Fernando Espinoza

Wave Motion
as Inquiry
The Physics and Applications of
Light and Sound
Wave Motion as Inquiry
Fernando Espinoza

Wave Motion as Inquiry

The Physics and Applications
of Light and Sound
Fernando Espinoza
Hofstra University and SUNY College at Old Westbury
Long Island, NY, USA

ISBN 978-3-319-45756-7 ISBN 978-3-319-45758-1 (eBook)

DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953733

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017

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Preface

This book is written for an audience that is very diverse in its learning styles, and
my objective is to expose the readers to different and unique ways the basics of
wave motion can be studied in an academic setting. Why such a title? There have
been many books written about waves, and quite a few are sufficiently successful in
covering and teaching a wide range of topics to provide exposure to the physics of
wave motion. There are books about waves in general and specifically about light
and about sound that convey the basic ideas that all waves follow.
Because most of these books emphasize the coverage of topics from an authori-
tative perspective, they have neglected the student perspective.
By student perspective I mean one where the ability to apply the ideas is insepa-
rable from being exposed to their basic definitions. From my experiences as a phys-
ics student and instructor, the traditional presentation has been that the didactic
approach often neglects the context.
In the science education literature researchers have known for some time that
from the earliest experiences, humans tend to be better observers when they are
interested. Correspondingly, it seems logical to suppose that a learner being pro-
vided with a context stands a better chance of understanding the material, rather
than being introduced to it without one.
Understanding a concept involves much more than simply memorizing and
regurgitating the information. The application of concepts places a learner in a situ-
ation where more is required than a simple recollection of information. To this
extent, the role of inquiry must be actively incorporated into instructional materials,
if one hopes to appeal to that natural need of a context.
Inquiry-based instruction needs to place the learner in a position of relative igno-
rance, although some guidance needs to be provided; the reason for this guidance is
to allow the learner to utilize whatever background information he or she possesses.
There are many views on the importance of inquiry, some claiming that it doesn’t
show substantial gains in the learning of difficult concepts. Many studies, however,
have shown a clear advantage for nontraditional students to be engaged in inquiry-
based instruction.

v
vi Preface

Consider an example using light and sound as sources of information to explore

and understand the world. Generally speaking, events do not become experiences
until there is awareness, and the experiences become more meaningful when there
is reflection upon them. Suppose you are seated outdoors and hear a bird singing by
emitting short bursts of a high-pitched sound and you want to locate the bird; there
will be an interaction between the waves that make up what you see and what you
hear. Both types of waves undergo similar processes as they get to you, for the most
part; however, you will not experience them all due to various properties, such as
the length of the waves, how they propagate, what other objects do to these waves
when struck by them, and so on.
If you were an ornithologist, you most likely would know what type of bird it is,
since the example is about hearing it but not seeing it. Additionally, you could prob-
ably tell whether it is a female or male, how old it is, its size, etc. However, if you
were not an expert on bird watching, you would need to rely on the sound to guide
your vision if you hope to see it. There are some things you could ascertain about
the bird from prior experience, such as its size and even its type. For one thing you
can deduce that if the sound is high pitched, the bird is not a crow, which would also
make it easier to spot. Based on this, you conclude that the bird is small. If there are
several trees having lots of branches and leaves, this makes the task more difficult
since you seem to hear the sound coming from various directions. As you continue
to listen, you begin to concentrate on an area where you think the sound is coming
from based on what you hear; however, if the bird were to stop singing, you would
be extremely hard pressed to find it.
You could probably come up with a better example than this to provide a setting;
what I have done is to create a scenario and provide an experience. I believe that is
the essence of the term inquiry, the provision of opportunities to experience phe-
nomena and to explore them based on what one knows beforehand.
The way in which this book deals with the incorporation of inquiry is by its lack
of distinction between theory and practice. As soon as a concept or an idea is intro-
duced, an attempt is made to provide opportunities for exploration. Whether the task
is one of concept development or quantitative determinations, to provide opportuni-
ties to explore lies at the heart of inquiry-based instruction.
Additionally, the text incorporates laboratory experiences into the introduction
of the content; while this has been done before, the types of experiences are both
physical and virtual. There is an undeniable benefit to being able to manipulate
variables in a setting that does not require extensive preparation and where the data
obtained can be processed in real time.
There are many tasks involving simulations, predominantly using one of the very
best sources publicly available (PhET Interactive Simulations, University of
Colorado, http://phet.colorado.edu).
Some of these virtual experiments can be done as extensions to the class discus-
sions; in other words, these activities can be assigned as homework projects, thus
enhancing the opportunities for inquiry and investigation they make available.
Preface vii

The simulations have been structured to allow the user to exercise both pace and
variable control; studies have shown that simulations can often overwhelm students
with low prior knowledge, due to quick and continuous changes that can overload
working memory. Variable control can be particularly helpful in the development of
exploration and hypotheses testing.
At the same time, the need for physicality is not neglected. Physics is and hope-
fully will always remain an experimental science; despite great advances in techno-
logically rich environments, there is a basic need for physicality. The role of
kinesthetic tasks is an area of considerable interest due to the findings concerning
student retention and understanding of the material. To this extent there are nearly
20 experimental tasks included that require physical manipulation of variables.
I have endeavored to demonstrate that the approach taken in this book will ben-
efit all readers, particularly those among you that tend to be intimidated by scientific
concepts. I don’t know what the readers’ experiences have been, but mine have
consistently shown me that there are many more students from the sciences who are
interested in the arts and the humanities, than it is the other way around. I sincerely
hope that with this book I can help change that!
I believe instructors cannot afford to neglect their responsibility to the audience
(students); there are simply too many great and interesting aspects of waves that all
students should be allowed to understand, since they will enrich their understanding
of their preferred areas of study.
Instructors can decide on how to cover the material given their individual
circumstances. The book has been primarily, although not exclusively designed for
non-science majors, and students must possess some algebraic proficiency. If the
instructor finds that students struggle with quantitative information, my recommen-
dation is to concentrate on those chapters that don’t require a significant amount of
mathematical detail. However, don’t neglect the value of exploratory tasks found in
such chapters, since they may be more palatable and instructive for those students
without requiring mathematical expediency.
There is no particular sequence needed to expose students to the many interest-
ing aspects and applications of waves. Therefore, if some chapters must be omitted
to facilitate student comprehension that may be hindered by a lack of algebraic
proficiency, this would not constitute an obstacle for students to develop a basic
understanding of wave motion.
Based on my experience with a class of non-science majors that needed a science
course to fulfill a general education or distribution requirement, I decided to cover
only the first six chapters.
When teaching the properties of light or those of sound separately, one can find
applications in all chapters, and so it is a matter of choosing the relevant aspects to
the topics that are found throughout the text. Given this scenario, it is quite feasible
to cover at least the first nine chapters in a given semester.
Instructors can also choose chapters that they consider appropriate for their particu-
lar student audience. The first nine chapters are undoubtedly driven by content-specific
viii Preface

properties of waves, while the last three are concerned mainly with a variety of
applications that utilize many of these concepts and properties. Therefore, instructors
can provide students with an overview of all the topics, by concentrating on the
exploratory tasks exclusively. The narrative sections that often precede these tasks can
be assigned as part of the background knowledge to successfully carry out the tasks.
Figures 2.1, 2.3, 3.4, 3.9–11, 4.1, 4.4, 4.6–11, 6.1, 7.8, 8.3, and 9.1 were con-
structed using Physical Science Images & Art (Qwizdom Inc.) used with permission.
Credits: Fig. 10.2-credit: Wikimedia Commons, Fig. 10.10 and that of the
Exploratory Task on p. 196-courtesy of Imgur.

Long Island, NY, USA Fernando Espinoza

Contents

1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena ......................................................... 1

Why Is the Study of Waves Important? .................................................... 1
Theoretical Background ............................................................................ 7
Experimental Task: Determining the Speed of Sound .............................. 16
Tasks on Accuracy and Precision .......................................................... 19
References ................................................................................................. 24
2 General Characteristics of Waves ......................................................... 25
Classifications ........................................................................................... 31
Application to Light .................................................................................. 42
Application to Sound ................................................................................ 45
Scientific Notation .................................................................................... 55
Units .......................................................................................................... 55
3 Reflection ................................................................................................. 59
Reflection of Light Waves......................................................................... 59
Plane Mirrors ............................................................................................ 63
Curved Mirrors.......................................................................................... 68
Application to Sound ................................................................................ 73
4 Refraction ................................................................................................ 75
What is Refraction?................................................................................... 76
Examples ............................................................................................... 77
Total Internal Reflection ........................................................................... 79
Properties of Lenses .................................................................................. 81
Applications of Lenses.............................................................................. 86
Application to Sound ................................................................................ 98
5 Interference and Standing Waves .......................................................... 103
The Principle of Superposition ................................................................. 103
Beats.......................................................................................................... 106
Resonance ................................................................................................. 109

ix
x Contents

Application to Sound ................................................................................ 111

Application to Light .................................................................................. 114
6 Diffraction................................................................................................ 117
Application to Sound ................................................................................ 132
References ................................................................................................. 135
7 Polarization.............................................................................................. 137
Polarization by Absorption ....................................................................... 139
Polarization by Reflection ..................................................................... 140
Polarization by Double Refraction........................................................ 140
Polarization by Scattering ..................................................................... 141
8 Changes in Properties of Waves ............................................................ 149
The Doppler Effect.................................................................................... 149
Worked Example ....................................................................................... 151
Application to Light .................................................................................. 157
Human Hearing and the Subjective Perception
of Changes in Sound Intensity .................................................................. 158
Place Theory of Hearing ........................................................................... 158
Useful Relations ........................................................................................ 163
A Note of Caution about Solving Sound Level Problems .................... 164
Practice Problems...................................................................................... 164
References ................................................................................................. 166
9 Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations ......................................... 167
Radiation ................................................................................................... 172
General Properties of Wave Spreading ..................................................... 180
10 Waves and Sensory Perception .............................................................. 183
Application to Sound ................................................................................ 186
Translational Symmetry ............................................................................ 187
Rotational Symmetry ................................................................................ 187
Reflection Symmetry ................................................................................ 187
Inversion Symmetry .................................................................................. 188
Symmetry in Physics................................................................................. 191
Reference .................................................................................................. 198
11 Forensic Applications.............................................................................. 199
Applications to Sound ............................................................................... 199
Applications to Light ................................................................................ 210
Reference .................................................................................................. 213
12 Technological Applications ..................................................................... 215
Applications to Light ................................................................................ 215
Applications to Sound ............................................................................... 226
References ................................................................................................. 227

Index ................................................................................................................. 229

About the Author

Fernando Espinoza is a professor with a joint appointment in the School of

Education and the Department of Chemistry and Physics at the State University of
New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury, as well as an appointment in the
Department of Physics and Astronomy at Hofstra University. He has over 25 years
of teaching experience at the high school and college levels teaching astronomy,
physics, Earth science, physical science, and in the pedagogical preparation of sci-
ence teachers.
He has an active research agenda that includes numerous peer-reviewed publica-
tions, a textbook The Nature of Science, and a significant number of conference
presentations. He serves as a reviewer for several journals, most recently as a mem-
ber of the New York State Education Department’s Science Content Advisory
Committee, charged with providing feedback on the adoption of the common core
science curriculum as part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

xi
Chapter 1
Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Why Is the Study of Waves Important?

