UNIT VIII Wave as Energy Carrier

Overview
We encounter waves in our daily living. We notice ripples forming a series of concentric
circles when one throws a rock into a pond of water. We also see flags fluttering against the sky
or rice stalks billowing in the field. All these describe one common feature, a wave.

So, what is wave? How is it produced? These questions will be answered in this unit.

Key Questions

1. Why is our world made up of waves?

2. How do wave characteristics relate to wave motion?

At the end of this unit, you should be able to:

1. describe how waves are produced;

2. enumerate and discuss the different characteristics of waves;

3. distinguish between transverse and longitudinal waves and mechanical and electromagnetic
waves;

4. explain how waves carry energy from one place to another;

5. explain the relationship among frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and wave velocity;

6. discuss the characteristics of sound waves;

7. describe how sound waves are produced, transmitted, and received:

8. create harmonious music using indigenous products;

9. relate characteristics of light such as color and intensity to frequency, and

10. explain the behavior of light as it travels.

Loop
Find a big area or an open space such as the covered court where the whole class can
assemble forming a big circle. With the aid of a stick, the class will produce a stadium wave
which is done by moving their arms up and down as the teacher points the stick to them. Do
the action as many times as needed until a perfect wave motion is achieved.

Navigate

Lesson 1: Waves and Kinds of Waves

Throwing a rock in a pond of water produces a wave. Same is generated as you moved
the slinky toy forward-backward and up-down in the previous activity. When the rock touches
the water, circular ripples are formed in the place of disturbance. The energy of the rock is
transferred into the water molecules, but the rock does not leave the water.

Meanwhile, the particles on slinky toy continue to move up and down with the other
particles but do not leave the slinky toy. This means that the energy can be transferred from
object to object through a medium such as water, and slinky toy in our case. Both instances
imply that waves carry and transfer energy, but they do not transfer particles of the medium.
Therefore, a wave is a propagation of disturbance through a medium in which energy is
transferred.

A wave pulse is a simple disturbance while a wave train is a series of disturbances

created in a medium. Energy propagation by means of motion of a change in medium rather
than the medium itself is called wave motion.

Kinds of Waves

Waves can be classified according to the direction of movement of the individual

particles relative to the direction that the wave travels.

Transverse Waves

Transverse wave is wave in which particles of the medium move in a direction

perpendicular (or at right angles) to the direction that the wave moves. If a slinky toy is
stretched out in horizontal direction and a pulse is introduced to it by vibrating one end up and
down, the energy will begin to transport through the slinky. As energy is transported from left
to right or vice versa, the individual coils of the medium are displaced upward and downward.
In this case, the particles are moving perpendicular to the direction that the pulse moves.
Longitudinal Waves

Longitudinal wave is a wave in which particles of the medium move in a direction

parallel to the direction that the wave moves. Using the same slinky toy, introduce a pulse by
pushing and pulling the coil left and right. As the energy is transported from left to right or vice
versa, the individual coils of the medium are displaced leftward and rightward. Notice that the
particles of the medium move parallel to the direction that the pulse moves. The section of a
longitudinal wave where the particles are crowded together is called compression while the
section where the particles are less crowded is called rarefaction. Examples under this category
are sound waves, tsunami waves, and Earthquake waves.

Another way to classify waves is based on their ability or inability to transmit energy
through various media. Medium (pl. media) is the vehicle through which the wave travels from
one point to another. There are two types under this category, namely, mechanical waves and
electromagnetic waves.

Mechanical Waves

A mechanical wave is not capable of transmitting energy through a vacuum. It needs

material medium such as solid, liquid, or gas to transport its energy from one location to
another. The water wave created in a pond and the sound wave produced by musical
instruments are two familiar examples for this wave type. Slinky waves, Earthquake waves,
stadium waves, and jump rope waves are also mechanical waves.

Electromagnetic Waves

Unlike mechanical wave, electromagnetic wave is the type of wave that can transmit
energy even without any material medium. The term electromagnetic wave (EM wave) was
credited to a Scottish physicist, James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), who found that EM waves
are produced by oscillating charges. Although they cannot be directly observed, Maxwell was
able to prove that these waves are moving at the velocity of light that is at 3 x 10 m/s.

