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SCIENCE
Third Quarter – Module 2
Waves: Carriers of Energy

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

 Lesson

1 W
Characteristics of a Wave
hat’s In

Activity 1: Arrange Me!

Directions: Arrange the following jumbled letters to form a word about motion.
The descriptions provided below will help you unlock this task.
Write your answers in your Science activity notebook.

Refers to the length of the entire path that the

1. ECSINATD
object travelled

2. DESEP Refers to the distance over time of a moving object

3. LYVOTICE Refers to the rate of change in displacement

Refers to the rate of change in speed or velocity of

4. NAOTECECLRAI
an object

Refers to the distance from the initial to the final

5. MIDCETALPENS
point of an object

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 What’s New

Activity 2: Crossword Puzzle!

Directions: Complete the crossword puzzle by filling in the correct word.

You can use the words in the word box to help you find the
answers. Write your answers in your Science activity notebook.

Down Across
1. It is the number of waves produced 3. It is the distance from a crest to
per second. the next crest.
2. It refers to the distance travelled per 5. It is the height of a wave.
unit time.
4. It refers to how long it takes a wave
to travel a distance equal to a
wavelength.
WORD BOX
amplitude frequency wavelength

crest period wave speed

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 What is It

What is a wave?

A wave is a transfer of energy through a medium from one point to

another. Some examples of waves include water waves, sound waves, and
radio waves. A medium is a matter in which waves can travel and transfer
energy. Waves that require a medium such as water waves, sound waves,
and waves along a coiled spring (slinky toy) are called mechanical waves
while waves that do not require a medium to travel are called
electromagnetic waves.

Types of Mechanical Wave

1. Transverse wave is a wave in which particles of the medium move

perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the waves.

2. Longitudinal wave is a wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate

parallel to the direction of the motion of the waves.

Parts of a Wave

Consider the diagram below.

Figure 1. Transverse Wave

The broken line which is drawn through the center of the diagram
represents the rest position. This is the position that the string would assume
when there is no disturbance moving through it. The crest is the highest point

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 of a wave. Points A, E, and H represent the crests of the wave. The trough is the
lowest point of a wave. Points C, F, and J represent the troughs of the wave.

In a longitudinal wave, compression is a point where the coils are

close together or has the maximum density. A rarefaction is a point in the
spring where the coils are spread out or has minimum density. Consider the
diagram below.

compressions

rarefactions

Figure 2. Longitudinal Wave Source: Science 7 Learners Material

Characteristics of a Wave

Figure 3. Parts of a Wave Source: Science 7 Learners Material

1. Wavelength (λ) - is the length of one complete wave that can be measured as
the distance from a crest to the next crest or from a trough to the next trough.
2. Amplitude (A) - refers to the maximum height of a particle on the
medium from its rest position. It is the distance from the rest position to
crest (or trough).

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 3. Period (T) - is the time to make one complete cycle. It is the reciprocal
of frequency. It is measured in second (s). A formula is provided below:

Period = 1 / frequency
=1

4. Frequency ( ) - refers to the number of crests or waves that pass a fixed

point per second. It is measured in Hertz (Hz), named after German Physicist
Heinrich Hertz. One Hertz is equal to one wave per second (1/s). The formula
is given below:

Frequency = 1 / period
= T1

5. Wave speed ( ) - is equal to the wavelength multiplied by its frequency. The SI

unit for wave speed is meter per second (m/s). The formula is given below:

Wave speed = wavelength x frequency

=λx

What’s More

Activity 3: Fill Me!

Directions: Fill in the blanks below using the words inside the box. Write your
answers in your Science activity notebook.

amplitude frequency period

crest Hertz rarefaction

compression longitudinal transverse

electromagnetic mechanical wavelength

1. Wave motion that is parallel to the wave direction is described as

_____________ wave.
2. The time to make one complete cycle is _____________.
3. The distance between successive crests of a wave is __________.
4. Wave motion that is perpendicular to wave direction describes a
_____________ wave.
5. The number of waves that passes a given point in time is _____________.
6. ____________ is a kind of wave that does not need a medium.
7. The highest point of a wave is called ___________.
8. The unit for frequency is ____________.
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 9. The part of a longitudinal wave where there are fewer particles is called
______________.
10. A region in a medium of longitudinal wave where molecules are packed is
called _____________.

