The Glorious Oscilloscope

With helpful
tips from me!
Objectives:
1. Recap basic definitions of waves
2. Be able to determine the amplitude of a wave
using an oscilloscope trace
3. Calculate the time period and frequency of a
wave
Quick quiz

1. Which type of wave has oscillations in the same direction as

energy transfer?
2. Give an example
3. Which type of wave has oscillations perpendicular to energy
transfer?
4. Give an example
5. What is the name for the maximum height of the wave from the
rest position?
6. What is the name for the distance peak to peak on a wave?
7. What is the name for the number of wave cycles per second and
what is the unit?
8. What is the formula relating frequency and time period?
Quick quiz

1. Which type of wave has oscillations in the same direction as

energy transfer? longitudinal
2. Give an example sound, ultrasound
3. Which type of wave has oscillations perpendicular to energy
transfer? transverse
4. Give an example electromagnetic spectrum, water
5. What is the name for the maximum height of the wave from the
rest position? amplitude
6. What is the name for the distance peak to peak on a wave? Wave
length
7. What is the name for the number of wave cycles per second and
what is the unit? Frequency, Hertz (Hz)
8. What is the formula relating frequency and time period? f=1/T
But what does it all mean?

• This is the circuit symbol for an oscilloscope 

• Its like reading a graph:

X-axis
This is the time base
the units are
seconds per division

Y-axis
This is the voltage the
units are volts per
division
Definitions
• Volts per division: Tells you the number of
volts represented by 1cm on the screen
• If a trace was 2cm high from the centre at
10V/div then it would be showing 20V

• Time base: Shows the number of seconds

or milliseconds per division

• Peak Voltage Vo is the height of an AC

wave
 AC or DC?

This shows a DC trace (a flat line), This shows an AC trace (alternates

the height above the origin tells us between + and -)
the voltage. • If this was set at 5V/div then the
• If this was set at 5V/div then the voltage would be 7V
voltage would be 5V • The frequency of the wave can
be found from reading the time
base (more later)
Taking a reading

• This trace shows a wave form set at a time

base of 5ms/div
• The length of one wave is 4cm, therefore the
wave has a time period (T) of 20ms
• The frequency (f) is given by:

1
f 
T

• So to calculate the frequency:

f = 1 ÷ 20x10-3
Remember = 50Hz
wavelength is
measured peak
to peak
Your turn
• Use the trace to fill in the table:

Time T (s) f (Hz)

base
5s/div
10s/div
1s/div
5ms/div
20ms/div
50ms/div

Remember to
convert
Extension: sketch some traces of your own
milliseconds
calculate V0, f and T, you will need to choose
into seconds
which time base and voltage settings to use
 End task
• Answer the exam questions then use the blank
space on the back to explain how to do this to
someone who has missed this lesson.
• You should include explanations of the following
points:
No problem!
1. What information can be found from the x-axis?
2. What is calculated from the y-axis?
3. What is the peak voltage?
4. How can the frequency and time period be calculated?
The Doppler
Effect and Uses
of Ultrasound
1. What is the Doppler effect?
2. How do we define ultrasound?
3. What is ultrasound used for?
Explain the following:

• Why does a motorbike which is

moving away from us appear to
produce a lower pitch sound to
one that is moving towards us?

Due to the Doppler When a source of Wavelength i

effect waves moves away
from an observer

Frequency decreases Wave speed does not

change
Uses of
Ultrasound
• breaking kidney stones
• cleaning jewellery
• foetal scanning
• detecting cracks in machinery

• The first two work by using vibrations

• The second two use the pulse echo

technique
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Bdp
2tMFsY
How does the • The speed of ultrasound is
known in the material
pulse echo
technique work? • The transmitter and
detector times how long it
takes between a pulse of
ultrasound being sent out
and coming back

• Since the time and speed is

known we use speed =
distance / time
Mini research
project
Use the internet to find out more
about uses of ultrasound

Produce a quick report including:

• A brief description
• A diagram
• One of the benefits of using
ultrasound

• Put this in OneNote, so it

can easily be presented.
KS4 Waves : Sound
 Teacher’s Notes

A slide contains teacher’s notes wherever this icon is displayed -

To access these notes go to ‘Notes Page View’ (PowerPoint 97) or
‘Normal View’ (PowerPoint 2000).

Notes Page View Normal View

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These files are not editable.

What causes sound?

Take a tuning fork and strike it against a

block of wood, what do you observe?

The tuning fork vibrates and you

hear a sound.

All sounds are caused by vibrations.

Music

What vibrates when you sing?

Your voice-box.

What vibrates when you play a violin?