Every time you listen to your radio or iPod, watch movies on your LCD or LED television
set, or prepare popcorn in the microwave oven, you are using electromagnetic waves. Radio
waves, television waves, and microwaves are all types of EM waves. How do we distinguish one
from the other?

Concept Micro

Wave is a propagation of disturbance through a medium in which energy is transferred.

Types of waves include transverse and longitudinal waves and mechanical and electromagnetic
waves.

Lesson 2: Characteristics of Waves

Wave characteristics are useful in describing and comparing wave motion. Such
characteristics include amplitude, frequency, wavelength, and wave velocity.

Consider a transverse wave shown in the figure below.

In the figure, the highest points of the wave are called crest while the lowest points of
the waves are called trough (pronounced as trof). The maximum distance moved by a particle
from its resting position is known as amplitude (A). The total energy of a wave is proportional to
its amplitude. The greater the waves amplitude, the greater the total of amount of energy is
carried by the wave.
Figure 3.78. Characteristics of Wave

Another distinguished characteristic of a wave is frequency. Frequency, abbreviated as f,

is the number of waves passing through a given point during the interval of one second. The
unit for frequency is Hertz (Hz), credited to German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. A frequency
of 10 Hz means 10 waves are passing through a given point during the interval of one second.
Higher frequencies are expressed in terms of kilohertz (1,000 cycles per second) or megahertz
(1,000,000 cycles per second), just like in our radio stations.

The wavelength (A., Greek, lambda) is simply the length of one complete cycle. In a
transverse wave, the wavelength is determined by measuring the distance between a crest and
the adjacent crest, or a trough and the adjacent trough.

Over the interval of one second, a given number of waves pass a certain point
(frequency). and each wave occupies a certain distance (wavelength). Multiplying by one
another, the two would be equal to the speed of the wave. Wave speed, symbolized by u, is
typically calculated in meters per second.

Lesson 3: Sound Waves

We are living in a world of sound-the crowing of a cock, ringing of a bell, chirping of
birds, rushing of waves on the shore, horn blowing of buses and jeepneys, and even talking,
laughing, and whispering. All these involve sound.

What is sound? How is it produced?

Sound is a form of energy. It is produced when air molecules vibrate and move in
pattern known as waves or sound waves. As you clap your hands to show appreciation for a
great performance, sound waves are produced which then travel to your ears, and then to your
brain.
Production of Sound

Sound waves are longitudinal waves. They are also called compression waves which the
existence depends on the transfer of energy. To make vibrations become sound, three basic
elements must be present. They are: (1) source, (2) medium, and (3) detector or receiver.

The source or transmitter is the object producing the wave. The object that responds to
the wave is the detector or receiver. The medium is the vehicle through which the wave travels
from one point to the next. Sound waves travel at different velocity depending on what it is
traveling through. Of the three media (solid, liquid, and gas), sound travels fastest through
solids, faster in liquid, and slowest through gases. Sound cannot exist in empty space or
vacuum. In general, it is the molecular arrangement of solid materials that makes sound travel
the fastest at a speed of 331 m/s at 0° C temperature.

Table 3.2. Speed of Sound in Various Bulk Media

Gases
Material Velocity (m/s)
Hydrogen (0°C) 1.286
Helium (0°C) 972
Air (20°C) 343
Air (0°C) 331

Liquids at 25 °C
Material Velocity (m/s)
Glycerol 1.904
Sea water 1.533
Water 1,493
Mercury 1,450
Kerosene 1,324
Methyl alcohol 1,143
Carbon tetrachloride 926

Solids
Material Velocity (m/s)
Diamond 12,000
Pyrex glass 5,640
Iron 5,130
Aluminum 5,100
Brass 4,700
Copper 3,560
 Gold 3,240
Lucite 2,680
Lead 1,322
Rubber 1,600
Source: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/soundv.html

The following figure shows how sound is produced and transmitted. As the bell rings, air
particles around it are compressed and expanded. The motion of compression and expansion of
these air particles set up a wave motion in the air. These waves carry energy from particle to
particle through the medium, which is the air to the receiver or detector ear.

