Waves

Mahreen Shahzad
 What is a
Wave?
A wave is made up of periodic
motion.
Periodic motion is any motion
repeated at regular intervals. E.g.,
Motion of a simple pendulum. One
complete oscillation is starting from
extreme left to the extreme right
and then back to its starting
position
 Wave Properties

• Crest is the point on a wave with the maximum value of upward displacement within a cycle.
• Trough is the point on a wave with the maximum value of downward displacement within a cycle.
• Wavelength (λ) is the horizontal distance along a wave between similar particles of the wave
• Displacement is the distance of a particle of the wave from its equilibrium position at any time.
• Amplitude (a) is the maximum displacement of a particle of the wave from its equilibrium position.
• Period (T) is the time for one complete oscillation of the wave.
• Frequency (f) is the number of waves produced per second.
• Velocity (v) the velocity of a particle of a wave in the direction the wave is travelling
 A wave front is an imaginary line on a wave that connects
What is a Wave all adjacent points in phase. It can be drawn by joining all
Front ? adjacent waves crests in phase of different waves. The
wave fronts can be straight lines , concentric centers and
other shapes.
 The Wave Equation
An important equation connecting the speed v of a wave with its frequency f and
wavelength λ can be determined as follows. We can find the speed of the wave using:

But a wave will travel one whole wavelength in a time equal to one period T. So:

We know:
 Question!

Q1 (a) A sound wave travels through air at a speed of 340 m/s. Calculate the frequency of a
sound wave of wavelength 1.3 m.
(b) The waves travel at a speed of 3 x 108m/s and have a frequency of 5 x 1014 Hz. Calculate
the wavelength of these waves.
 Wave motion

Wave motion is the movement and

progress of waves which is the
change in state from rest to
equilibrium. It can also be defined as
the propagation of a wave. Therefore,
a wave is a disturbance that transfers
energy from one point to another
which is formed by energy transfer
Illustrating
Wave
Motion
Through
Ropes
Illustrating
Wave
Motion
Through
Springs
 Types of Waves

Progressive waves distribute energy from a point

source to a surrounding area. They move energy in the
form of vibrating particles or fields.
There are two different types of progressive waves:
Transverse waves - vibrations are perpendicular to the
wave motion - so if the wave is travelling horizontally, the
vibrations will be up and down. For example,
electromagnetic radiation, water waves.
Longitudinal waves - vibrations are parallel to the wave
motion - so if the wave is travelling horizontally, the
particles will be compressed closer together horizontally,
or expanded horizontally as they go along. Example
sound waves.
 Transverse Waves
In transverse waves, the particles of the medium
vibrate at right angles to the direction of the wave
velocity. The particles are displaced perpendicular to
the direction the wave travels. Examples of transverse
waves include vibrations on a string and ripples on the
surface of water among others.

For a transverse wave:

• The energy transfer is in the same direction as
the wave motion
• They transfer energy, but not the particles of the
medium
• Transverse waves can move in a liquid or solid, but
not a gas
• Some transverse waves (electromagnetic waves)
can move in a vacuum
 Representing Transverse
Waves
• Transverse waves are drawn as a single continuous
line, usually with a central line showing the undisturbed
position
• The curves are drawn so that they are perpendicular to
the direction of energy transfer
• These represent the peaks and troughs
 longitudinal Waves
In longitudinal waves, the particles of the medium
vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave velocity.
The particles are displaced parallel to the direction
the wave travels. Longitudinal waves can be seen in
a slinky spring when it is moved quickly backwards
and forwards

For a longitudinal wave:

• The energy transfer is in the same direction as
the wave motion
• They transfer energy, but not the particles of the
medium
• They can move in solids, liquids and gases
• They can not move in a vacuum (since there are
no particles)
Representing longitudinal
Waves
Longitudinal waves are usually drawn as several lines
to show that the wave is moving parallel to the
direction of energy transfer
• Drawing the lines closer together represents
the compressions
• Drawing the lines further apart represents
the rarefactions

• Compressions are regions of high pressure due to

particles being close together.
• Rarefactions are regions of low pressure due to
particles being spread further apart
 Wave Behavior: Reflection

All waves, whether transverse or longitudinal, can be

reflected, refracted and diffracted
Reflection occurs when a wave hits a boundary
between two media and does not pass through, but
instead stays in the original medium. The law of
reflection states:
The angle of incidence = The angle of reflection
 Wave Behavior: Refraction

Refraction occurs when a wave passes a boundary between

two different transparent media and undergoes a change in
direction
When waves enter a different medium, their speed can change.
This effect is called refraction, and it can have two other
effects:
• The wavelength of the waves can increase or decrease
• The waves can change direction
 Wave Behavior: Refraction

If the waves slow down, the waves will bunch together,

causing the wavelength to decrease the waves will also
start to turn slightly towards the normal
If the waves speed up then they will spread out, causing
the wavelength to increase the waves will also turn
slightly away from the normal
 Wave Behavior: Diffraction

Diffraction occurs when waves pass through a narrow

gap, the waves spread out. Diffraction can also occur
when waves pass an edge. When a wave goes past the
edge of a barrier, the waves can curve around the edge
 Wave Behavior: Factors
Affecting Diffraction
Diffraction, as shown above, only generally happens
when the gap is smaller than the wavelength of the
wave.
As the gap gets bigger, the effect gradually gets less
pronounced until, in the case that the gap is very much
larger than the wavelength, the waves no longer spread
out at all
 Demonstrating Wave
Motion: Ripple Tank

• Properties of waves, such as frequency,

wavelength and wave speed, can be observed
using water waves in a ripple tank
• The wavelength of the waves can be determined
by using a ruler to measure the length of the
screen and then dividing this distance by the
number of wavefronts
• The frequency can be determined by timing how
long it takes for a given number of waves to pass a
particular point. Then dividing the number of
wavefronts by the time taken
• The wave speed can then be determined by using
the equation
 Wavelength Differ With
Frequency

The diagram shows how the

wavelengths differ with frequency
in a ripple tank
• The higher the frequency of the
motor, the shorter the
wavelength
• The lower the frequency of the
motor, the longer the wavelength
Demonstrating Wave
Motion: Ripple Tank
Ripple tanks are commonly used in
experiments to demonstrate the following
properties of water waves:

Reflection at a plane surface

Refraction due to a change in speed caused

by a change in depth

Diffraction due to a gap

Diffraction due to an edge

Investigating
Reflection

Reflection can be shown by the waves hitting a

plane (straight) surface, such as a wall or mirror
Investigating
Refraction

Refraction can be shown by placing a glass block in the tank. The glass block
should sit below the surface of the water and cover only some of the tank
floor
The depth of water becomes shallower here the glass block is placed. Since
speed depends on depth, the ripples slow down when travelling over the
block. This is a good model of refraction showing how waves slow down when
entering a denser medium
 Investigating
Diffraction
Through a Gap

Diffraction can be shown in a ripple tank by placing small barriers and

obstacles in the tank. As the water waves encounter two obstacles with a
gap between them, the waves can be seen to spread out as shown above.
 Investigating
Diffraction
Through an Edge

As the water waves encounter the edge of an obstacle, the waves can be
seen to spread out as shown. The amount of diffraction depends on the
size of the gap compared to the wavelength of the water wave.
The amount of diffraction (the sharpness of the bending) increases with
increasing wavelength and decreases with decreasing wavelength.