Lesson
Sound Waves
2
A
ctivity 1: Match Me!
Directions: Match the definitions in Column A to the terms related to sound
waves in Column B. Write the letter of your answer in your
Science activity notebook.

Column A Column B
1. Lowest point of the wave A. Crest
2. Highest point of the wave B. Trough
3. Distance between two consecutive crests C. Amplitude
4. Signifies the original position of the medium D. Frequency
5. Distance from the line of origin to a crest E. Wavelength
or trough of a wave F. Line of Origin

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 What’s New

Activity 2: Complete Me!

Directions: Complete the statements by choosing the correct answer from
the word box provided. Write your answers in your Science
activity notebook.
Word Box
pitch infrasonic ultrasonic
decibel loudness intensity

1. _____is known as the highness or lowness of sound.

2. Vibrational frequencies beyond 20 000 Hz is called _______
frequencies.
3. Extremely low frequencies are known as _________ frequencies.
4. The amplitude of a sound wave determines its ______ or volume.
5. The unit of intensity level for sound is the __________ which is
named after Alexander Graham Bell.

What is It

Properties of Sound
Sound is a form of energy produced by vibrating objects. These
vibrations create sound waves which move through a medium before reaching
our ears. Since it is a wave, we can relate its properties to the characteristics
of sound wave. The basic properties of sound include pitch, loudness, and
timbre (tone).

Pitch

The highness or lowness of sound is known as the pitch or a musical note.

A higher frequency sound has a higher pitch, and a lower frequency sound has a
lower pitch. The figure below shows that a high frequency wave has a lot

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of vibrations per second, and a low frequency wave has few vibrations per
second.

Figure 4. Pitch of a Sound

The human ear can only sense within the frequency range of 20 Hertz
(Hz) to 20,000 Hertz. Vibrational frequencies beyond 20,000 Hz is called
ultrasonic frequencies while extremely low frequencies are known as
infrasonic frequencies. On the other hand, animals like dogs can hear
sounds as high as 50,000 Hz while bats can detect as high as 100,000 Hz.

Loudness
The amplitude of a sound wave determines its loudness or volume. The
figure below shows that a high amplitude sound means louder sound, and a low
amplitude sound means softer sound. The vibration of the source sets the
amplitude of a wave. More energetic vibration corresponds to larger amplitude.

Figure 5. Loudness of a Sound

Loudness is also determined by the sensitivity of ear. It is subjective but is

still related to the intensity of sound. In fact, despite the subjective variations,
loudness varies nearly with intensity. Intensity is one indicator of amplitude. It
refers to the amount of energy. Table 1 shows varying intensity of sound. Sound
intensity is measured by various instruments like the oscilloscope.

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 Table 1. Sound Levels of Different Sound Sources

The unit of intensity level for sound is the decibel (dB), which was
named after Alexander Graham Bell who invented the telephone. On the
decibel scale, an increase of 1 dB means that sound intensity is increased by
a factor of 10. A logarithmic scale is used to describe sound intensity, which
roughly corresponds to loudness.

Timbre
Timbre is a quality of a musical sound which is used for differentiating
two sounds with the same frequency. Every sound that we hear is dependent
on its source. Sound timbre is defined by the characteristic sound waveform
which is dependent on the material through which it is produced.
Below is a picture that explains the different types of waveforms and
gives an idea of how timbre appears.

Figure 6. Sound Timbre of Different Sources

Any sound consists of more than one frequency and most of these
additional frequencies are known as harmonics. For sound to possess timbre,

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 it must have one fundamental frequency and seven or more additional
harmonics. The following are the characteristics of timbre: dull, cold, rich,
delicate, thick, thin, heavy, clean, nasal and light. Noise is a sound wave that
is distorted and not pleasing to the senses.

