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Physics Part 4
Mechanical Wave Electromagnetic Wave
Can travel
“Every point on a wave front may
be considered as a new source of
Reflection
Requires a
and Refraction
through a medium disturbance, sending wavelets in
medium to travel
or through the vacuum forward directions.”
of space Reflection is the bouncing off of a wave as it
Longitudinal wave Can hits a barrier. The angle that the wave hits the
Transverse wave transmit barrier should be the equal to the angle at
Transverse wave only
energy but This is known as which it bounces off the barrier. That is the
Examples: not matter Huygen’s Principle.
most basic premise of the Law of Reflection.
Sound wave
Examples: Named after the
Seismic wave
Light Dutch mathematician Refraction is the changing in the direction of
Ropes and springs a wave as it travels from one medium to a
and physicist,
Water waves Christiaan Huygens different medium. Every medium or material
has a property known as the index of
Excel Review refraction which is the ratio of the speed of
Center
What is Frequency
light in free space to the velocity of the wave
in the actual medium.
c
Frequency (f) is the number of waves per unit time n=

Snell’s Law
v
that pass a point. Period (T) is the time required for
one wave to pass a point. Just like simple harmonic

Sound
motion, the period is reciprocal with the frequency Named after the Dutch astronomer and mathematician, Willebrord Snellius.
and vice versa. Sometimes known as the Law of
1 Refraction, it states that the ratio of
f= the sines of the angles of incidence and
T
the angle of refraction is a constant It is a mechanical wave that
Wavelength is the distance between one particle in that depends on the ratio of the indices carries disturbances from
a wave and the corresponding particle in the next of both media. one location to another
wave. Two particles are in the same phase if they through a certain medium.
have the same displacement and are moving in the n1 sin i = n2 sin r Most of the time, this
medium is air, though it
same direction. Relation between speed v, where:
frequency f and wavelength : could be any other media
n1 – refractive index of medium 1
such as water or steel.
n2 – refractive index of medium 2
Sound is also classified as a
v = f  i - angle of incidence =  1 longitudinal wave since the
Intensity of wave refers to the energy transferred
 r - angle of refraction =  2 particles of the medium
through which the sound
per unit time per unit area through a surface moves vibrate parallel to
Frequency and Pitch of Sound
perpendicular to the direction of the motion of the
the direction of the sound.
wave.
I = 2 vf A
2 2 2 For sound, the particles of the medium that moves back and forth will determine its frequency. 1
Hertz is 1 vibration per second. The human ear is capable of detecting sound waves with a very
where: wide range of frequencies, ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Sound with frequencies below 20 Hz
v - speed of wave (m/s)  - density (kg/m3) is called infrasound while sound with frequencies beyond 20 kHz is called ultrasound. These
f – frequency (Hz) A – amplitude (m) frequencies are now outside the audible range for the human ear. Pitch is synonymous with
frequency.
Excel Review Center Speed of Sound
Intensity of Sound The speed of the sound wave is the rate at which the disturbance in the medium is carried on from
The intensity of sound refers to the amount
one particle to the next. The faster the sound travels, the more distance it covers in a certain
of energy that is transferred per unit are period of time. There are different factors that can affect the speed of sound. First, the properties
and per unit time. The SI unit of intensity is of the medium in which the sound travels greatly affects the speed of sound. The phase of the
W/m2. medium affects the speed as well. It is established that sound travels fastest in solids and slowest
in gases. Aside from that, if the medium is air, the temperature and even the humidity can also
Energy Power
Intensity = = affect the speed of sound. With E = elastic constant of medium,  = density of medium or gas, T
Area  Time Time = temperature of gas, P = pressure of gas, R = universal gas constant, M = molecular mass of gas.
The lowest intensity that the human ear E
Speed of sound if the medium is a thin rod: v =
can detect is around 1x10-12 W/m2. This is 
also known as the threshold of hearing. A
more practical way to measure intensity is P RT
Speed of sound if the medium is a gas: v = =
to do it in the decibel scale, with 1x10-12  M
W/m2 being 0 dB.
Intensity
At standard temperature of 0°C, the speed of sound in air is v  331 m/s  1,100 ft/s
Intensity ( dB ) = 10log At any other temperature: v = 331 + 0.6T
W
1  10−12 2
m Where: T - temperature of air in degrees Celsius Excel Review Center