The strings
The Bell-jar experiment
What happens when the air is removed from the bell-jar?

Sound waves are vibrations and so need a substance to travel through.

With air inside, the sound can be heard.

With nothing inside [a vacuum], the sound can’t be

heard.
Sound : How fast does it travel?
You need a quiet open space at least 100m long to perform this
investigation.

STOP
START

00:00 00
34

> 100m

1) When you see the cymbals crash, press START.

2) When you hear the cymbals crash, press STOP.

 Write your results in a table like this:

Sound : How fast does it travel?
Distance Time Speed
Try
[m] [s] [m/s]
1. 100 0.34 294

2.

3.

4.

 Calculate your average speed of sound :

Av. = [try 1 + try 2 + try 3 + try 4]  4.

 What errors could have crept into your results?

Sound : What does it need to travel?
 Sound waves need particles in order to travel.
 The substance that the sound travels through affects the
speed of sound greatly.
7000
6000
6000
Speed of sound [m/s]

5000
5000

4000

3000

2000
1450

1000
330 350
0
Air at 0 C Air at 30 C W ater Concrete Steel
Material
Travelling sound
Sound travelsWhich
by particles vibrating.
state does sound travel fastest through?
To understand this better you need to remember what the particles look
Why?
like in a solid, liquid and a gas:

solid liquid gas

In
Sound
whichtravels
state fastest
are the through
particlessolids
closest
because
together?
the particles are closer together
than in a liquid and a gas, so the vibrations are more easily passed from
particle to particle. solid
In which state are the particles furthest apart?
gas
Sound : How fast does it travel?

Most of us have seen thunder storms -

which comes first, the thunder or lightning?

The lightning gets to our eyes before the

thunder reaches our ears.

1) Thunder & lightning are made at the same time so we deduce that light
travels much faster than sound.
2) In fact light travels so fast that:
the time between seeing the flash and hearing the bang = time taken for
sound to travel.
Reflection : Echoes
You should remember that sound is produced by a vibration and travels as a
longitudinal wave

………..and that sound travels at different speeds through different substances

[or media]

Sound waves reflect off hard, smooth surfaces to

produce echoes.
Using echoes

What do we call reflected sound? An echo

Which surfaces are the best at reflecting sound:

HARD or SOFT ?

How are echoes reduced in cinemas and theatres?

By using soft materials on the walls such as curtains.

Name two animals that use echoes?

Bats and dolphins

Reflection : Echoes
 Stand at least 100m from a
large, straight wall. 150m

 Measure the distance from you

to the wall.

 Use a starting pistol [or clapper

board] to make a sound.

 Measure the time taken between

firing the pistol and hearing the START
STOP
echo.
Remember, this is
‘two way travel time’ [twtt]
Reflection : Echoes
The sound takes 0.92s to travel 300m.

Remember the formula for speed?

SPEED = DISTANCE  TIME

v = 300  0.92
v = 326 m/s
Repeat this several times to obtain an average.

For the Higher Tier paper you will need to be able to change the subject of the
formula.
Reflection : Questions

Distance Time Speed

[m] [s] [m/s]
Small
600 5 120
aeroplane

Jet fighter 900 2

 450

Meteorite 10,000 0.35

 28571

Cheetah 50 2.5 20

Which of these travel faster than the speed of sound in air?

Studying sound

Loudspeakers
convert the signal The oscilloscope
from the signal allows us to study
generator into the frequency and
sound waves. loudness of a
Signal generators can sound.
produce signals over a
range of frequencies
and of varying
amplitudes.
Pitch (or frequency)

A high pitch sound A low pitch sound.

The shorter/longer the wavelength of the wave on the trace; the

lower/higher the frequency of the sound.

The more waves you can see, the higher the pitch/frequency.
Oscilloscope traces

Which trace represents the highest pitched sound?

A B

‘A’ is the highest pitched sound because it has the shortest

wavelength/most number of waves visible.
Loudness

A quiet sound A loud sound

The larger/smaller the amplitude of the wave on the trace; the

louder/quieter the sound.

The bigger the waves you can see, the louder the sound.
Oscilloscope traces

Which trace represents the loudest sound?

A. B.

‘B’ is the loudest sound because it has the largest amplitude, the
larger the amplitude the more energy a wave has, the more
energy it has, the louder the sound.
Wave animation
Sound : What can I hear?

Increase the frequency of the signal provided by a signal generator whilst

keeping the volume the same.

The lowest frequency I can hear is ________ Hz 20

The highest frequency I can hear is ________ Hz
20 000
Sound : Are we all the same?