SUMMATIVE TEST

Directions: Match the following descriptions in Column A with the correct

terms in Column B. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write
the chosen letter in your Science activity notebook.
Column A Column B
1. The distance of a crest or trough A. Amplitude
from the midpoint of a wave B. Frequency
2. The distance from a crest to the next C. Period
crest or a trough to the next trough D. Trough
3. The number of waves or vibrations E. Wave Speed
produced per second F. Wavelength
4. The time it takes a wave to
travel a distance equal to a
wavelength
5. The distance traveled by a
wave crest in one period
What I Can Do

Directions: Feel the vibration in your throat using your palm while saying
your name in 4 different ways (whispering, humming, talking and
shouting). Copy and answer the table based on your
observations in your Science activity notebook.
Table 4. Modes of Producing Sound
Modes of Producing Sound
Whisper Hum Talk Shout
Compare the modes
of producing sound None None None None
by encircling the
word that best Weak Weak Weak Weak
describes the
 strength of the Medium Medium Medium Medium
vibrations you felt.
Strong Strong Strong Strong

How does the Loud Loud Loud Loud

vibration change as whispers, humming, talking, shouting,
volume changes? __________ __________ __________ ________
Write weak or vibration vibration vibration vibration
strong on the
blanks provided. Soft Soft Soft Soft
whispers, humming, talking, shouting,
__________ _________ _________ ________
vibration vibration vibration vibration

SUMMATIVE TEST

Directions: Choose the letter of the correct answer. Write your answers in
your Science activity notebook.
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1. What does a wave carry?
A. Energy B. Matter
For items 2-3, consider the diagram below:

2. Which letter represents the amplitude of a wave?

A. A B. B C. C D. D
3. Which letter represents the wavelength?
A. A B. B C. C D. D
4. On the decibel scale, an increase of 1 dB means that sound intensity is
increased by a factor of ________.
A. 10 B. 20 C. 100 D. 200
5. It is a wave which is distorted or unpleasant sound to the senses.
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1 A. Loudness B. Noise C. Pitch D. Timbre
6. A low frequency sound has a _______ pitch.
A. low B. high C. moderate D. strong
7. It is an extremely low vibrational frequency.
A. Infrasonic frequency C. Supersonic frequency
B. Megasonic frequency D. Ultrasonic frequency

8. In what way do mechanical waves transport energy from one place to

another?
A. Particles travelling in a vacuum
B. Vibrating and traveling particles
C. Particles traveling with the wave
D. Alternately vibrating particles of the medium
9. What is the SI unit of frequency?
A. Hertz C. Meter per second
B. Meter D. Second
10. Which of the following is the symbol used for wavelength?
A. ᶿ B. v C. f D. λ
11. What is the lowest point of a transverse wave?
A. Compression C. Rarefaction
B. Crest D. Trough
12. It refers to the distance in which the wave travels per unit time.
A. Amplitude C. Wavelength
B. Frequency D. Wave speed
13. It refers to the highness or lowness of sound.
A. Loudness C. Pitch
B. Noise D. Timbre
14. It refers to the number of cycles occurring per unit time.
A. Amplitude C. Period
B. Frequency D. Wavelength
15. It is a vibrational frequency beyond 20 000 Hz.
A. Infrasonic frequency C. Supersonic frequency
B. Megasonic frequency D. Ultrasonic frequency
SUMMATIVE TEST

Directions: Your ears do a lot for you from receiving to distinguishing different sounds and appreciating music.
They contain the smallest bones (hammer, anvil, and stirrup) in your body and yet are responsible for listening
and understanding communication. You need to clean and safeguard your ears in order to hear efficiently.
Because you love your ears, enumerate five ways in taking care of them. Write it in your Science activity
notebook.

Five Ways in Taking Care of My Ears:

1. ___________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________

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