Most information human beings are exposed to in our interaction with the world is
in the form of waves. Our senses convey to us an enormous amount of information
about the natural world, both externally and internally, that is predominantly pro-
cessed as properties of waves. From sights and sounds to pressure variations
involved in touch, as well as olfactory and taste sensations that exhibit patterns of
change characteristic of alternating conditions.
In addition, many occurrences and events in a wide variety of experiences that
are presented to us as information can be categorized as cycles or recurring instances
of properties that can be understood in terms of those of waves. An understanding
of wave motion can help us to describe phenomena that apparently don’t have any-
thing in common, in a way that enhances and promotes general knowledge.
To begin to understand waves, we need to realize that the condition of most physi-
cal systems that use the energy available for action as work is a state of equilibrium
(static or at rest); however, dynamic equilibrium (involving motion) can also be seen
in the context of variation as long as there is a balance in the changes, such as the
relationship between the job market and unemployment. Conservation (something
remaining constant) and symmetry (something remaining identical) are other proper-
ties of systems, provided these are closed ones. In such cases something remains
unchanged, while repetitive changes can take place with reference to that condition.
The transfer of information, in general, rests on an understanding of the concept
of a signal, where its properties are better aligned with those of a traveling wave
than with those of a moving object. Consider our responses to signals representing
electrical impulses that generate the many body sensations we instinctively recog-
nize and react to in various ways. The strength of those signals changes according
to a property of waves, the amplitude; it determines how much energy is transmitted.
It would be very odd to regard changes such as the intensification or diminishing of
those signals in terms of the properties of particles. Nevertheless, in the very strange
world of subatomic or quantum phenomena, that appears to be the case, although

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 1

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_1
2 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

whether such properties are associated with particles or waves depends on the mea-
surement. Consequently, at the level of perception the strength of signals is pre-
dominantly understood in terms of wave properties.
Another important concept that shares features with those of waves but not
particles is that of a field; an example of such a property would be that of being
infinitely extended. A field can be effectively used to describe something that varies
from place to place. Consequently, using concepts derived from wave phenomena
can help us to understand properties of nature that range from the infinitesimally
small to the largest scales in the observable universe. Consider one of the most
bizarre ideas in modern physics, the concept of entanglement, where a subatomic
particle can communicate with another instantaneously even if separated by
enormous distances. This would be extremely difficult to understand, even concep-
tualize in ways other than using the properties of ideas such as fields.
A particular source of difficulty in understanding many properties of wave phe-
nomena, even at the everyday level of experience has to do with their speed of
transmission through space or through various material substances. Human reaction
times are categorized according to how long it takes for us to respond to various
stimuli. For example, it is known that the average response time for visual stimuli is
about 0.25 s, for audio stimuli it is about 0.17 s, and for touch it is about 0.15 s.

Conceptual Task
Consider the role that human reaction time plays in driving a motor vehicle.
Generally speaking, this activity that has become necessary for many people
requires a high level of attention to a number of processes and events, with
some of them being unpredictable. It is not a good idea to “tailgate” or to
drive too close behind other vehicles, especially if one is traveling at fairly
high speeds. Suppose you are driving at approximately 35 mi/h on a road with
some traffic, and the driver ahead of you moving on another lane in the same
direction suddenly moves onto your lane.
We assume that you will have space to maneuver and this example of
course entails some other assumptions, among them the speeds of the vehicles
in question. We shall assume that they are constant; If the other driver is trav-
eling with higher speed than your own, you will have more time to react and
possibly avoid a collision. This is a result of the difference in speeds where
the other vehicle will cover a longer distance than yours. The situation also
entails that the only time available is 0.25 s, the average human reaction time.
Use the formula Distance (D) = (speed) (time). We also need to use some con-
version factors; 1 mile ≈ 5240 ft, 1 h = 3600 s.
(A) If the other vehicle is moving with the same speed as your own (it should be
obvious that if the other vehicle’s speed is lower than yours, the situation is
more critical still), what should be the shortest distance in feet between the
vehicles to avoid a collision?

(continued)
Why Is the Study of Waves Important? 3

(B) Suppose now that you are traveling at 65 miles/h on a highway flowing
with the traffic and the vehicle ahead of you on the same lane is 20 ft
away. Would you have enough time to react if the other vehicle suddenly
came to a stop?
(C) Texting while driving is something one should never do! Suppose you
receive a text and your phone is on the passenger seat; if it takes you
about 1 s to look at it, how far will your vehicle travel in each of the
above cases?

At the same time the calculated speeds for muscle movements vary from the fast-
est signals of 268 miles/h or about 120 m/s, to those for touch of about 80 m/s, and
finally to the slowest ones for pain sensation of about 0.60 m/s.

Exercise
Convert the numbers 120 m/s and 0.60 m/s into feet/s (1 m = 3.3 ft).

Using the figures above, along with the relationship between distance, speed, and
time given by d = v t, one can estimate the reaction time for the fastest muscle signals
and what this means in terms of mental awareness of certain body movements.
Assume the distance traveled to the brain is roughly the length of an arm and
the neck to be about 1 m, the time for signals to be recorded is
t = d / v ® t = 1m /119 m / s = 0.0084 s which is roughly 8.5 ms.
Now comparing this time to the reaction time for the sense of touch (150 ms), we
can see that it takes a lot longer to feel touch than to be aware of one’s own arms.
To experience this, close your eyes and wave your arms; you undoubtedly know
where your arms are at all times, since the sensation is almost instantaneous. We can
also see why it takes some time to react to a painful sensation, since those are the
slowest signals. The anatomical features of our sensory organs can also be understood
in terms of the range of sensation and perception, as functions of the frequencies
(a property to be formally introduced in the next chapter) of those waves we are
exposed to, particularly in the case of vision and sound.
At the heart of wave phenomena lies the concept of a pattern. Patterns of change
can be steady or trends, or changes that occur in cycles, and changes that are irregular
or chaotic; sometimes a system may exhibit all three types. For instance, the daily
weather isn’t always predictable, but the climate of a region often is. Individual
human behavior in isolation may be unpredictable, but we can become predictable
when acting as parts of large groups.
Predictability is one of the most useful properties of behavior described as wave
phenomena, since the perceived patterns of repetition can enable us to determine
future conditions, based on those previously or currently observed. Consider the
examples shown in Figs. 1.1 and 1.2 of data collected that can be represented as
wave phenomena, despite initially not appearing to display such behavior.
4 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Fig. 1.1 Measurements of indoor air pollution in terms of particulate matter (microscopic dust
particles) can be analyzed as waves where the amounts change throughout the year. The pattern
shows repeated values that can be used to draw conclusions and make predictions about the data
Why Is the Study of Waves Important? 5

Fig. 1.1 (continued)

As seen in these examples data collected as numbers or other quantities can be

represented as waves. We are daily exposed to information about many aspects of
life that may not initially appear to form trends; however, if there is a way to display
such information as waves, it could become much more significant by exhibiting
features like: (a) repeated changes between a maximum and a minimum, (b) time
when values repeat, (c) length or duration of changes, and (d) past and future
changes.

Conceptual Challenge
When we use the terms “crime wave” or “heat wave,” what do we mean to
express?
6 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Fig. 1.2 Number of applications to a graduate program expressed as a percentage based on the
first group of applicants. The pattern shows that the applications appear to change in a cycle and
predictions can be made about likely future changes

There are of course many other examples of phenomena that can be represented
as exhibiting wave-like behavior. Among these are biorhythms, motions produced
by sports fans in stadiums, weather patterns, earthquake waves, and other types of
natural disasters like a tsunami. There are other well-known phenomena that are
increasingly being understood and explained as consequences of wave properties;
examples of these are photosynthesis by plants, bird navigation, and chemical
exchanges such as those involved in the perception of smell.
The essence of all waves is a vibration or oscillation; however, a significant con-
sideration in our study of wave phenomena is the fact that whenever we speak of
waves we are referring to the motions of individual particles or material objects,
whose vibrations produce such waves. Therefore, one might ask if waves really
exist as separate entities or as constructs. A construct is essentially something not
directly observable, but a mental product based on properties exhibited by observ-
able objects. An example is the concept of density, which is expressed as the ratio
of the amount of matter contained in an object, and the volume of space it occupies;
the latter two are experimentally determined but the former one, the density isn’t
directly measurable but instead defined in terms of these.

Conceptual Task
The electron is usually taken at the level of perception to be the fundamental unit
of charge, and it can also be considered a human construct. It was discovered in
1897, although it was possible to describe the electrical properties of matter
before its discovery using other concepts. Did electrons exist before 1897?

