0 WAVES
1.1 UNDERSTANDING WAVES
WAVES
Cause by vibrations or oscillations.
Transport energy without permanently
displacing the medium.
Can either be a Mechanical waves which
require a medium to travel eg. Sound wave
or Electromagnetic waves which do not
require a medium to travel.
There are two types of waves:
Direction of oscillations
Direction of wave
Direction of oscillations
Direction of wave
Oscillations are at
right angles to In longitudinal
direction of motion waves,particles oscillate
along line of wave
Push
C C C C
Right
Crest R R R
Direction
of Pull
vibration
Direction of wave motion of a slinky.
Trough
Direction of wave motion of a slinky C- Compression,
Left
R- Rarefactions
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Activity 1.1 a : Transverse and Longitudinal Waves.
1. If the vibrations of a wave are at right angles to the direction of the wave, it is called a
2. If the vibrations of a wave are along the direction of the wave, it is called a
3. Given a string tied to a pole, how would you shake the string in order to produce :
(a) a transverse wave?
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WAVEFRONTS
An imaginary line representing all the points of a wave that are in the same phase.
For example a wavefront can be drawn by joining all the crests of a wave.
The direction of wave travel is always perpendicular to the wavefront.
Figures below show how circular wavefronts and plane wavefronts are produced.
1. Waves can be drawn on paper using lines to join adjacent points of the waves which are
the lines are straight, then they are known as but if the lines are
of the waves.
3. Draw the direction of propagation of wave for each of the following wavefronts.
a) b)
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DESCRIBING WAVES
MOTION
Oscillations of
Upwards A loaded spring and a pendulum
X Y Z
Downwards
Crest Crest
Displacement/m
λ
+A
Amplitude A
Distance/m
Amplitude -A
-B
Trough
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Crests and - High points and low points that characterize transverse waves only.
troughs
DISPLACEMENT-TIME GRAPH
Displacement/m
T
Q
+a
a Q P
Mean R
Time/s
Position R R
Positive
T displacement
P
-a
Negative
displacement
1 1
f= and T=
T f
Displacement
DISPLACEMENT – DISTANCE GRAPH
Amplitud
Amplitud
Distance
λ
In one period (T), a crest will have moved a distance of one wavelength (λ).
Therefore the speed of the wave, v is given by:
λ 1
V= (but = f)
T T
5
λ
Therefore Wave velocity V=
Worked example 1: T
0.3m
The above figure shows waves moving on a slinky with frequency 3 Hz and a wavelength of 0.3m.What is
the wave speed?
Actvity 1 .1(c) :
4. The time taken for a vibrating system to make a complete oscillation is known as .
7.If the period of an oscillating system is 0.2 s and its wavelength is 60 cm, what is the velocity of
the wave formed by this oscillating system ?
Given T = and λ =
1
Therefore f =
T
=
Therefore v=
8. Sketch a displacement-distance graph for a wave, showing two complete oscillations.On your graph,
mark:
(a) The wavelength of the wave,
(b) The amplitude of the wave
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DAMPING AND RESONNANCE
X Z
Y
A Simple Pendulum
Displacement x/cm
a1
a2
a3
a4
Time/s
a1>a2> a3> a4
Example:
An empty swing that is swinging will eventually come to a stop after sometime if it is not
pushed.
RESONANCE
Barton’s Pendulum :
Each of the six pendulum
l1 l2 has its natural
l3
x l4 frequency.The pendulum
that vibrates with the
l5 largest amplitude is said
to be in resonance with
l6 the driving pendulum.
Driving pendulum
Example:
If an Opera sings at the same frequency as the natural frequency of a glass, the glass tends
to absorb more and more energy and eventually will break.
TRUE STORY
On the morning of November 7, 1940, the four month old Tacoma Narrows Bridge began to oscillate
dangerously up and down. A reporter drove out on the bridge with his cocker spaniel in the car. The bridge
was heaving so violently that he had to abandon his car and crawl back to safety on his hands and knees.
At about 11:00 the bridge tore itself apart and collapsed. It had been designed for winds of 120 mph and
yet a wind of only 42 mph caused it to collapse. How could this happen? No one knows exactly why.
However, the experts do agree that somehow the wind caused the bridge to resonate. It was a shocking
calamity although the only loss of life was the cocker spaniel.
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Activity 1.1 (d):
2. Explain what happens to a vibrating system after it is allowed to vibrate over a long period of time.
3. Resonance occurs when the applied of the driving vibration is equal to the
4. If two strings on the same guitar are tuned to exactly the same frequency and one of them is plucked,
a) What will happen to the other string?
5.Sketched the displacement – time graph for a vibrating system that is experiencing:
a) Very slightly damping.
Displacement
Time
Displacement
Time
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ASSESSMENTS.
OBJECTIVE QUESTIONS.
1.Which of the graph shown below represents a 2.The diagram shows a wave traveling in the sea.
wave of an amplitude 2.0 cm and frequency 20
Hz? R
Q S T
A B
P
Which points are exactly one wavelength apart ?
C D A P and R B Q and S
C Q and T D S and T
3.A wave transfers 4.Water waves are being generated in a ripple tank at
A molecules. B energy a rate of 5 Hz .This means that in one second the
C matter D force number of wavefronts passing through a fixed point is
A 0.2 B 2.5 C 5.0 D 10.0 E 12.0
5.Which of the following is an example of 6.In air, what is the wavelength of sound of frequency
longitudinal waves ? 2500 Hz ?The speed of sound in air is 330ms-1.