You have just found your hearing range - could everyone hear exactly the
same frequencies as you?

We all have slightly different hearing ranges but almost 1 in 5 people suffer
some sort of hearing loss.

Temporary hearing loss may be caused by ear infections and colds and
hearing recovers.

Permanent hearing loss and deafness can be present at birth or occur if the
ear is damaged or diseased.
Sound : Are we all the same?
Hearing is tested using an audiometer and the results are shown on an
audiogram.

80

70
Hearing Loss [dB]

60

50 optimal
hearing
40
impaired
30 hearing
20

10

0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000
Frequency of sound [Hz]
Sound : Hearing Ranges

Hearing Ranges of Animals

bats
pigeons
humans
mice
elephants
moths
0

10

100

1,000

10,000

100,000

1,000,000
Which animal can
hear the lowest
highest
Frequency [Hz]
frequency?

pigeons
moths
Sound : The ear

1. Sound
waves are
collected by 6. The
the ear lobe auditory nerve
or pinna. takes the
signals to the
brain.

2. The waves travel 3. The waves 4. The small 5. The cochlea

along the ear canal. make the ear drum bones [ossicles] turns the
vibrate. amplify the vibrations into
vibrations. electrical signals.
Sound : How loud are sounds?

150 Personal stereo

Aircraft overhead
140
Permanent
120 ear damage
100
80 Loud bell
60
40
A circular saw at 2m
20
10
0 Quiet countryside

Pin being
dropped Can just be heard
What is noise?

A noise is any unwanted sound. What you might not consider

noise, loud music for example,
other people might!
What are the effects of noise?
1. _________
Deafness
2. _________
3. _________
Vomiting
4. _________
Headaches

Nausea How can you reduce the

effects of loud noise?
1._________________
Ear protectors

2._________________
Double glazing

3.____________________
Putting noisy machinery in
insulated rooms
____________________
_
Using Sound Waves : Ultrasound

Our ears can’t detect frequencies above 20 kHz.

Sound above 20 kHz is called ULTRASOUND.

Using Sound Waves : Ultrasound
Ultrasound has many uses, especially in medicine where it is used to scan the
fetus.

10 weeks 20 weeks

Why doare
X rays doctors
more use ultrasound
energetic to scan the and
and penetrating foetus
areand
a lotnot X rays
more which give
dangerous, a
they
clearer picture?
could cause damage to the growing baby.
Using Sound Waves : Ultrasound
Use the internet or research books to find out about other uses of ultrasound.
These search terms should help:

ul tr
aso
sc nic
an to o
h in s thb
rus
d olp h

in g
an
bats
cle
l ery
el kidn
ey s
ul t jew to nes
ras
on
ic
cle
an cati o n
in o lo
g ech
SONAR
How ultrasound is used?

Ultrasound like all sound is reflected different

amounts by different materials.

A receiver can be used to detect the amount

of ultrasound reflected or lost from a signal.

A computer can then be used to build up an

image of these ultrasound signals.

This is how ultrasound is used in prenatal

scanning and industrial quality control.
What is the upper range of human hearing?

A. 20 Hz

B. 200 Hz

C. 2 000 Hz

D. 20 000 Hz


What causes all sounds?

A.

B.
Vibrations

Reflections

C. Refractions

D. Heat
Which of the following can sound not
travel through?
A. Liquid

B. Vacuum

C. Solid 
D. Gas
A ship releases an echo sounding and 4
seconds later receives a signal from the
seabed, how deep is the sea?
(speed of sound in water is 1500 m/s)

A. 6000m

B. 375m

C. 750m

D. 3000m


Which of the following is not a use
of ultrasound?

A. Prenatal scanning

B. Quality control in industry

C. Cleaning delicate machinery

D. Cooking food


 Increasing amplitude (loudness)

Increasing
frequency (pitch)
Properties of Waves
1. What does a wave diagram represent?
2. What is meant by the terms frequency and amplitude and wavelength?
3. How do the frequency and amplitude of a sound relate to its pitch and
loudness?
Question time

• Use the 5 W’s (What, Where, Why, Who, When) and How to come up
with questions
• Write as many questions down as possible relating to the speaker
demonstration you just saw:
Wavelength – the length of one wave, peak to peak, measured in metres

Frequency – the number of waves per second, more waves per second means that
the sound has a higher pitch

Pitch – how high or low the sound is

Amplitude – the height of the sound wave, larger amplitudes are louder sounds

Loudness – the intensity of the sound, this relates to the volume

 Waves of vibratin
air particles

Compression Rarefaction

wavelength

amplitude

a
 Bigger Smaller
amplitude – amplitude –
louder sound quieter sound

Less waves per More waves per

second: second:
Lower frequency Higher frequency
Design an instrument

• You can use any equipment from the lab to design an instrument
which can vary the frequency and amplitude of sound waves
produced