Wave propagation in a material or medium depends on the medium’s response to

a disturbance; the propagation characteristics depend only on the medium, and not
Theoretical Background 7

on the nature of the disturbance, contrary to what many students believe based on
everyday experiences. This example illustrates the approach to be followed in this
text; it is imperative that we use the familiarity of concepts associated with waves
so that students can use them to make sense of the many abstract properties that
waves have and that are often difficult to comprehend. To this end, experimental
tasks are designed to be exploratory rather than confirmatory.
The emphasis is on inquiry as the didactic approach to the presentation of the
material. According to learning theory there is an inverse relationship between the
degree of abstraction and retention of the material. In other words, material pre-
sented in the traditional way that textbooks have, with text, pictures, and other more
recent ancillary methods that emphasize generalized phenomena, is retained very
little by the learner. Information presented as dramatized/contrived, and purposeful
(real life) situations based on learners’ prior experiences on the other hand, results
in the greatest amount of retention for individuals. It also effectively addresses
misconceptions, which are often impediments to learning new material.

Theoretical Background

In order to properly understand waves a number of terms need to be introduced

since these constitute the terminology necessary to describe all waves, and their
precise use allows one to effectively apply them in the many situations and tasks
where such understanding informs our knowledge of nature.
As will be formally introduced in Chap. 2 many of these terms have a quantita-
tive definition or representation, besides a qualitative aspect that facilitates the ways
in which we can describe them. Our objective is to be both accurate and precise in
our treatment of wave phenomena. Accuracy can be defined as the degree or mea-
sure of agreement between the description (both qualitative and quantitative), and
the properties being described. Precision is defined as the consistency with which
we use such descriptions. Let’s use an example to illustrate both terms.
Suppose we wanted to hit a target by throwing darts as a group, and we could
control the most important variables involved in successfully repeating the task,
such as the distance from the target, the height, and the force of the throw. Figure 1.3
represents two outcomes of the activity.

Fig. 1.3 Outcomes of the

dart task; the crosshair
represents the target, and
the dots individual shots.
According to the above
definitions, which outcome
is more accurate, and
which is more precise?
8 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Both accuracy and precision are extremely important in all scientific measurements,
as well as in other areas where events or processes occur, and descriptions need to be
provided. Consider broadcasting and journalism where reports about newsworthy
events (the crosshair) are provided by different agents (the dots), the need for accuracy
and precision is no less important here than in scientific work, don’t you think?
As stated before, a displacement or disturbance is necessary to create a vibration
about a reference or equilibrium point, the material or medium in which the vibration
takes place must exhibit the property of restoring the initial undisturbed condition
after a period of time. When the movement is repeated (away from equilibrium and
returning to it) an oscillation results. Whenever the oscillation takes place during a
fixed amount of time, it will be called periodic (a term that will be explained in detail
in the following chapter). A special case of periodic motion is described by Hooke’s
Law, discovered by Robert Hooke in the seventeenth century. It occurs in situations
where the force acting on an object is proportional to the position of the object
relative to some equilibrium position (like the motion of a mass attached to a spring
or a pendulum). The proportion or relationship between the force and the displace-
ment requires that the force be always directed toward the equilibrium position, in
which case the motion is called simple harmonic motion, and that the quantitative
variation between them be linear. This way the graph representing the motion looks
like a straight line.
A fundamental idea in the study of all wave phenomena, Hooke’s Law can be
introduced in either of two ways: (1) horizontally—as a mass m attached to a spring,
the mass being free to move (provided it rests on a frictionless surface), and (2)
vertically—as a mass m suspended from a spring, as illustrated in Fig. 1.4. In both

Fig. 1.4 Horizontal (a) and vertical (b) representations of a spring being elongated due to a force
on the attached mass. Either representation can be used to introduce Hooke’s Law, although (a) is
typically chosen with the proviso that the surface on which the mass lies is frictionless
Theoretical Background 9

situations the spring could initially be un-stretched, in (a) the mass could still be
attached, but the mass shown suspended from the spring in (b) couldn’t be there. We
could still show equilibrium in (b), such that the force that causes the elongation
(gravity) can be incorporated into another expression (gravity minus the spring
force) that also represents the spring being at rest. Nevertheless, in both cases the
relationship expressed as Hooke’s Law can be represented by the spring experienc-
ing a force that according to Newton’s third law of motion (action–reaction) leads
to the spring reacting to it by moving back to equilibrium.
Choosing (a), when the spring is neither stretched nor compressed, the mass-
spring system is at the equilibrium position, meaning that x = 0. Such a system will
oscillate back and forth if disturbed from its equilibrium position.
When stretched or compressed by a force of magnitude F, Hooke’s Law states
that the spring will react with a force Fs = −k x. Fs is the magnitude of the restoring
(spring) force, being always directed toward the equilibrium position. Therefore, it
is always opposite to the displacement from equilibrium, hence the negative sign in
the equation; k is the spring constant and x is the displacement.

Clarification
You may have noticed the use of terms that you might not be familiar with,
such as “magnitude” and “displacement” in the last paragraph. There is a
term in physics that is useful in describing quantities representing properties
of nature that need two things to be properly defined. It is called a vector,
and it requires a magnitude (a number with units or dimensions), as well as
a direction. An example would be the motion of a football player that upon
catching the ball and running into an opposing player is pushed back before
stopping. The total distance the player covered would not take into account
which way he moved; however, the gain would need to include both dis-
tance and direction, since it is a vector (in this case it is the displacement).
One can see that in terms of the game there is more information contained
in knowing the gain, as opposed to simply knowing how much distance he
covered. Another example would be an airline pilot on approach being
given information by the control tower; it is more useful to know what dis-
tance, as well as what heading or direction the plane is on, than just knowing
how far away it is.
Forces are examples of vectors, hence the need to specify the amount of
force (the magnitude) as well as its direction in the case of Hooke’s Law.

It is extremely important to distinguish between F, the force that causes the initial
disturbance, and Fs the elastic or restoring force, since the latter is the one that
describes the behavior of the spring.
There is an interesting historical context in which Hooke made his discovery.
Anagrams (a type of riddle to publicly claim priority in a discovery, while preventing
anyone else from knowing what it was) were popular in Hooke’s time. As Galileo
10 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

had done some 60 years earlier when he discovered the rings of Saturn (actually he
couldn’t make out the rings with his telescope, but cleverly used an anagram describ-
ing them as giant ears around the planet), Hooke published his anagram in 1676 as
ceiiinosssttuv. The arrangement of the letters in Latin was revealed by him 2 years
later as “ut tensio sic vis” which translates into English as “as the extension, so the
force” [1] which has come to be known as Hooke’s Law, in symbolic form F = −kx.

Exploratory Task
Determining the accuracy and precision of predictions and measure-
ments with a set of springs.
Investigating the properties of springs allows one to apply Hooke’s Law to
obtain the values of unknown masses from the graphical relationship estab-
lished between the forces of known masses and the elongations of various
springs. An online simulation can be used (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.
php).
Choose the mass-spring lab from the available choices, make sure the
screen looks just like the figure below.

(I) The springs are identical (they have the same value of k), and they
stretch different amounts from the equilibrium position (the dashed line) due
to the different masses.
• Note the vertical displacements on the springs (after you attach the masses
the springs pull back, but they don’t return to the equilibrium position).
Record the displacements in the table that follows. Make sure to divide the

(continued)
Theoretical Background 11

value by 100 to convert the cm to meters. For each mass, convert it to Kg

by dividing the mass in grams by 1000, and then multiply the value by
9.8 m/sec2 to obtain the force acting on the mass. Record each force on the
same table. Then remove the known masses and replace each one with its
equivalent size (the 50 g one with the smallest one, the 100 g with the
middle one, and the 250 g with the largest one).
• Record each displacement of these unknown masses ( ), ( ), ( ).
• Based on the vertical displacement, and comparing it to that with the clos-
est known mass, can you predict the value of each unknown mass?
M1 (the smallest) ________
M2 (the medium sized) _________
M3 (the largest) _________
(II) Now plot the data obtained from each of the known masses and the
vertical elongation (the displacement) of the particular spring it is attached
to. The force (the product of each mass in kg and the local gravitational
constant, g = 9.8 m/s2) along the vertical axis and the displacement along the
horizontal one.
Object Mass Force Displacement

(Kg) (mass x 9.8 m/sec2) (meters)

M1

M2

M3

Draw the “best fit” line (a line that connects the dots) and determine its slope.

Difference between the larger and the smaller of any two of the three foorces
Difference between the larger and the smaller of any two of thee three displacements
12 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

This represents k the spring constant.

• Locate each displacement from those recorded in part (I) for the unknown
masses on the graph on the horizontal axis; draw a line from each point to
the best fit line, and then from the best fit line to the vertical axis to determine
the value of the force for each point.
• Finally divide each value of the force by 9.8 m/s2 to determine the mass
corresponding to each point. This will yield the corresponding mass in Kg,
which needs to be multiplied by 1000 to convert it back to grams. How do
they compare to your predicted values in part (I)?
(III) Reflection
The springs in this simulation can be used over and over and they will not
change since this is a virtual setting; however, in a real setting actual springs
will change with repeated use.
a) How will such use affect the springs?
b) What property of the springs used in this simulation will show the change,
and in what way?
Exercises
Using the same simulation as in the task above.
1. What happens to spring 3 when you change its softness to “soft” and then
to “hard,”, and then attach each of the masses to it?
2. Using the softness of spring 3 back in the middle of the range, predict what
will happen to it when the 50, 100, and 250 g masses are attached to it, if
you choose to do the experiment on the Moon.
Prediction ________________________________________________
______________
Now choose “Moon” from the choices in the lower right-hand side of
the simulation and test your prediction. How did you do?
3. Change the friction rider to the middle of the scale (and back on Earth),
and describe what happens to all the springs as each mass is attached to it.

