Physics: Waves

Prepared by:
Bb. Jasmine Nikki M. Versoza

WAVE
 Vibration or disturbance that propagates
through a medium or space
 Uniform speed in a homogenous
medium
 Transfer energy

Type of Waves
A. According to medium of
transmission
B. According to the direction of the
displacement

Type of Waves
A. According to medium of
transmission
1. Electromagnetic Wave
2. Mechanical Wave

Electromagnetic Waves
 Wave that does not require a medium for their
transmission
 Can travel through a vacuum
 Radio waves
 Light waves

Mechanical Waves
 A wave that is not capable of transmitting its energy
through a vacuum
 Sound waves
 Water waves
 Jump rope waves

Type of Waves
B. According to the direction of the
displacement
1. Transverse Wave
2. Longitudinal Wave

Transverse Waves
 Causes the particles to move
perpendicularly to the direction of the
wave
 Example:
 Water surface
 Rope

EQUILIBRIUM POSITION
 Straight line represented
by the x-axis

CREST
 The highest point the medium rises to
 A point on the wave where the
displacement of the medium is at a
maximum.

TROUGH
 The highest point the medium sinks to
 A point on the wave where the
displacement of the medium is at a
minimum.

Longitudinal Waves
 Causes the particles to move
parallel to the direction of the
wave
 Example:
 Spring

COMPRESSION
Regions where the coil
are compressed

RAREFACTION
 Regions where the coil are
spread out

PHASE OF A WAVE
 The position and motion of a particle
indicated the phase of the wave
 In phase
 Opposite phase

WAVELENGTH
The distance between two
successive like points on a
wave

AMPLITUDE
 The maximum displacement of points
on a wave
 Measured from equilibrium position
 The greater the amplitude of a
wave, the more energy it is carrying.

FREQUENCY
 The number of waves passing a point in a
certain time
 One hertz is equal to one wave per second
 1 Hz = 1 wavelength per second
 1 kHz = 1,000 Hz
 1 MHz = 1,000,000 Hz

PERIOD
 Time between the passages of two
successive crest past a given point
 Time to make one complete wave
 Reciprocal of frequency

SPEED
 Wave motion
 Velocity = product of the
wavelength and the frequency
of the wave

Name Symbol Unit
Amplitude a meters
Frequency f hertz
Wavelength λ meters
Period T seconds
Speed/Velocity v
meters per
second

EQUATION FOR WAVELENGTH
λ =
𝒗
𝒇

Speed Wavelength Frequency Period
A 2 3 F
4 2 D G
24 C 8 0.125
B 0.5 E 0.17
Complete the table below which relates speed, wavelength, frequency,
and period of a wave.

SAMPLE PROBLEM 1
A boat makes waves that travel across the
surface of a river. The waves travel towards
the shore at a velocity of 2.75 m/s. The
distance between the wave crests is 5.00
m. What is the frequency of the waves?

SAMPLE PROBLEM 1:
SOLUTION
The wave velocity v = 2.75 m/s, and the
wavelength λ = 5.00 m. The frequency must be
solved for, so rearrange the equation below:
λ =
𝒗
𝒇

SAMPLE PROBLEM 2
The speed of sound is about 343.2 m/s.
Find the wavelength of a sound wave
that has a frequency of 30.0 cycles per
second.

SAMPLE PROBLEM 2:
SOLUTION
The wave velocity v = 343.2 m/s, and the
frequency f = 30.0 cycles/s. The wavelength can
be found using the equation:
λ =
𝒗
𝒇

CHARACTERISTICS OF
WAVES
Seatwork:

SEATWORK
1. Marc and Toff stand 8 meters apart and
demonstrate the motion of a transverse wave on a
rope. The wave can be described as having a
vertical distance of 32 cm from a trough to a crest,
a frequency of 2.4 Hz, and a horizontal distance of
48 cm from a crest to the nearest trough.
Determine the amplitude, period, and wavelength
of such a wave.

SEATWORK
2. Tsunamis are much different than rogue waves.
While rogue waves and other waves are generated
by winds, tsunamis originate from geological
events such as movements of tectonic plates.
Tsunamis tend to travel very fast. A tsunami
generated off the coast of Chile in 1990 is
estimated to have traveled approximately 6200
miles to Hawaii in 15 hours. Determine the speed
in mph and m/s. (1.0 m/s = 2.24 mph)

SEATWORK
3. Berna is listening to her favorite radio
station, 102.3 FM. The station broadcasts
radio signals with a frequency of 1.023 x
108 Hz. The radio wave signal travel
through the air at a speed of 2.997 x
108 m/s. Determine the wavelength of
these radio waves.

SEATWORK
4. A marine weather station detects
waves which are 9.28 meters long and
1.65 meters high and travel a distance of
50.0 meters in 21.8 seconds. Determine
the speed and the frequency of these
waves.

SEATWORK
5. Humpback whales are known to produce a
collection of elaborate and repeating sounds
with frequencies ranging from 20 Hz to 10
kHz. The sound waves travel through water at
speeds of approximately 1400 m/s. Determine
the wavelengths of the waves at the lower
and the upper end of this frequency range.

Physics: Waves

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