• Design a schematic displaying your instrument showing how it works,

this must include:
• Explanation of how more vibration per second are produced
• Explanation of how vibrations with varying amplitudes are produced
• Correct use of the key terms introduced earlier in the lesson
 Number of waves per second,
Wavelengt measured in Hertz
h

Frequency How high or low the sound

is

Relates to the intensity (volume) of the

Pitch sound

Amplitude The height of the sound

wave

The length of one wave peak to

Loudnes
peak, measured in metres
s
Electromagnetic Radiation
1. What are the seven types of
radiation in the EM spectrum?

2. What are examples of the uses

or applications of each type of
radiation?

3. What are the meanings of the

terms frequency and
wavelength?
Wavelength: All electromagnetic radiation travels in
waves. The length of one wave is called the wavelength
and it is measured in metres and given the symbol λ (Greek
letter lambda)

Frequency: The number of waves passing a fixed point per

second. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjOGNVH3D4Y
 Your group task

• Use the textbook and internet to find out facts about your type of
electromagnetic radiation
General
uses
• Present these in whatever way you like (within reason)
How they
are
• This should include the following things: produced

• The type of e-m radiation

• It's typical frequency and wavelength
Communication
• How it is produced or medical uses
• Some of its uses
• If it is dangerous and if so, how is it dangerous (ionising)?
• The answer to the specific question you have, in the word document in the L6
folder in the waves unit.
 Now to put these types of radiation in order of
frequency and wavelength:

Frequency (energy
lowest increases in this order highes
too) t
longes wavelength shortest
t

Radio Micro Infra Visible Ultra X- Gamm

wave wave red violet radiation a
 Who am I?
Listen to the information on each slide and write down which form of EM you
think it is
Who am I?

• I’ll make the water molecules in your food vibrate, saving you time
when you heat your beans.
Who am I?

• I am the most energetic form of radiation, I can pass through flesh

and bone!
Who am I?

• I’m the longest type of radiation, I can bend round mountains and
because of me you can watch the TV
Who am I?

• I’m not that good for your skin if you get too much of me, usually the
ozone layer stops most of me.
Who am I?

• Oooh I’m nice and warm, you can feel me near hot objects.
Who am I?

• I’m energetic enough to get though your flesh, but I can’t get through
bones or metal.
Who am I?

• I come in seven different colours and if it wasn’t for me you wouldn’t

be able to see.
Answers
1. Microwaves
2. Gamma
3. Radio waves
4. UV
5. Infrared
6. X-rays
7. Visible
What's the link?

Pretty
Newton Prism
rainbow
Dispersion and
Spectra
1. What determines the
colour of light?
2. What happens to the
speed of different
frequencies of light when
they undergo dispersion?
3. What are photons and how
do their energies differ in
the electromagnetic
spectrum?
Why do we have different colours of
light?
• It depends on the wavelength
Dispersion
• White light is made from ______
colours, these can be remembered
using ROY G BIV

• The colour of light is determined by

its ________ (or frequency)

• Longer waves _________less and

hence bend less when they pass
through a denser _______

• This is why red (700nm) is at the

top of the _________, it has bent
the least

spectrum slow down wavelength seven medium

 Ultraviolet The length of one wave, measured in metres 1
The number of waves per second, measured
Photon
in Hertz 2
Frequency
Higher frequency and lower wavelength than
visible light (less than 400nm) 3
Wavelength
All wavelengths of visible light ranging from
red (700nm) to violet (400nm) 4
Infrared
Packets of electromagnetic radiation, energy
corresponds to the frequency 5
Has lower energy photons than red light and a
Visible Spectrum
longer wavelength 6
 Ultraviolet The length of one wave, measured in metres 1
The number of waves per second, measured
Photon
in Hertz 2
Frequency
Higher frequency and lower wavelength than
visible light (less than 400nm) 3
Wavelength
All wavelengths of visible light ranging from
red (700nm) to violet (400nm) 4
Infrared
Packets of electromagnetic radiation, energy
corresponds to the frequency 5
Has lower energy photons than red light and a
Visible Spectrum
longer wavelength 6
 The electromagnetic spectrum
• Electromagnetic waves (such as light waves) can travel long distances
in straight lines.
• They can travel through space (a vacuum, contains no air).

Radio
Microwaves Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-ray Gamma
waves

Low Frequency High

Long Wavelength Short

Low Photon Energy High

 The electromagnetic spectrum
• Electromagnetic waves (such as light waves) can travel long distances
in straight lines.
• They can travel through space (a vacuum, contains no air).