There are many applications to other phenomena that are based on the consideration
of what happens to a spring when it moves repeatedly back and forth after a mass
has been attached to it. They are examples of the usefulness of Hooke’s Law in
describing the behavior of a spring, or an object moving in a similar manner
(describing simple harmonic motion). The mathematical description of its motion
forms the basis for the treatment of periodic motion (the back-and-forth or up-and-down
motion repeats and oscillations result).
Let’s use two examples to illustrate the usefulness of modeling situations or
interactions that are essentially invisible, where the details are beyond the level of
perception.
Theoretical Background 13

(1) We can visualize the concept of a field as a collection of points in space where
an object experiences an effect (depending on the type of field) due to the action
resulting from imagined springs that stretch or compress depending on where
the object is. Figure 1.5 illustrates such a model.
(2) We can also visualize the microscopic behavior of matter by imagining the
molecules that constitute material objects as being attached to each other with
springs. Of course other models of matter have been historically used, and are
currently modified such as the planetary one. However, for purposes of interac-
tions and behavior under different conditions such as phases (solid, liquid, and
gaseous), the overall dependence of states of matter on temperature can be
effectively understood with a spring model. Figure 1.6 illustrates how this can
be accomplished.
To summarize this chapter we discuss the ways in which the speed of the two
waves this text concerns itself with has been determined. They are based on the
same relationship that we already introduced in the discussion of the propagation of

Fig. 1.5 Representation of a field and its effect on an object as a region of space filled with springs
that stretch (the length of the arrows) depending on where the object is. The presence of a single
object is represented in (a), that of two objects in (b), and that of several in (c)

Fig. 1.6 Representation of a model of molecular structure using as a basis the cube in (a) that
contains a molecule or an atom at each corner attached to other molecules or atoms with springs.
In (b) the substance is meant to be a solid (ice) at −116 °C, in (c) it is meant to be a liquid (water)
at 55 °C, and in (d) it is meant to be a gas (steam) at 536 °C. Using the spring model, what do you
notice about the arrangement of the molecules that is different in each case?
14 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

signals through the human body. The relationship is expressed by the ratio of the
given distance traveled by the waves and the time taken. Interestingly, both attempts
to determine the speed of light and of sound initially took place in the seventeenth
century [2].
In the case of light, the earliest known attempt was that of Galileo Galilei, who
attempted to measure the distance between two locations (the top of mountains),
and the time that it took for two lanterns to be covered during the night. As he found
out, the time taken for light to travel the distance between the mountains could not
be measured, as the covering of the lanterns seemed instantaneous. It became appar-
ent that much longer distances were needed given such believed large speed for
light. The first determination was provided later in the century by the Danish astron-
omer Olaf Roemer who observed the eclipses of one of Jupiter’s moons (inciden-
tally discovered by Galileo). Roemer determined a discrepancy in the time between
the eclipses, increasing when the Earth was moving away from Jupiter and decreas-
ing when the Earth was approaching. He correctly surmised that if the speed of light
was infinitely fast, there should be no difference between the measured times for the
eclipses’ duration.
In Fig. 1.7 the lower left-hand side shows the orbit of the earth around the sun;
the larger circle represents the orbit of Jupiter with the small circle being the orbit
of one of Jupiter’s moons, Io. In (a) when the moon has just gotten behind the
shadow of Jupiter, its eclipse begins. The time ∆t1 that it takes the moon to emerge
from Jupiter’s shadow is measured when the Earth is at a distance D1 from Jupiter
(J1). In (b) the Earth has now moved on its orbit around the sun to D2, and the time
∆t2 for the eclipse has now increased. Roemer reasoned that if light had an infinite
speed, there should be no time difference between an eclipse observed at (a) and at
(b). In other words, it wouldn’t have mattered where the earth was in its orbit in
either case, ∆t1 should be equal to ∆t2. But they aren’t.

Fig. 1.7 The figure shows the time difference in the measurement of the length of the eclipse of
one of Jupiter’s moons, Io. In (a) the Earth is closest to the planet, and in (b) the earth has now
moved on its orbit around the sun. The diagram is not to scale
Theoretical Background 15

Roemer’s value, the first for the speed of light, was off due to imprecisions in the
time measurement and the fact that the Earth’s distance from the sun wasn’t accu-
rately known. However, further improvements in the determination of both quanti-
ties have led to a very precise measurement of the speed of light. It is currently taken
to be roughly 300,000 km/s or about 186,000 miles/s.
In the case of sound, Isaac Newton was the first to attempt to determine its speed
in the same century. The approach involved knowing the same two quantities, the
distance taken by sound to travel and be reflected by a wall as an echo, and the time
taken. Newton’s technique was further improved and with increasing knowledge of
the properties of air as an elastic medium or substance, it has come to be determined
based on air temperature. We use the following expression for the speed of sound,
taking into account that it isn’t a constant as that of light is taken to be.

V = ( 331 + 0.60T °C )m / s

where at room temperature (22–25 °C), the speed is roughly 345 m/s.

Virtual Experiment
A determination of the speed of sound can be performed online with a simula-
tion depicting a series of pulses from a loudspeaker. The distance each pulse
travels and the time it takes to travel the distance can be measured.
Using the figure below, how would you determine the speed of the sound
from the loudspeaker?
Go online at (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php); select “sound” from
the Physics simulations, make sure that your screen looks exactly like the
figure below.

(continued)
16 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Make sure to choose the Tab “Measure” and while the top rider on the
right-hand side doesn’t have to be the same number (195), the lower one
should be at the right end as shown.
The task is to start the timer when the end (the left edge) of one of the dark
bands passes through the zero (0) mark on the meter stick, and then to stop the
timer when the same end passes the 5 m mark (if the band is too faint by the
time it gets to 5, then choose 4 as the point to stop the timer).
Repeat five times and divide the distance you have chosen for the edge of
the dark band to travel by the average time obtained from the table below.
This will yield the speed of the sound produced by the loudspeaker.
Trial Time
1

Average

While you cannot determine what the effect of temperature is on the speed,
you may still compare your result to

V = ( 331 + 0.60 T° C )m / s

Assuming room temperature (≈22 °C)

V=
What were the most challenging parts to deal with in performing the
simulation?

We shall use V as the symbol for both speed and velocity in this book, disregarding
the fact that one is a scalar, and the other a vector.

Experimental Task: Determining the Speed of Sound

There have been many attempts to measure the speed of sound, beginning in the
seventeenth century and including efforts by Newton himself. He determined the
speed by producing a noise that traveled along a long corridor and upon reflecting
Experimental Task: Determining the Speed of Sound 17

Fig. 1.8 Experimental setup for the determination of the speed of sound inside a tube that is
closed at one end. The tube should be isolated to minimize vibrations that can contribute to the
signal produced at the microphone

from a wall was heard as an echo. The timing mechanism he used was a pendulum,
and the time taken for a trip of the pendulum was equated to the time taken by the
sound to travel down the corridor and back [3].
Newton’s result was inaccurate due to the timing mechanism, and the then
unknown dependence of the speed of sound on the temperature of the air.
We are able to perform Newton’s experiment in a modified way that allows for
much more accurate determinations of the values involved in the speed of sound.
The most significant one is the time measurement. By using a microphone one can
measure the time taken by a pulse to travel the length of a tube closed at one end,
as shown in Fig. 1.8.
This experiment version is a modification of the one developed by Vernier
Software and Technology, and available in their Physics with Vernier manual of
activities. The advantage of using it is that the file already has the settings for time
measurement arranged to be displayed in the most user-friendly way.
Our objective is to measure both the length of the tube (the distance in the formula)
and the time taken by the sound to travel this length, and then to use the formula

Distance = ( speed )( time ) to find the speed of sound.

As Fig. 1.8 shows the microphone needs to be held at the entrance to the tube; a
sharp sound is produced, either by snapping one’s fingers or clapping hands. Other
objects may be used, as long as the sound produced is sharp. The microphone signal
needs to be displayed by using an interface, such as Vernier’s LabQuest. An example
of the display is shown in Fig. 1.9.
18 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

4
Sound Pressure

0.00 0.01 0.02 0.03

Time (s)

Fig. 1.9 Sample graph obtained by snapping one’s finger at the position of the microphone; the
initial peaks represent the signal produced, and the next set of large amplitudes represents the
reflected signal picked up by the microphone

Table 1.1 Travel times for the

Trial Total travel time (s)
signal generated by snapping
one’s fingers at the position 1
where the microphone is 2
located. The time recorded in 3
each trial is that for the signal 4
to travel the length of the tube
5
and return to be picked up by
the microphone Average

The signal generated is reflected at the other (closed) end of the tube and is
shown as being also reflected inside other parts of the tube. The two largest sections,
beginning with the leftmost one represent the sound being recorded by the micro-
phone at the outset, and upon returning to it. The time difference between these
large sections is consistent with what one would expect for sound to travel the
length of the tube back and forth, to be picked up by the microphone.
Being that this time is the largest source of error in the experiment, it is advisable to
record it several times to find an average value. The data are recorded in Table 1.1.
We must divide the average time from the table by two, as it is the time taken by
sound to travel to the closed end of the tube, and back to the microphone.
We then measure the length of the tube and divide it by the time to get the
speed of sound.
The accepted speed of sound at atmospheric pressure and 0 °C is 331.5 m/s.
Determine the temperature of the room and use the following equation to calculate
the expected value of the speed.

V = ( 331 + 0.60 T° C )m / s

Compare this value with the experimentally obtained value from the tube data, and
determine the percent error.
Experimental Task: Determining the Speed of Sound 19

Write a report including the following sections.

1. Objective
2. Brief procedure
3. Data, calculations, and results
4. Reflections-Analysis and discussion of sources of error.

Tasks on Accuracy and Precision

Experimental Task
Introduction to Measurement (Accuracy and Precision)
The objectives are to introduce you to the concepts of accuracy, average,
and precision, and to allow you to see how measurement plays such an impor-
tant role in the determination of the values of those quantities considered
constant in nature. Additionally a discussion of the sources of error inherent
in every experiment that involves measurement will expose you to the reali-
ties of scientific work where all measurements involve uncertainty and the
means to minimize it.
Part I
• You will measure and record (Table I) the circumference and the diameter
of several circular objects (see figure below).
• You will plot the data and determine the slope of the line; a determination
of the class average (Table II) of this value will enable you, upon discus-
sion, to understand the process involved in arriving at the accepted (stan-
dard) value of the relationship between the circumference and the diameter
of any circular object.
Question: What do you think this relationship represents?

(1) Wrap the string around the circular object and determine its exact length (the
circumference); then extend the string and measure its length with a ruler.
(2) Measure the diameter of the object with the ruler. Record the values in the
table below.

