CHAPTER 1 FORM 5

Waves

Learning Objectives
Understand Waves Analyse reflection of waves Analyse refraction of waves Analyse diffraction of waves Analyse interference of waves Analyse sound waves Analyse electromagnetic waves

1.1 Understand Waves

Learning Outcomes
describe what is meant by wave motion, recognise that waves transfer energy without transferring matter, compare transverse and longitudinal waves and give examples of each, state what is meant by a wavefront, state the direction of propagation of waves in relation to wavefronts, define amplitude, period, frequency, wavelength and speed of wave, sketch and interpret a displacement-time graph for a wave, sketch and interpret a displacement-distance graph for a wave, classify the relationship between speed, wavelength and frequency, describe damping in an oscillating system, and describe resonance in an oscillating system.

Session 1
describe what is meant by wave motion, recognise that waves transfer energy without transferring matter, compare transverse and longitudinal waves and give examples of each.

WAVES MOTION

WAVES MOTION A boy kicks a ball and the ball accidently hits and breaks the glass window producing noise. In this case, energy is transferred from the source (the boy) to the receiver (the glass window) by the matter (the ball). The noise we hear from the breaking glass is due to the energy transferred to our ears by sound waves. There are two ways of transferring energy:
by the motion of objects. by waves.

What is wave?

Is a spreading of disturbance from a vibrating or oscillating motion.

What is wave motion?

The process of transmitting waves.

Examples of waves

Two groups of waves

Mechanical waves Require medium for its propagation Examples:

Water waves Sound waves

Electromagnetic waves Do not require medium, can propagate via vacuum Example:
Electromagnetic waves

How do waves transfer energy?

 When we throw a stone into a pond, a ripple spreads out in an expanding circle from the source of disturbance. The energy of the stone is converted to waves. The water waves propagate on the surface of the water. A cork floating a distance away will move up and down when the ripple passes it. Thus the ripple transfers energy from the stone to the cork. The water is not transferred, but the energy of the stone is transferred to the cork.

Figure 1.1.2

Energy is transferred from the stone to the cork which does not involve the transfer of water.

Figure 1.1.2 shows that the cork does not move outwards as the wave passes. This means that the water itself does not move outwards. Through wave motion, energy is transferred from the source (the stone) to a receiver (the cork) without involving the transfer of matter (the water).

How do waves transfer energy?

(2) When the water wave moves from one point to another, the water itself does not move with it. So do the ball. The ball vibrates about its equilibrium position. (1) When you throw a stone into a pond, it forms circular waves moving outwards from the point at which the stone touches the water. (3) In this case, water is the medium which carries the wave. While the wave propagates through the medium, the wave actually transmits energy through the medium, but the particles of the medium itself are not transported.

Important!

Types of waves

Transverse waves

Longitudinal waves

Transverse waves

Transverse waves

Longitudinal waves

Example of waves

Example of longitudinal waves

The most common example of longitudinal waves is sound travelling in air. Air particles vibrate to and fro as sound waves propagate in the air. In figure, the air particles are set to vibrate by the vibration of a tuning fork. The movement of the molecules in the air produces compressions and rarefactions of air molecules. As a sound wave passes through air, the molecules oscillate. Energy is transferred from one molecule to the next. Hence,sound waves propagate through the air.

Session 2
state what is meant by a wavefront, state the direction of propagation of waves in relation to wavefronts.

Ripple Tank

A ripple tank consists of a square transparent plastic tray with a lamp on the top. The tray has sloping sides so that any wave propagated will not be reflected back from the sides (Photograph 1.1.5).

Ripple Tank

The ripple tank has a bar suspended with two elastic strings and the bar is driven by a motor. When the motor is switched on, the bar will vibrate. If the bar touches the water surface, straight waves are produced. We can see the images of waves appearing on the screen below the ripple tank (Photograph 1.1.6).

Ripple Tank

Similarly a round dipper can be fixed to the bar so that it touches the water surface. When the current is switched on, the ripple tank will produce circular waves (Photograph 1.1.7).

Ripple Tank

Water waves have crests and troughs.

A crest is the highest position of the wave, A trough is the lowest position.

In a ripple tank, light rays from the lamp on top will focus onto the white screen below. The bright lines correspond to the crests, and the dark lines correspond to the troughs.
The bright lines shown on the screen below are wavefronts.

Wavefront Wavefronts - is an imaginary lines joining all the points of the same phase on a wave . For example,
lines along crest or troughs are wavefronts. Along the same wavefront, all particles of water are vibrating in the same phase.

The lines joining the crest The wavefronts of water are wavefronts. in a ripple tank.

Direction of propagation of waves

The wavefronts of a transverse wave and longitudinal wave are perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave.

Session 3
define amplitude, period, frequency, wavelength and speed of wave, sketch and interpret a displacement-time graph for a wave, sketch and interpret a displacement-distance graph for a wave

Describing waves
several terms to describe a wave:
Wavelength () Amplitude (a) Frequency (f) Wave speed (v) Period (T)

Wavelength ()
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two adjacent points of the same phase on a wave. For example,the distance between two adjacent crests or two adjacent trough of the wave. The wavelength of an ocean wave can be several metres. The wavelength of the electromagnetic waves used in a microwave oven is less than a centimetre. Tsunami waves can have a wavelength up to 161 km.

Amplitude (a)
amplitude (a) The maximum displacement of a crest or a trough from the equilibrium position of a wave. Amplitude relates to loudness in sound and brightness in light. The amplitude of a wave is its maximum displacement from its equilibrium position.

Frequency (f)
The frequency of a wave is the number of complete oscillations made in one second.
It is also the number of waves that pass a certain point each second. SI unit = hertz (Hz). for waves with very high frequencies: kilohertz (kHz) megahertz (MHz) gigahertz (GHz)
For example, most people cannot hear a high-pitched sound above 20 kHz. Radio stations broadcast radio waves with a frequency of about 100 MHz. Most wireless computer networks operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz.

Wave speed (v)

The speed of a wave is the measurement of how fast a crest is moving from a fixed point.
For example: the speed of sound waves is about 330 ms-1. the speed of light is 3.0 x 108 ms-1.

Period (T)
The period of a wave is the time taken to complete one oscillation.
It is measured in second (s).

The frequency is the reciprocal of a period of vibration.

The unit for frequency is s which is equal to one hertz.

The characteristics of a wave form depend on the wavelength, amplitude, velocity, and frequency. All periodic wave forms have these common characteristics. The swing of a simple pendulum can be used to illustrate some of these terms.

Session 4
sketch and interpret a displacement-time graph for a wave, sketch and interpret a displacement-distance graph for a wave, classify the relationship between speed, wavelength and frequency.

Displacement-time and displacement-distance graphs

The wave motion is due the vibration of particles from their rest position. The displacement of a particle (from its rest position) at different times by plotting a displacement-time graph as shown in figure. From the displacement-time graph, we can find the period of the wave. For example, in figure, the period (T) is the time measured from position x to position y.

displacement-time graph

Displacement-time and displacement-distance graphs

Figure below shows the displacement of particles against their distance from the source at two different times, at t = 0 and t = T, where :
T is the period of the vibration. Note that the wavelength is shown by the distance CD.

The displacement-distance graph

Data obtain from

Displacement-distance graph are: Amplitude, a Wavelength, Displacement-time graph are: Amplitude, a Period, T

Wave speed (v)

Session 5
describe damping in an oscillating system, and describe resonance in an oscillating system.