Radio
Microwaves Infrared Visible Ultraviolet X-ray Gamma
waves

Low Frequency High

Long Wavelength Short

Low Photon Energy High

Poster presentation

1. Reflection 1,2 • How it happens

2.
3.
Refraction
TIR 3,4 • Accurate ray diagram(s)
• Uses
5,6 • Effects (making a pool look
shallower/rainbow)
• Past exam questions
• Calculations
Name Accuracy of diagrams Quality of written Exam question Quality of presentation
information included and explained skills
Use the grid to find as many keywords as possible, look up and write out definitions for
any you don’t know

Find the keywords:

 Total Internal Reflection
1. What is total internal
reflection and how does this
happen?
2. What is meant by the term
critical angle?
3. How is TIR used to transmit
data signals in optical fibres?
Total internal reflection (TIR)

• When light travels through a

denser medium (like Perspex) it
can sometimes be internally
reflected if it hits the Perspex to
air boundary at an angle which
is greater than the critical angle

• If the angle is less than this it

will just be refracted
Total Internal Reflection

• When light hits the boundary between a denser and less dense
medium, at an angle greater than the critical angle, total internal
reflection occurs and all the light is reflected inside the denser
material
Calculating the refractive index
using the critical angle

Calculate the refractive index for each material in the table below:

Material Refractive Critical

index angle
Glass 42
Water 49
Diamond 24
Fibre optic bundles

• Come up with as many

questions as possible about
fibre optics, using:
• What?
• Where?
• When?
• Who?
• Why?
• How?
 Optical fibres
• Optical fibres use TIR to transmit
signals using visible or infrared
light

• The information is sent close to

the speed of light, 200,000,000
m/s
Other uses:
Writing an information report

Your task: Needs to include:

• Produce an information report 1.
on total internal reflection, fibre
optics and there uses
2.

3.

4.

5.
 Writing an information report

Your task: Needs to include:

• Produce an information report on 1. An explanation of TIR
total internal reflection, fibre
optics and there uses 2. How light undergoes TIR in optical
fibres

3. The structure of an optical fibre,

including a diagram of how light
travels in it

4. Details of how fast information

can be transmitted in optical fibres

5. A list of at least 3 uses of optical

fibres
Reflection
1. What is the law of
and Refraction
reflection?
2. What is refraction and
what causes this
effect?
3. What causes water
waves to slow down in
shallower water?
More about reflection

• Use a mirror to write a mirror • It is:

image of your name • Laterally inverted
• Virtual – this means it is not
formed where the rays of light
• How is the mirror image cross
different?
• How is the image the same? • Same height and the same way up
 What should a perfect ray diagram
include?
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to

the angle of reflection
 What should a perfect ray diagram
include?
1. Lines drawn with a ruler
2. Normal drawn at 90°
3. Arrows correctly showing
direction of ray
4. Incident and reflected ray
labelled
5. Angles i and r marked

The law of reflection states that the angle of incidence is equal to

the angle of reflection
 Refractive index
• Light s______ down when it
passes into a d_______ medium,
this causes it to bend towards the
n________
i • The ratio of the speed in air
compared to the speed in the
r denser medium is called the
refractive index
 Calculating the refractive index, n
This can be found with Snell’s
law:
n=
i
r Where:
i is the angle of incidence
R is the angle of refraction
 Sample results
i (°) r (°) sin r

20 17

30

40

50

60

70
Explain why the waves are closer
nearer to the shore:
Include the following terms:
1. Shallower
2. Refraction
3. Wave fronts
4. Amplitude
5. Friction
Explain why the waves are closer
nearer to the shore:
Include the following points:
1. The water is shallower
2. Refraction takes place
3. Wave fronts are closer
4. Amplitude is higher
5. Some energy is lost because
of friction
Do waves travel
faster in deeper
water?
Investigating wave speed
Link to video showing the
method
used in class
Link to the at home versio
You should use depths of 0.5 to 3cm, so you have 6 different readings

n
Winners repeat and average?
Remember Criteria 1-3 4-6 7-9 Area for development

to use this  Listed the independent and

dependent variable correctly, is it
categoric or continuous?

when 


Listed and explained all control
variables
All equipment has been listed,
writing up 
including details
Correct diagram included

your report
 Safety details
 Method clearly written and well
detailed
 A results table with appropriate
units, repeat readings and a
calculated mean
 A well plotted graph
 A concluding statement along
with a scientific explanation,
quoting data and describing the
trend in the graph