(continued)
20 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

Table I Values of diameter and circumference

Object Diameter (cm) Circumference (cm)

Table II Values of the slopes and their uncertainties (uncertainty = [average

- each value]. All uncertainties are written as positive values)
Slope Uncertainty Slope Uncertainty

Average Precision

( Precision = average uncertainty) Accuracy: % Accuracy: % Precision:

(continued)
Experimental Task: Determining the Speed of Sound 21

Reflections on the results (use accuracy, precision, and whatever you

consider sources of error in the measurements as part of your comments):

Time (seconds) Temperature (°°) Temperature (°)

Analog Digital
Thermometer Thermometer
0

10
20

30
40

50

60
70

80
90

100

110
120

Part II. MEASUREMENT OF TEMPERATURE

Determine the temperature reading of the thermometer before placing in
the palm of your hand and grasping it. As you hold it record the temperature
every 10 s. Fill in the table below and then graph the results. The time will be
the independent variable, and the temperature the dependent variable.
Determine from the graph the maximum temperature (the point where the
readings stabilize).
Question: Do you expect the relationship between hand temperature
change and time to resemble the graph of circumference and diameter for a
circular object?

(continued)
 Maximum Temperatures = (Analog) (Digital)
Now fill in the table with the temperature maxima obtained by all members
of the class. Note: if you only have access to either type of thermometer,
the data can be collected and one of the columns is enough to display the
relationship.
Analog Digital

Temperature (°°) Uncertainty (°°) Temperature (°°) Uncertainty (°°)

Average Precision Average Precision

(continued)
 Analog results
Accuracy % Accuracy % Precision:
Digital results
Accuracy % Accuracy % Precision:
Part III. MEASUREMENT OF HEART RATE
Fill in the table with your average heart rate; determine the number of heart
beats in 1 min, do it three times, and then average the result. If the values are fairly
constant, three times is probably enough, otherwise do it a couple of more times.
Heart Rate (#) Uncertainty (#) Heart Rate (#) Uncertainty (#)

Average Heart Rate Average Uncertainty (Precision)

Accuracy: % Accuracy: % Precision:

Reflections on the results:

ACCURACY AND PRECISION IN WORKS OF ART

(Examples from Diego de Velazquez)
1-La Rendicion de Breda (The surrender of Breda).

(continued)
24 1 Introduction to Wave Phenomena

2-Don Juan de Pareja

(Wikimedia Commons)
Suppose the Hue (the most dominant color)—a property to distinguish one
color from another is measured for several reproductions of the paintings
above. The degree of consistency between the reproductions can be an indication
of precision, whereas how faithfully the reproductions copy the original can
be an indication of accuracy.

References

1. French, A. P. (1971). Newtonian Mechanics, Norton, p.227.

2. ‘Asimov's Guide to Science,’ Isaac Asimov, Basic Books, Inc., (1972), pp. 342–347.
3. There are many reports and presentations about the historical background of Newton’s mea-
surement; among the best is a demonstration in the classic physics series “The mechanical
Universe” available online.
Chapter 2
General Characteristics of Waves

As stated in the previous chapter, the advantage provided by an understanding of

wave motion in describing apparently unrelated phenomena lies in the fact that all
waves share the same properties and follow the same rules. While a detailed analy-
sis of wave motion involving the mathematical description and representation of its
properties requires a certain level of mathematical proficiency, many if not most
of the characteristics of waves necessary for a thorough understanding of wave
phenomena can be acquired without extensive mathematical manipulation.

Activities Designed to Elicit Prior Knowledge

Consider the following situations (in all likelihood you have an idea about
each one, but all will be better understood once you become familiar with
the properties of waves):
1. Go online at (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php); select “sound” from the
Physics simulations, make sure that your screen looks exactly like the fig-
ure below. The Tab selected is “Listen with Varying Air Pressure.” Once
you hit the Play button you will hear a sound, before you click on the box
that says “Remove Air from Box” can you predict what is going to happen
to the sound? Make your prediction and then follow the simulation.

(continued)

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 25

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_2
26 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Describe what happens and provide an explanation for it; how does the
outcome compare to your prediction?
2. Suppose you and a friend are talking alongside a building as you move
away from each other and at some point one of you turns a corner of the
building as you continue to talk. Why can’t you see each other but can still
hear one another?
3. If you look at the full moon as it appears above the horizon, does it look
different if you look at it standing and staring directly at it, and if you look
at it after you turn around, bend over and look through your legs?
4. Why do native Americans in some movies put their heads to the ground to
hear whether a stampede is coming their way?
5. Is the public sufficiently aware of the potential dangers of cell phone radia-
tion? Why would anyone trying to make a phone call from a cell phone in
a rural area be exposed to more radiation than in an urban center?

(continued)
General Characteristics of Waves 27

The diagram on the left shows light striking the window of a room where there
is a plant on the windowsill. According to the diagram, waves of different
length strike the glass; what is happening in terms of the properties of these
waves and how does that affect the plant?

The easiest way to approach the study of waves is to begin with their most basic
component, a pulse. It is a single disturbance (like a push or a pull) to an object or a
collection of objects (a system) that causes a movement away from its initial loca-
tion, and to which it aims to return. This property of objects is best defined as a
“springing” back to the initial condition, and the disturbance either dispersing or
remaining intact as it propagates through the object or the system.

Exploratory Task
Does the speed of a pulse in a rope or a string depend on how much force is
applied to them by shaking the hand more vigorously?
ANSWER:
What are your reasons for the answer?
Now test your answer by using a simulation at http://phet.colorado.edu/
index.php.
Choose “Wave on a string” from the available choices. With the simulation
open, make sure it looks like the diagram below.

• Click as simultaneously as possible the Pulse and Play buttons and deter-
mine how long it takes for the disturbance (the pulse) to reach the ring at

(continued)
28 2 General Characteristics of Waves

the end. Stop the timer and record the value. Repeat for “Amplitude” (the
equivalent of the amount the hand is moved) values of 0.50 and 0.90.
• Now select “Amplitude” back to 0.20 and then change the tension to the
middle of the scale; repeat the measurement of the time. Finally, change
the tension to high and repeat once more, then fill in the table.

Amplitude Tension Timer Reading

(seconds)
.20 low

.50 low

.90 low

.20 middle

.20 high

What does the table suggest?

Fig. 2.1 Illustration of a pulse resulting from the motion of the hand that sends a disturbance
along a rope attached to a wall at the other end. The thin arrows represent the motion of the rope
components and the thick arrows represent the motion of the pulse. It is important to distinguish
the motion of the rope resulting from the initial disturbance caused by the hand movement, from
the direction of propagation of the pulse
General Characteristics of Waves 29

Figure 2.1 shows a rope through which a pulse propagates; the ability of points
on the rope to return to their initial position after the pulse has passed is a result of
the property described by Hooke’s Law.
There are many ways in which pulses can be created depending on the material
or medium through which they propagate; for now let’s concentrate on the proper-
ties of pulses as they move through a rope since these are common to other types.
A distinctive property of pulses is that they can go through one another as they
interfere. The use of the term interference is different in this context from that of
everyday language, where interference is used as an impediment or obstruction.
When pulses interfere they do not collide or bounce off each other as objects do
when they meet. Instead the various points displaced on the rope will reinforce or
diminish, comparable to adding or subtracting each other depending on their orien-
tation. This results from a property known as superposition. Additionally, when
reaching a boundary between the rope and another object (such as at the point on the
wall where the pulse in Fig. 2.1 ends), or between different types of ropes, the ori-
entation and height of the pulse may or may not change, depending on the properties
of the ropes (such as thickness, density) or the rigidness of the boundaries (whether
fixed or flexible).

Exercise
Based on the previous section, predict what happens to the pulses when they
meet at the origin by drawing the resulting shape of the rope at 0 for each of
the figures that follow.

(continued)
30 2 General Characteristics of Waves

In order to begin our discussion of wave characteristics, it is useful to provide a

simple example of someone attempting to transfer energy (in the form of heat and
sound) to a wall located at a certain distance.
When energy or other forms of information are to be transmitted through space,
this can be accomplished by either sending the energy as contained in an object, or
as contained in a pulse, or as a wave. These three cases are shown in Fig. 2.2.
One of the defining characteristics of a wave is that unlike a particle, it cannot exist
at a single position or location in space. The wave is instead spread out. In the example
the bowling ball and the rope represent material objects containing many particles.
However, the way they each transfer energy is very different.
In addition, particles carry matter from one place to another, but not waves. The
motion of the matter that constitutes or makes up the above wave (the mass of the
rope) will be in a direction other than the one the energy travels. The motion of the
matter components of a wave can be along certain directions, but it isn’t from where
the wave begins to where it ends.
Waves come in many forms and shapes but they all have similar characteristics,
which can help to develop a general understanding of their properties. Some exam-
ples of waves will be:
(1) A pebble that hits a still water surface, the resulting circular wave or distur-
bance spreads out in all directions from the point of impact. An object floating
on the disturbed water will move both vertically and horizontally about its orig-
inal position, but it is not displaced along the wave.
(2) A string that is plucked; the neighboring pieces on it pull on each other when a
displacement is transmitted along the string. All particles of the string will
move the same way as that caused by the initial disturbance, regardless of the
wave’s speed.
(3) A sound created by a falling object that hits the ground is also a wave that is
made up of regions of compression and expansion of the air.
Classifications 31

Fig. 2.2 Energy Transfer to a Wall—The top part shows a person throwing a ball against the wall
on the right; the energy transmitted to the wall will be where the ball is at the three locations shown.
The middle part shows a single pulse being created and sent through a rope to the wall; the energy
in this case will be contained in the pulse, but it will be spread throughout the length of the rope. The
bottom part shows that if the person instead shakes the rope several times and sends the energy to
the wall through the rope this way, more than one pulse is generated, and this constitutes a wave

(4) The reception of television and-or cable programs that result from electromag-
netic waves being broadcasted by specific providers or sources.