A Waves in a ripple tank. A 0.004 m B 0.003 m
B Light waves in water.
C A vibrating guitar string. C 0.132 m D 7.58 m
D Sound waves produced by a string.
E 6.7 m
7.A source vibrates at a frequency of 20 Hz and 8. The incidents listed below involve resonance
produces waves of wavelength 0.02m.What is except :
the speed with which the waves travel out from A A glass will break when a Soprano sings
the source? infront of it.
A 0.001 ms-1. B 0.02 ms-1 B Certain parts of a bus vibrated as the bus
-1
C 0.40 ms D 20 ms-1 moves.
C An egg breaks as it falls down on a floor.
9. Displacement 10. Which of the following produces longitudinal
waves?
0
Time
A B
What are the effects on frequency and energy
of the wave shown in the above displacement
time graph as the time increases.
Frequency Energy
A increase no change C D
B increase decrease
C no change increase
D no change decrease
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STRUCTURED QUESTION.
Q1. A wave source of frequency 1000 Hz emits waves length 0.10 m.How long does it take for the waves
to travel 2500 m ?
Q2. Figure below shows a student setting up waves on a long lastic cord.The student’s hand makes one
Complete up-and-down movement in 0.40 s, and in each up-and-down movement the hand moves
Through a height of 0.30 m. The wavelength of the waves on the string is 0.80 m.
0.3 m
Q3(a) Figure below shows the graph of the variation of the displacement of a wave with distance along the
wave at a particular time.
Displacement
(m) State values for:
(i) the amplitude of the wave.
0.6
Distance/m
10
-0.6
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(b)Figure below shows the graph of the variation of the displacement of the same wave with time at a
part
displacement/m
0.6
time/s
0 2.5
-0.6
(c) Calculate the speed of the wave drawn in the above figures.
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1.2 ANALYSING REFLECTION OF WAVES.
WATER WAVES
Incident wavefronts
Reflected rays
Incident rays
λ λ
Reflected
wavefronts
Normal
Direction of reflected
wave
LIGHT WAVES
Reflected light ray
Θi Θr
Incident light ray
Stop
watch
Ear
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LAWS OF REFLECTION
1. The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.
2. The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection, i.e. i = r.
ASSESSMENT 1.2.
1.The diagram shows a light ray with an incident angle of 5º being reflected by a plane mirror MN. The
mirror is then rotated clockwise through an angle of 15º.
5º
15º
A B C D
θ
θ θ
θ
β
θ θ α
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STRUCTURED QUESTION.
1. When a wave is reflected from a plane surface, the angle of is equal to the
angle of .
2.If a ray of light strikes a plane surface at an angle of 45º to the normal, the angle of the reflected ray to
the normal is .
3. Sometimes while hiking, you may be able to hear your shout being reflected from a cliff. What is this
4. Draw a diagram to show how a plane mirror reflects light waves from a lamp placed infront of it.
(Follow the instructions listed below)
(a) Draw a straight line perpendicular to the incident wavefronts to show the line
of propagation of the wave.Show the direction of propagation.
(b) Draw a dotted line which is perpendicular to the plane mirror to indicate the
normal.
(c) By using a protractor measure the angle of incidence i.
(d) Then draw a line which is at an angle r º from normal to represents the direction
of propagation of reflected light waves.Note that i = r.
(e) Draw straight dotted lines representing the reflected wavefronts which are
perpendicular to the line drawn in (d).
Incident wavefronts
Plane
mirror
Lamp
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ANSWER KEY.
Activity 1.1(b)
1.in phase, wavefronts, plane wavefronts,circular wavefronts.
2.(a) perpendicular, wavefronts.
(b)
Activity 1.1(c)
1.distance, crests, troughs, meter.
2.complete, one, hertz.
3. frequency, wavelength.
4. period
5. frequency.
6. speed of wave
7. 300 cms-1
8. displacement/cm Period T
Displacement/cm
λ
amplitud amplitud
Distance/cm
Time/s
1
Frequency f =
T
Activity 1.1 (d)
1.length,mass of bob.
2.The vibrations will slow down and the amplitude will decrease.
3. frequency, natural frequency.
4.(a) It will vibrate with a maximum amplitude.
(b) Resonance
5.
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ASSESSMENT.1.1
OBJECTIVE:
1 A 2 C
3 B 4 C
5 D 6 C
7 C 8 C
9 D 10 A
STRUCTURED QUESTIONS.
d
1.Speed of wave, v =
t
= fλ
d 2500
Therefore t = = = 25 s
fλ (1000)(0.10)
0.3
2.(a) Amplitude = = = 0.15 m
2
1 1
(b) Frequency = = =2.5 Hz
period 0.4
(c) Speed, v = fλ= 2.5 x 0.8 = 2.0 ms-1
ASSESSMENT 1.2
OBJECTIVE
2. D
3. A
STRUCTURED QUESTION.
1. incidence, reflection.
2. 45º
3. reflection of sound wave or echo.
4. Incident wavefronts
Plane
mirror
Lamp
i
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