How Humans Produce Sound

Humans use sound waves in communicating with each other. The production of sound/
human voice is attributed into three parts:

1. the lungs that produce sufficient airflow and air pressure;

2. the vocal folds within the larynx that are responsible for producing the sound; and

3. the articulators (parts of vocal tract such as tongue, palate, lips) that articulate and filter the
sound emanating from the larynx.

Figure 3.80 shows the anatomy of the vocal folds or cords. When one speaks, the air is
expelled and the vibrating vocal cords initiate the sound. The greater tension on the cords, the
higher is the pitch. The lower the tension on the cords, the lower is the pitch.
 Figure 3.80. Anatomy of the Vocal Folds or Cords

Men and women have different sizes of vocal fold or cord which means that men and
women have different pitch. Males usually have larger vocal folds than females. Vocal folds or
cords length ranges from 17 mm to 25 mm and 12.5 mm to 17.5 mm for male and female,
respectively. The size and shape of the vocal tract and the manner in which the sounds are
habitually articulated are among the other reasons why the quality of sound among humans
varies from one person to another.

Detecting Sounds

Our ears are used to detect sounds.

These extraordinary organs pick up all the
sounds around you and then translate the
information in a form that your brain can
understand. Figure 3.81 shows the parts of
the human ear. As depicted in the figure, the
human ear is divided into three parts: the
outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.
The outer ear acts as a funnel to channel the
sound wave to the eardrum which then sets
the eardrum into vibration. These vibrations pass through the middle ear by three tiny bones or
ossicles (the hammer, anvil, and stapes). These bones amplify the amplitude of the vibration
and then pass it on to the inner ear. A bony, spiral shaped cochlea is found in the inner ear. The
cochlea contains fluid through which the amplified vibration is passed to the auditory nerve to
the brain where they are interpreted as either a speech, music, noise, and so forth.

Characteristics of Sound

The science that focuses on the study of properties and transmission of sound is called
acoustics. A person who works in this field is an acoustician while someone working in the field
of acoustic technology is an acoustical or an audio engineer.
 Compare and contrast the sounds in your environment. How do you distinguish a
musical note from a noise? What makes you think that a police car is passing by without even
seeing it? And why is it that you recognize your friend's voice through telephone transmission?

Look at the wave slope of the following musical note. Compare it with the wave slope of
a noise. How do they differ?

The differences between sounds are caused by pitch, intensity, and quality. Each of
these is associated with one of the properties of the source or the type of wave which it
produces. Such that, the pitch is dependent upon the frequency of the waves; the intensity
depends on amplitude of the waves; and the quality, on the form of the waves. The tone is
pleasant to the ear if these three characteristics are properly combined. Otherwise, the quality
will turn into noise.

Let us take a look at these three basic characteristics one by one.

Quality or Tone

Tone refers to the sound quality. Sound quality depends on the combination of different
frequencies of sound waves. It is the tone of a vibrating medium that distinguishes it from
another source. For instance, a symphony orchestra in Indonesia called gamelan is composed of
more than 50 musicians playing drums, xylophone, gongs, chimes, and other percussion
instruments. Playing at the same time, one could identify through its tone the sounds created
by each of the instruments.

Most sounds are not pure tones but rather a mixture of different tones. As you strum a
string of a guitar, the energy from your finger is transferred to the guitar string. When the
whole string vibrates, we hear a low pitch called fundamental. Aside from fundamental, the
string is also producing the so-called overtones-parts of string characterized by frequencies
higher than fundamental.

Sound quality depends on complexity of its sound waves. Look at Figure 3.83.
 Tone A shows a sound wave of a specific frequency produced by a tuning fork, a piano,
or other musical instruments.

Tone B shows a sound wave with different frequency.

Tone C shows the combination of Tone A and Tone B. It has the same frequency as tone
A with an increase in amplitude but human ear can easily distinguish between tone A
and tone C because of the quality.

