WAVES AROUND YOU
Source of all waves
MEDIUM - a substance or material that
carries the wave
Classification of Waves
According to how particles move through
them
Transverse waves
Longitudinal waves
Transverse waves– the particles move
perpendicular to the motion of the wave.
Longitudinal waves– the particles move
parallel to the motion of the wave.
Compression – a crowded area causing high pressure
region
Rarefaction – a spread out area causing a low pressure
region
Classification of Waves
According to what they move through
( medium)
Mechanical waves
Electromagnetic waves
Mechanical waves – needs a medium
- require the particles of the
medium
to vibrate in order
for energy to be transferred.
Types of Mechanical Waves
Water waves
Earthquake or Seismic waves
Sound waves
Waves that travel down a rope or spring
Electromagnetic Waves– can travel through
matter or
empty space where matter
is not present.
Types of Electromagnetic waves
Radio waves
Microwaves
Infrared
Visible Light
Ultraviolet
X-rays
Gamma Rays
ANATOMY OF A WAVE
CREST – the highest point on a wave
TROUGH – the lowest point on a wave
WAVELENGTH – distance between two
consecutive crest
or troughs
AMPLITUDE – the height of the wave. Shows how
much energy
a wave carries
PERIOD – the time taken to generate one
complete wave
WAVE SPEED – is the distance moved by a wave
in one second
Write True if the statement is correct and False if it is wrong.
[Link] is the speed (v) of a wave that has a
wavelength (λ) of 2 m and a frequency of 6 Hz?
[Link] two wavelengths pass a given point each
second, and the distance between wave crests is
3 m, what is the wave speed?
[Link] lowest pitch that the average human can
hear has a frequency of 20 Hz. If sound with this
frequency has a wave speed of 340 m/s, what is
its wavelength?
4. A bottlenose dolphin can hear sounds with
frequencies up to 150,000 Hz. If the speed of
sound in sea water is approximately 1,500 m/s,
what is the wavelength?
5. A ship anchored at sea rocked by waves
whose crests are 14 m apart. The waves travel
at 7 m/s. How often do the wave crests reach
the ship?