WAVE MOTION AND SOUND

Wave motion is defined as the movement of a distortion

of a material or medium, where the individual parts or
elements of the material only move back and forth, up
and down, or in a cyclical pattern.
This section contains the most frequently used formulas,
rules, and definitions relating to the following:
1. Wave Terminology
2. Wave Phenomena
3. Electromagnetic Wave, Energy, and Spectrum
4. Sound Waves
 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND 341
Wave Terminology

1. Definition and Graph

A wave is a transfer of energy, in the form of a
disturbance, through some medium, but without
translocation of the medium.

A
I

Waves may be graphed as a function of time (a) or

function of distance (b) . A single frequency wave will
appear as a sine wave in either case. From the distance
graph, the wavelength may be determined. From the
time graph, the period and frequency can be obtained.
From both together, the wave speed can be determined.

2. Wavelength
Wavelength il is defined as the distance from one crest
(or maximum of the wave) to the next crest or
maximum.
342 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND
Wave Terminology

3. Amplitude
The amplitude A of a wave is the maximum
displacement from the equilibrium or rest position.

4. Velocity
The velocity v of the wave is the measurement of how
fast a crest is moving from a fixed point:

where
v = velocity ( d s )
T = period (s)
f= frequency (Us or Hz)
A.= wavelength (m)
5. Frequency
The frequency fof waves is the rate at which the crests
or peaks pass a given point:
f=-
1
T
6. Period
The period T is the time required to complete one hll
cycle
 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND 343
Wave Phenomena

7. Wave on a Stretched String

The speed of a wave traveling on a stretched uniform
string is given by
IF
where
F= tension in the string
p = linear density of the string

8. The Sinusoidal Wave

The sinusoidal wave is a periodic wave described by a
function of two variables of the form,

AX,t)= Acos[k(x- vt)]

where
fix, t) = transverse displacement) at position x and
time t
A = amplitude
k = angular wave number
v = wave speed

a) Wave speed:

b) Period
For a particular x,y i s a periodic function of twith
period:
344 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND
Wave Phenomena

T = -2n
ZD
c) Wavelength
For a particular t, function y is a periodic function of x,
with the wavelength given by
A=-2n
k
d) Power
The average power transmitted by a sinusoidal wave can
be calculated by the formula
Cvg=-w
1 2 A 2 PV
2
where
A = amplitude
p = density of a medium
v= wave speed.
w = angular ii-equency

e) Energy
For a wave on string, the energy per unit length is given
by

El =-pavg
V
where
pavg = average power transmitted by the wave
v= wave speed
 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND 345
Wave Phenomena

9. Electromagnetic Waves
These waves are made up of electric and magnetic fields
whose strengths oscillate at the same frequency and
phase. Unlike mechanical waves, which require a
medium in order to transport their energy,
electromagneticwaves are capable of traveling through a
vacuum.
Although they seem different, radio waves, microwaves,
x-rays, and even visible light are all waves of energy
called electromagnetic waves.
Electromagnetic waves have amplitude, wavelength,
velocity, and frequency. The creation and detection of
the wave depend on the range of wavelengths.

a) Wave speed:

where
c= speed of light (3.00 x lo8m / s )
f= frequency ( U s )
A = wavelength (m)
T = period (s)

10. Electromagnetic Energy

Electromagnetic energy at a particular wavelength h (in
vacuum) has an associated frequency fand photon
energy E
E=h*f
346 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND
Electromagnetic Wave, Energy, and Spectrum

where
h = Planck's constant, h = 6.62607 x (Js)
f= frequency ( U s )
11. The Electromagnetic Spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of all
electromagneticwaves arranged according to frequency
and wavelength, as shown below

Id

Low frcquency
High frequency
Shorl wavelength
1 .ong wavelength
Low quantum cncrgy High quantum cnrtgy

12. Sound Waves

Sound is a longitudinal wave in a medium created by the
vibration of some object:
 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND 347
Sound Waves

Tuning fork

13. Speed of Sound in Air

The speed in dry air at 1 atmosphere pressure and 0' C
is 33 1.4 m / s . Changes in humidity and temperature cause
a variation in the speed of sound. The speed of sound
increases with temperature at the rate of 0.61 m / s C .
The speed of sound in dry air at 1 atmosphere pressure is
then given by
v = 3 3 1.4 + (0.6 10) - tc
where
tc = air temperature ( O C

14. Sound Speed in Gases

The speed of sound in an ideal gas is given by the
formula

v=
where
v = speed of sound ( d s )
R= universal gas constant =8.314 J/mol K
T= absolute temperature (K)
M = molecular mass of gas (kg/mol)
y = adiabatic constant
348 WAVE MOTION AND SOUND
Sound Waves

For air, the adiabatic constant y = 1.4 and the average

molecular mass (m for dry air is 28.95 g/mol. Hence,

15. The Doppler Effect

Suppose that a source emitting sound waves of
frequency ! iand an observer move along the same
straight line. Then the observer will hear sound of the
frequency
v f vo
f,=f,-
vT v,
where
fs = the source sound frequency
fo = the observer sound frequency
vo = the relative speed of the observer
vs = the relative speed of the source
v = the sound speed in this medium

The choice of using a plus (+) or minus (-) sign is made

according to the convention that if the source and
observer are moving towards each other the observer
frequency fo is higher than the actual frequency f.
Likewise, if the source and observer are moving away
from each other, the observer frequency fo is lower than
the actual frequency fi.