right angles
to the direction in which
the waves are traveling
is called a transverse
wave.
 Transverse means
across.The highest
parts are called crests
the lowest parts are
called troughs.
Compressional Wave
 Matter vibrates in
the same direction
as the wave travels.
 Example: Slinky
Compressional wave
 The parts,where the
coils are close
together are called
compressions, the
parts where the
coils are spread out
are called
rarefactions.
Combinations of waves
 Surface waves are
a combination of
transverse and
longitudinal
waves.The waves
occur at the surface
between water and
air.
Basic Properties of Waves
 Amplitude
 Wavelength
 Frequency
 Speed
a Compressional wave:
compression& rarefaction
Amplitude
 Amplitude is the maximum distance the particles of the

medium carrying the wave move away from their rest
positions.
 The farther the medium moves as it vibrates the larger the

amplitude of the resulting waves. The greater the
amplitude the greater the amount of energy
Amplitude of transverse waves
 The amplitude of a transverse wave is
the maximum distance the medium
moves up or down from its rest position.
You can find the amplitude of a
transverse wave by measuring the
distance from rest to crest or rest to
trough.
Amplitude of a longitudinal wave.
 The amplitude of a longitudinal wave is
a measure of how compressed or
rarefied the medium becomes.
Wavelength
 A wave travels a certain distance before
it starts to repeat. The distance
between two corresponding parts of a
wave is its wavelength.
 Transverse measure from crest to crest
or trough to trough.
 Longitudinal measure from one
compression to the next.
Frequency
 The number of complete waves that
pass a given point in a certain amount of
time.
 AKA number of vibrations per second.
 Frequency measured in hertz (Hz).
Speed
 The speed, wavelength, and frequency
of a wave are related to each other by a
mathematical formula.
 Speed = wavelength x frequency
 Frequency = speed/wavelength
 Wavelength = speed/frequency
Speed
 Waves in different
mediums travel at
different speeds.
However, in a given
medium and under
the same conditions
the speed of the
wave is constant.
Ways Waves Interact
 Reflection
 Refraction
 Diffraction
 Interference
Constructive
Destructive
Standing Waves
Reflection
 When an object or
wave hits a surface
through which it
cannot pass, it
bounces back.
 Angle of incidence
 Angle of reflection
Examples of reflection
 Mirror
 Echo
 Ball against a wall
Refraction is when a wave
moves from one medium into
another medium at an angle, it
changes speed as it enters the
second medium which causes it
to bend. The bending of waves
due to a change in speed is
called refraction.
Refraction
 Though all waves
change speed when
they enter a new
medium. Bending
occurs when one
side of the wave
enters the new
medium before the
other side
Diffraction
 When a wave passes a barrier or moves
through a hole in a barrier it bends and
spreads out.
Interference
 Constructive interference occurs
whenever two waves combine to make a
wave with a larger amplitude.
 Destructive interference when the

amplitudes of two waves combine
producing a smaller amplitude.
Standing waves:
 If the incoming wave and the reflected
wave combine at the right places the
combined wave appears to be standing
still.
 It appears to be standing in one place,

even though it is two waves interfering
as they pass through each other.
Nodes and Antinodes
 Nodes: at certain  Antinodes are the
points, destructive points of maximum
interference causes energy. The crests
the two waves to and troughs of a
combine and standing wave.
produce an
amplitude of zero.
Resonance
 Most objects have a natural frequency of
vibration. Resonance occurs when vibrations
traveling through an object match the object’s
natural frequency.
 An object that is vibrating at its natural frequency
absorbs energy from the objects that vibrate at
the same frequency. Occurs in music.

Waves

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Waves

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Waves

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are waves?

 Amplitude is the maximum distance the particles of the

 The farther the medium moves as it vibrates the larger the

 Destructive interference when the

 It appears to be standing in one place,

You might also like