Classifications

There are two major ways to classify waves:

I.
(A) Mechanical waves—Some physical medium or material is disturbed. The wave
is the propagation of such a disturbance through the medium or material.
Examples are sound, water, earthquake waves, and waves in a rope or string.
(B) Electromagnetic waves—No physical medium or material is required for such
waves to propagate, although space-time can be considered as a medium. The
point is that electromagnetic waves can carry information without the need of
a material substance, as compared to every other type of wave. Examples are
light, radio waves, and X-rays.
Both examples are shown in Fig. 2.3.
32 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Fig. 2.3 (a) Mechanical wave—the ripples make up the wave that propagates in all directions. (b)
Electromagnetic wave—the arrows represent the oscillations of the electric and magnetic fields

Fig. 2.4 (a) Transverse wave. (b) Longitudinal wave; the longitudinal requires further elaboration
since the first part shows a loudspeaker emitting the sound while the second part shows the detailed
motion of the air. In both (a) and (b) the solid arrows represent the motion of the components of
the wave, and the dashed ones represent the direction of propagation of the wave

II.
(A) Transverse waves—Those where the particles or wave components oscillate at
right angles or perpendicular to the way the wave travels. Examples are elec-
tromagnetic waves, secondary/shear (s-earthquake waves), and the wave
shown in Fig. 2.2.
(B) Longitudinal waves—Those where the particles or wave components oscillate
along the direction the wave travels. Examples are sound waves,
primary/compressional (p-earthquake waves), and those produced by com-
pressing or stretching a slinky.
Both examples are shown in Fig. 2.4.

Exercise
Imagine yourself in traffic along a highway and try to visualize how the
motion of the vehicles can be represented by a wave. Since there are areas of
congestion and expansion in terms of the space between vehicles as they
move, it would be decidedly dangerous to drive in such a way that one of the
two types of waves in Fig. 2.4 could be approximately represented by some-
one weaving in and out of lanes. However, the other type of wave invariably
results as traffic flow varies. In what ways is the motion of the vehicles similar
to that type of wave, and in what ways is it significantly different?
Classifications 33

There are some types of waves that consist of a combination of transverse and
longitudinal motion, such as surface water waves, where the motions of the water
particles or wave components can be visualized as being circular, as seen in Fig. 2.5.
A generic drawing can be used to introduce the main properties of a wave. The
diagrams are similar to facilitate the comparison between the determination of the
wave’s length and the time it takes to complete a cycle. Note that the units for the
horizontal axes are different as the labels indicate, while those for the vertical axes
are identical. The use of the term displacement is meant to emphasize that the motion
of the particles that make up the wave is in a defined direction from the equilibrium
position, represented by the horizontal dashed line. The range is from 0 to 10 up or
along the positive direction, and down or along the negative one, as shown in Fig. 2.6.

Fig. 2.5 A complex wave that represents the familiar undulation of water waves; as one follows
the sequence from 1 to 9 each point moves on a circle as indicated by the small arrows, but the
collective motion is as indicated by the dashed arrow

Fig. 2.6 Two representations of a wave’s characteristics; both parts have the same numerical val-
ues for the axes to simplify the way that a complete cycle or wave can be understood in terms of
the wave’s length, and how long it takes to complete a cycle
34 2 General Characteristics of Waves

(1) The Amplitude of the wave is the maximum displacement from equilibrium, in
both cases ±5.
(2) The wavelength (λ) from the first diagram is the distance between correspond-
ing points on the wave, in this case 4 cm.
(3) The Period (T) from the second diagram is the time for the wave or cycle to
repeat itself, in this case 4 s.
(4) The frequency (ƒ) from the second diagram is the number of cycles or waves per
unit time passing a given point. Since the basic unit of time is the second, we
see that in this case there are two and a half waves or cycles represented over a
2.5
period of 10 s, so = 0.25 Hz. The Hertz (Hz) is the standard unit of fre-
10 s
quency and it denotes one cycle or wave per second.
At this point we can see that the period and the frequency are inversely
1
related, which is generally expressed as T = .
ƒ
(5) The speed or velocity, both terms will be used interchangeably in this book and
denoted by the same symbol v. Since the general definition of speed is the
D
change in distance over time we can write v = and since the change in dis-
t l
tance is the wavelength, and the time is the period, we can write v = Using
1 T
T= v = λ ƒ.
ƒ
Either highlighted equation can be used to find the wave’s speed.
It can be seen from the figures above that a wave with larger wavelength will
also take longer to complete a cycle, thus having a greater period, and a smaller
frequency. On the other hand, very short waves have correspondingly small
periods and large frequencies.
(6) The Energy of a wave will depend on different wave properties. For mechanical
waves (regardless of whether they are transverse or longitudinal) the energy
depends on their Amplitude, and for electromagnetic waves it depends on their
frequency.
The need for clarity and specificity when using terminology to describe properties
of waves cannot be over emphasized. Consider the use of the term “quickness”
when referring to the motion of objects; if you are talking about waves you may
say that a wave travels quickly and also say that waves are arriving quickly at a
point. You are using the same term but you are referring to different properties of
waves. The first one is indeed a measure of a wave’s speed, but the second is a
measure of a wave’s frequency.
Classifications 35

Exploratory Task

Simple Harmonic Motion using a Pendulum

A pendulum is a convenient device to demonstrate the principles of simple
harmonic motion, and the various wave properties introduced above. Its back-
and-forth movement can be represented as a wave, where the position of the
mass at the end of the pendulum changes from a reference point.
(A) Virtual Part Using the PhET pendulum simulation software (at
http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php), choose a given
length and mass for the pendulum. Run the simulation
for a small angle (the Amplitude of the oscillations)
about 10°. Let the pendulum complete ten (10) complete
oscillations (an example of an oscillation is given below).

A complete trip or oscillation of the pendulum is the time taken such that if
released from B, the pendulum must return to B.
Record the time for the ten oscillations by using the
stopwatch, and then divide that time by 10 to obtain the
period (T) of the pendulum’s motion.
(B) Laboratory Part Since an oscillating pendulum describes simple
harmonic motion, we can use a motion detector or a mobile device with an
App to describe the pendulum’s motion, and thus determine the period
from the graph.

(continued)
36 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Use Phone as
Motion Detector

Motion Detector

Choose the same mass and length as you did in the simulation, using an
Amplitude of about 10° release the pendulum and collect data with the
phone in the position of the motion detector. Capture the motion as a graph
and determine the period from the graph by dividing the total time of
motion by the number of peaks.
Determine the % error between the period from the simulation and your
experimentally determined one above.

T simulation - T experiment
%error = ´ 100
T simulation

%error = 

Discuss your results by pointing out the likely reasons for your calculated
errors.

Exercises
1. (A) What letters can be used to represent the Amplitude of the waves
shown in Fig. 2.6?
(B) Corresponding points for the wavelength and the period are sets of
two numbers. Besides (0–4) cm, what other sets can be used?
(C) What is the speed of the above waves?
2. Describe the wave shown below in terms of the property that is changing

(continued)
Classifications 37

3. In all diagrams the dashed line represents the equilibrium position

(continued)
38 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Rank the above 5 waves from highest to lowest in terms of:

(A) Frequency
(B) Amplitude
(C) How do (d) and (e) differ from the others?
(D) How does (e) differ from (d)?
(*) Note—Use Amplitude and Frequency in (C) and (D).

(continued)
Classifications 39

Exercise
Compare the three situations shown below; in each case the spring has been mov-
ing back and forth after a force set it in motion. Assume that K1 and K2 are equal,
K3 is larger than both of them, and X1 and X3 are equal, but X2 is shorter than them.
Match the graph shown on the right column with the appropriate diagram
shown on the left one.

HINT: The displacement of the spring is equivalent to the Amplitude of the

wave, and the greater the value of K the stiffer the spring is and so the lower
will be the frequency of the wave.

(continued)
40 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Exploratory Task
Does the speed of a wave in a rope or a string depend on how fast the oscilla-
tions are created?
ANSWER:
What are your reasons for the answer?
Now test your answer by using a simulation at http://phet.colorado.edu/
index.php.
Choose “Wave on a string” from the available choices. With the simulation
open, make sure it looks like the diagram below.

The horizontal ruler can be moved to determine the wavelength, while the
vertical one stays put.
• Click as simultaneously as possible the Oscillate and Play/Start buttons
and determine how long it takes for the wave to reach the ring at the end.
Stop the timer and record the value. Determine the wavelength by placing
the horizontal ruler so that it measures the distance between peaks. Repeat
for “Frequency” (the equivalent of how fast the oscillations are set up)
values of 2.0 and 3.0.
• Now select “Frequency” back to 1.0 and then change the tension to the
middle of the scale; repeat the measurement of the time. Finally, change
the tension to high and repeat once more, then fill in the table.

(continued)
Classifications 41

(*) The speed can be calculated by multiplying the wavelength by the fre-
quency (v = λ ƒ)

Frequency Tension Timer Reading Wavelength (*) Speed

(Hertz) (seconds) (centimeters) (cm/sec)
1.0 low

2.0 low

3.0 low

1.0 middle

1.0 high

1 What does the table suggest for

(a) The time taken for the waves to travel?
(b) The speed of the waves?
2 (a) What did you notice about the wavelengths as you made the changes?
(b) Can you offer reasons for the answer in a)?

Other properties of the material components determine the speed of a wave. In

the case of a rope or string their tension and thickness have effects such that a
greater tension results in higher wave speed, and greater mass per unit length (thick-
ness) yields a lower speed. In the case of sound, the temperature of the medium
through which the sound propagates and its density have similar effects on the
speed of sound. However, once these properties are fixed or maintained so that they
are constant, as waves are generated and propagate, the above list of six (6) properties
is sufficient to account for the properties of wave motion.
42 2 General Characteristics of Waves

The speed of a wave determines how quickly the particles or components of

the wave execute the motion caused by the source of the wave. However, the
speed resulting from the motion of the components isn’t the same as the wave’s
speed. In the stadium example from the previous chapter, how quickly you rise
or lean against your neighbor will not affect how quickly the created pulse or
wave moves through the stands. If anything, the faster your motion in either
case the greater the frequency of the wave since it would take you a shorter
amount of time to complete your motion. Of course, the wavelength will also
change accordingly, as shown by the preceding simulation. We ought to clarify
that in this case, a person’s motion can be considered as both the source of the
waves and the material through which they travel. As a wave of this type travels
around the stadium if some people begin to move differently, this will of course
lead to the generation of a new wave.