Pitch

Pitch refers to our subjective impression about the "highness or lowness" of a tone,
which is related to the frequency of the tone. The sensation of the pitch depends upon the
frequency of the waves received by the ear. A low-frequency vibrating source produces a sound
of low pitch while a high-frequency vibrating source produces a sound of high pitch. Sound
waves of the same frequencies are said to be in same pitch.

The range of sound that human ear can detect varies with each individual. The human
ear has an audible range of 20 to 20,000Hz. Some animals like dogs, birds, and other mammals
on the other hand, are more sensitive to sounds because they can hear sounds at even higher
frequencies. Sounds that exist below the audible range (below 0.001 Hz-16Hz) are called
infrasonic while those that are too high for us to hear (20,000 Hz-above) are called ultrasonic.
See Table 3.2 for the summary of sound range with their descriptions.
Loudness and Intensity

The intensity of the sound wave refers to the amount of energy that is transported past
a given area of the medium per unit of time. The greater the amplitude of vibrations of the
particles of the medium and the greater the rate at which energy is transported through it, the
more intense the sound wave is.

Although related, sound intensity and loudness are of different meanings. Intensity is
the amount of sound energy of a wave while loudness is the sensation on the ear that the
intensity of sound wave produces.

The intensity of sound depends of the amplitude of pressure variations within the
soundwave. Human ears can detect sound intensities within the is known enormous range from
10-12 W/m² to 1 W/m². This intensity is known as threshold of hearing. As this audible range is
so great, sound intensities are scaled by factors of ten assigning a sound intensity of 10-12
W/m² as a reference intensify also called 0 decibels (0 dB).

The decibel scale works logarithmically. For instance, a sound that is 10 decibels is 10
times as intense as 0 decibels, the threshold of hearing while a sound that is 1,000 times more
intense is assigned a sound level of 30 dB.

Sound intensity is a quantitative measure of the physical attribute of a sound. Loud-

ness, on the other hand, is a physiological sensation that depends on its intensity but the
relationship is not linear.
 Pitch and loudness are two characteristics that make sounds different from one
another. Let us demonstrate changes in pitch and loudness using an acoustic guitar. Pretend
that you are an acoustic heartthrob. To guarantee a good performance, you need to check the
tone of your guitar. You pluck the string gently and hear a quite-low pitched sound. Then you
pluck it again but this time, with greater force. What do you hear? A loud and low-pitched
sound! Try to shorten the length of the strings by adjusting the tuning pegs of the guitar. Pluck
the strings again gently, then strongly. What is the difference in sound? It is expected that you
will hear a quite-high pitched and a loud-high pitched sound, respectively.

Pitch of sound produced by an acoustic guitar depends on what string is plucked and in
which fret. The tighter or the shorter the string, the higher is the pitch. Likewise, the shorter the
section that is allowed to vibrate, the higher is the pitch of the string. Loudness for an acoustic
guitar is determined by how hard you pluck the string - the harder the plucking, the louder the
sound.

Try to alter the pitch and loudness of the following musical instruments. Demonstrate
the change in front of the class and explain the concepts or laws related to it,

The decibel system (dB) is used to measure the loudness of sounds. The decibel is
actually a fraction of a bel. It was named after Alexander Graham Bell, the one who invented
the telephone. Because bel was too high for day-to-day situations, the decibel was used as the
standard measure.
 The decibel meter, also called a "sound level meter" or "dB Meter," is a device designed
to accurately measure the sound or noise that can be heard by the human ear. The meter may
also be used to study how sound pressure changes with distance from the sound source.

The decibel system (dB) is used to measure the loudness of sounds. The decibel is
actually a fraction of a bel. It was named after Alexander Graham Bell, the one who invented
the telephone. Because bel was too high for day-to-day situations, the decibel was used as the
standard measure.

The Decibel meter, also called a "sound level meter" or "dB Meter," is a device designed
to accurately measure the sound or noise that can be heard by the human ear. The meter may
also be used to study how sound pressure changes with distance from the sound source.