Application to Light

The speed of light as well as all electromagnetic waves has an interesting and unique
property that can be seen from the entire spectrum in Fig. 2.7, it is constant.

Activity
If you draw a vertical line that connects the horizontal wavelength and fre-
quency lines (a dashed one is drawn going through the FM radio tower)
regardless of where in the spectrum you do this, you will find the same thing.
Namely, if you approximate the value between the numbers along the wave-
length (they all vary from 1 to 10) and multiply it by the value of the fre-
meters
quency (remember v = λ ƒ), you will get 300,000,000 or 3.0 × 108
meters second
as we shall see later in the chapter, when multiplying numbers in
second
scientific notation one adds the powers or exponents. In the case of the dashed
line, the wavelength is approximately 3 m, and the frequency is approximately
waves meters
108 , so their multiplication yields the value of 3.0 × 108 .
second second
This highlights the fact that all electromagnetic waves have the same
speed.
Application to Light 43

Fig. 2.7 The electromagnetic spectrum (credit Argonne National Laboratory)—The diagram
shows the visible part as well as those other regions that are invisible to us

Another interesting characteristic of regarding electromagnetic waves as radia-

tion is that they take many forms or types, from heat to highly penetrating X-rays
and gamma rays, the shortest waves in the spectrum. Additionally, all objects radi-
ate energy depending on their temperature, and this energy can be distributed across
different parts of the spectrum. Figure 2.8 illustrates how various objects can emit
different forms of radiation.
Figure 2.8 shows the curve displayed by all the radiation emitted by an object,
also known as the blackbody radiation curve. The temperature of the thermometer
is shown in absolute or degrees Kelvin (100 °C ≈ 373 K). In part (a) the radiation is
that emitted by the sun at 5778 K, where the curve peaks in the yellow part of the
visible spectrum, where the sun radiates the most energy. The three letters (B, G,
and R) that stand for the primary colors Blue, Green, and Red are shown next to the
white symbol indicating that the entire spectrum is visible. The curve also hovers
over regions with wavelengths shorter than 0.4 μm (the ultraviolet) and longer than
0.7 μm (the infrared), indicating that the sun also radiates in those invisible parts of
the spectrum beyond the visible range.
In part (b) the radiation emitted by a campfire at 1500 K shows the curve peaking
at around 2 μm way beyond the visible range, although there is a tiny amount under
the curve towards the red end of the visible range, as indicated by the Red letter
being the only one highlighted above the curve. This means that a campfire releases
energy that is overwhelmingly along the infrared and longer regions of the spec-
trum, with very little being visible.
Finally in part (c) the radiation emitted by mammals at room temperature around
300 K is shown peaking at 10 μm and being completely outside the visible region
of the spectrum. The curve only begins to deviate from zero intensity at about 4 μm,
and the line representing the visible region is shown all the way on the left of the
44 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Fig. 2.8 (a) Radiation emitted by the Sun, with an approximate temperature of 5778 K in absolute
units. The radiation or amount of energy emitted peaks in the yellow of the visible part of the
spectrum, but there is also radiation in the ultraviolet part (shorter wavelengths), as well as in the
infrared part (the longer wavelengths). (b) Radiation emitted by a campfire at around 1500 K, the
radiation peaks beyond the visible part of the spectrum (in the infrared). There is very little radia-
tion in the visible part, with most radiation in the infrared or heat part of the spectrum.
Application to Sound 45

Fig. 2.8 (continued) (c) Radiation emitted by mammals at around 300 K, which is roughly room
temperature. This illustrates that particularly in the dark, most of the radiation we emit is in the
infrared part, which makes us invisible unless light reflects off our bodies

graph. The figure explains why we are invisible in total darkness (none of the letters
above the curve are highlighted), although we radiate quite a lot of energy in the
infrared region.

Exercise
Use Fig. 2.8a to explain why you shouldn’t look at the sun without eye protec-
tion during a total eclipse when the disk will be blocked and no visible radia-
tion gets to your eyes.

Application to Sound

Figure 2.9 shows the most commonly used representation of a wave; although as
introduced in the second type of wave classification, longitudinal waves are the
result of motions different from the ones that the figure represents.
Figure 2.10 represents the vibrations produced by a tuning fork where the sur-
rounding air turns into alternating bands of compression and expansion. The dark
bands correspond to light dashed arrows denoting maximum Amplitude of the wave
representation, and the bright bands correspond to black dashed arrows indicating
46 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Fig. 2.9 A sine wave (where the oscillations begin with zero Amplitude at the beginning) is com-
monly used to represent oscillatory motion. The highest and lowest points represent the Amplitude,
and the middle (dashed line) represents the points where the oscillations return to the equilibrium/
initial position

Fig. 2.10 The figure is a representation of a longitudinal wave resulting from the motion of a tun-
ing fork. Once struck, its vibrations set the surrounding air in motion and there are regions where
the air is compressed (the dark bands), as well as regions where the air expands (the bright bands
in between). The sine curve underneath represents the alternative progression of the movements,
indicating that as the vibrations spread out they lose energy

minimum values on the wave. Notice how the loss of energy is shown by the decreasing
intensity of the bands corresponding to decreasing Amplitude of the wave.
The representation of longitudinal waves, particularly sound, requires more
detailed explanation since these differ from transverse waves. With transverse
waves, the motion of the components and their representation in terms of the list of
five properties above are similar. However, in the case of sound the oscillations of
the air and their properties are different from the way waves were represented
above. Figure 2.11 is an attempt to clarify these differences.
Application to Sound 47

Fig. 2.11 An expanded view of the air motions when sound waves propagate through it. The
darker regions represent compression and the lighter ones represent expansion or rarefaction. Two
graphs are used to indicate the variations in pressure and displacement or movement of the air. ±
Pm and ±Sm represent the points of maximum value for both pressure and air movement. Note that
when the air movement is greatest (bottom graph), the air pressure is zero (top graph). Additionally,
as the air movement is in both directions they give rise to the compression and expansion; by con-
trast the pressure variation is from zero to a maximum value, even if shown as both positive and
negative maxima

In general, the compression and rarefaction of longitudinal waves occur at the

locations where the medium displacement is zero, as can be seen from the graphs
above. Therefore, we should be able to correlate the actual air motions and lack
thereof, as well as the variations in air pressure to the wavelike representation,
which looks like that of a transverse wave as well. The main difference is that while
the wavelength can be obtained from the figure by using either the dotted double
arrow for pressure, or the slashed double arrow for air displacement, the Amplitude
would have to be indicated differently than what the two graphs show. A larger
Amplitude would consist of more dots (darker) in the regions of compression, and
fewer ones (lighter) in the regions of expansion or rarefaction, as shown in Fig. 2.12.
48 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Fig. 2.12 A sound wave produced by the loudspeaker on the left of each diagram can be shown to
have a given frequency and wavelength, and yet look different since the Amplitude changes. Note
that the left diagram shows a fainter set of wave fronts as compared to the right one where they are
darker and brighter, respectively, due to the wave having a larger Amplitude

There are many other situations where phenomena can be described in terms of
wave-like properties. One of the more common ones is the motion of a simple
pendulum where its back-and-forth movement has such characteristics that they can
be described with the properties listed above. The motions of buildings and bridges,
of the ground in seismic, and of the air in weather-related events can also be under-
stood in terms of wave characteristics.
A structure like a bridge or a building can move in complicated ways, but its overall
motion can often be described as that of an object obeying the rules of simple waves,
with given properties like those described in this chapter. For example, the period (T)
for a 10-story building is approximately 1/2 s. For the World Trade Center [1350 ft
high] it was approximately 10 s, and the Amplitude of its oscillations (if you can believe
that a structure like that would sway back and forth!) was about 3 ft at the top.
Information like that can be very useful for analyzing and understanding their behavior,
particularly when they vibrate under the effect of winds, and earthquake waves.

Exercise
There are instances of people feeling sick in workplaces where machinery
generate waves of frequencies that can interact with the body’s internal func-
tions. In the case of a building that oscillates back and forth when acted by
external vibrations and waves such as high winds:
(A) Where would people feel the greatest effect of its swaying back and forth
like a pendulum, at the lower or higher floors?
(B) What property of a wave would that motion represent?
(C) How comfortable would you feel living in a skyscraper knowing that in order to
prevent the building from swaying too much under the effects of strong winds,
an 800 ton weight is used in a special room near the top of the building?
(D) In order to further explore the above situation read the article “Height
Meets Heft” (The New York Times, Real Estate section. Sunday August
9, 2015). What concepts from your understanding of waves do you find
discussed in the article?
Application to Sound 49

The last paragraph illustrates examples of a phenomenon particular to waves

known as resonance. Objects that experience vibrations can oscillate with a variety
of frequencies; however, they tend to have a dominant or resonant frequency that
depends on a number of factors, such as their length, thickness, and other properties
like their structural composition. Whenever an object is set in motion by a force that
repeats its effect on the object periodically, if the frequency with which the force
changes matches the resonant frequency of the object, the Amplitude, and conse-
quently the energy of the oscillations will be at a maximum. Structures like build-
ings and bridges are protected by isolation points or damping features, from
vibrations caused by external forces that can result in the structures themselves
vibrating at their resonant frequencies.

Exploratory Task
The concept of resonance can be demonstrated by the use of the same simula-
tion that we used in previous tasks “Wave on a String” available at http://phet.
colorado.edu/index.php.
When a wave initially sent from the left (the rotating oscillator) reflects
from the Fixed End, we now have two waves interacting. With the simulation
open, make sure it looks like the diagram below.

• Click on Oscillate (after you select the required values for Amplitude,
Frequency, and Damping, as well as high tension, and Fixed End) and
observe the wave for 30 s. Stop the simulation and describe the situation.
• Choose “Loose End” and repeat, what do you observe?
• Finally change the Amplitude to 50, the Damping to 10, and go back to
“Fixed End”. Run the simulation and describe what you observe.
50 2 General Characteristics of Waves

The various characteristics and properties of waves introduced in this chapter

can be used to practice and familiarize ourselves more with some of the real-world
applications of concepts in light and sound. In terms of human perception there are
two sets of ranges for which phenomena are both audible and visible.
For sound the range of audible frequencies is roughly (20–20,000) Hz, and for
light the visible range is usually given in terms of wavelengths, roughly (400–
750) nm or (4.0–7.5) × 10−7 m. There are of course other waves beyond those
ranges, but they are not perceived by humans. These regions are respectively
known as the ultrasonic (greater than 20,000 Hz), infrasonic (less than 20 Hz) for
sound; correspondingly there is the ultraviolet (less than 4.0 × 10−7 m) and infra-
red (greater than 7.5 × 10−7 m) for light. The terminology doesn’t change for
sound, but it does for light due to the different colors perceived at both extremes
of the visible spectrum.
In general, ultra means “above the human perception range” and infra means
“below the human perception range.” Don’t be confused by the distinction between
the ranges for sound and light; the term ultra is used not only for very large sound
frequencies, but also for very short light wavelengths (which in turn correspond to
very large light frequencies). The same thing applies to the term infra when refer-
ring to very low values. This is an unfortunate result of the way the two ranges are
usually described, with one in terms of frequencies and the other in terms of wave-
lengths. Nevertheless, there should be no confusion if you understand the inverse
relationship between frequency and wavelength.

Experimental Task
Determine your heart rate or pulse (in beats per minute) by finding a place
where it is easiest to measure, such as on your neck or at the wrist. Once
found, count the number of beats in 1 min. What are:
(A) The period T (Hint: divide the number of beats by 60 s)
(B) The frequency ƒ
(C) What do you hear when your head lies on a pillow and you feel pressure
changes against your ear that repeat themselves?
Application to Sound 51

Activity
The following graphs represent the waves produced by the sound of a piano
and an organ.

(1) Can you predict from the graphs which instrument has a higher frequency
(pitch)? How?
(2) Determine the respective periods from each graph by dividing the total
time by the number of waves (remember to use corresponding points to
find the completed cycles or waves).
(3) Determine the respective frequencies from the periods.

Exploratory Task
Investigation of the frequency of vibrations and vibrating objects
(Using a microphone and an interface to display the frequencies of air
vibrations and those of a glass container).

(continued)
 Prediction: Draw a graph of what you think the relationship is between the
pitch (frequency) of vibrations and (a) changes in the length of the column of
air in a glass container as you blow across its top, (b) changes in the amount
of water poured into the container as you strike it with the eraser end of a
pencil or some other soft object.

(continued)
Application to Sound 53

NOTE: In both cases you may want to make the first observation when the
glass container is empty.
1. Air Vibrations
In the first part we investigate the vibrations produced by blowing across
an air column and determining the relationship between the length of the col-
umn and the frequency of the vibrations. Use a glass container and pour a
certain amount of water into it, blow across the top, and notice the pitch for
each amount of water added; for each amount of water added, what relation-
ship do you determine between the height of the air column and the pitch of
the sound produced when you blow across the top of the container?
Now repeat the activity, but use a microphone connected to the Lab Quest
interface to measure the frequency for several water levels. Repeat until you
get a “clean” display (the dominant frequency) on the Lab Quest screen. Fill
in the table and plot the relationship between the frequency and the air column
(remember to subtract the height of water from the top of the container to
determine the height).
To get the frequency you must first determine the period (T) of the signals
displayed on the Lab Quest/computer screen, then use ƒ = 1/T
NOTE: there should be around 10–11 peaks for a .03 s time range with an
empty 100 ml graduated cylinder.
 Water Air column Frequency
level height (Hz)
(cm) (cm)

What do you notice from the table that resembles what you observed when you
listened to the pitch as you added water to the glass bottle and blew across its top?
2. Glass Vibrations
In the second part we investigate the vibrations of a glass container by
varying the amount of water poured into it. For each trial pour an amount of
water into the container, strike it gently but sharply with the eraser end of the
pencil and notice the pitch, what do you observe between the pitch and the
changes in the amount of water?
Again, for each water level, strike the container with the rubber part—the
eraser end of the pencil or soft object and determine the frequency of the
vibrations with the microphone. Fill in the table and plot the data. (In this case
we don’t subtract the water level from the top of the container since the vibra-
tions are produced by the glass as it is filled with water.)
Water level Frequency
(cm) (Hz)

What do you notice from the table that resembles what you observed when
you listened to the pitch as you added water to the container?
Attach your graphs and a section where you compare the results of both
activities, along with a discussion of similarities and differences between
them. How do the graphs compare to your predicted ones?
Units 55

Scientific Notation

We use scientific notation to express very small and very large numbers; the idea is
to keep track of the location of the decimal place.
To write 100 in scientific notation, we realize that the decimal place is after the last
zero, so we express the number or the base with an exponent or power that accounts
for the number of places one has moved either to the left (positive exponent/power) or
to the right (negative exponent/power). Hence 100 can be written as 1.0 × 102 since we
1
have moved the decimal place twice to the left. Correspondingly, or 0.01 can be
100
written as 1.0 × 10−2 since we have moved the decimal place twice to the right.
Adding and subtracting numbers in scientific notation can be made easier when
they all have the same exponent or power; multiplying numbers in scientific nota-
tion requires that the numbers/bases themselves be multiplied but the exponents/
powers be added; division requires the numbers to be divided but the exponent/
power in the denominator is subtracted from that in the numerator.

Exercises
1. Add 1.3 × 103 to 3.7 × 104 (Hint: one of the numbers should be changed so
that the exponents/powers are the same)
2. (2.0 × 10−2 – 3.0 × 10−2)
3. (a) (5.2 × 10−3) (6.0 × 102) (b) (2.0 × 105) (8.0 × 101)
4. (a) 5.0 × 104/2.5 × 103 (b) 9.0 × 10−2/4.0 × 10−6

Units

We use the decimal/metric system of units where any of the measurements can be
expressed in the respective units, as well as their fractions and multiples in terms of
prefixes (Table 2.1).

Table 2.1 Most commonly used units and notation in our study of wave properties
Scientific
Length Mass Time Frequency Prefix Factor notation
Pico 0.000000000001 1.0 × 10−12

Meter Gram (g) Second Hertz Nano 0.000000001 1.0 × 10−9

(m) (s) (Hz) Micro 0.000001 1.0 × 10−6
Milli 0.001 1.0 × 10−3
Centi 0.01 1.0 × 10−2
Kilo 1000 1.0 × 103
Mega 1,000,000 1.0 × 106
Giga 1,000,000,000 1.0 × 109
Tera 1,000,000,000,000 1.0 × 1012
56 2 General Characteristics of Waves

Exploratory Task Using Both Light and Sound

Have you heard of the five second rule when witnessing a thunderstorm?
What do you think it means?
It has to do with predicting when thunder will occur once you have seen
the lightning during a storm; have you noticed that one always sees the light-
ing before hearing the thunder?
We can demonstrate it by using the considerable difference between the
speed of light and that of sound. The speed of light is about a million times
greater than that of sound (300 million meters/second, as opposed to roughly
340 m/s); therefore, for light and sound travelling a given distance through the
air, the time difference is in the order of a millionth of a second.
Sound travels through the air with an approximate speed value of 340 m/s,
so in 1 s the sound produced by the thunder will travel about 340 m. Now, a
1600 m
mile is roughly 1600 m and = 4.7 ≈ 5 which means that a mile is
340 m
approximately 5 times longer than the distance sound travels in 1 s, 340 m.
Therefore, the five (5) second rule states that when you see lightning, count
to 5 s. If you hear the thunder before you finish counting, then the lightning
took place less than a mile away, and if the thunder is heard after you counted
to 5 s the lightning took place farther than a mile away.
Task: Try this next time you witness a thunderstorm (of course making
your observations indoors), and determine how accurate the five second rule

(continued)
Units 57

is; make sure you repeat the observation several times to find the shortest and
longest distances where the lightning occurs during your observations.
Exercise
Suppose you see lightning strike the ground a mile away:
(a) How long does it take the light to reach you?
Hint: Use the following
Distance ( D ) D
Speed (v) = therefore solve for the time t = and use
Time ( t ) v
meters
v = c = 3.0 × 108
second
c is the symbol used for the speed of light through the air (which is an
approximation anyway, but works reasonably well). The distance D is
1609 m (the equivalent to a mile).
(b) How much quicker than sound is the time for light to reach you?
Chapter 3
Reflection

The interaction of waves with objects generally results in both reflection and absorp-
tion depending on the types of objects the waves encounter. Similarly to what we
saw in Chap. 2 when a pulse travelling through a rope or string reached its end and
was in turn reflected upside down or upright, depending on whether the end was
flexible or fixed.
The objects chosen to explore the reflection of waves are extended so that they
appear as surfaces, and irregular or rough, as well as regular or smooth surfaces are
considered; however, the more extensive applications are found in the case of
smooth surfaces since in this case the waves remain fairly focused. In the case of
reflection from rough surfaces, the waves tend to disperse and scatter and so their
study gets more complicated.

Reflection of Light Waves

There are two types of reflection: regular or specular reflection from smooth sur-
faces, and diffuse or irregular reflection from rough surfaces. In order to consider
both types we need to use a model of wave propagation that simplifies the way they
interact with surfaces. This model was first developed by the Dutch physicist
Christiaan Huygens in the seventeenth century.
Huygens’ principle can be demonstrated by the use of the concentric circles in
Fig. 3.1b. The circles represent spreading wave fronts away from the source S in all
directions. Huygens’ principle consists of the assumption that each point on a wave
front in turn generates secondary wave fronts.
Figure 3.2a shows the wave fronts spreading from a single source; (b) shows
those emanating from two sources; (c) shows the pattern produced by three sources,
and (d) that produced by five sources. Note that as the number of points increases the
secondary wave fronts they generate become superimposed as they spread out,
resulting in a pattern that will eventually become a continuous wave front when the

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 59

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_3
60 3 Reflection

Fig. 3.1 A representation of a source of waves such as the object that causes the ripples in (a) by
falling on the still water surface. In part (b) the perspective is that of a source S that radiates light
in all directions as shown by the concentric circles surrounding it. In both cases the circles repre-
sent the ripples spreading out from the source

Fig. 3.2 Evolution of the contribution of secondary wave fronts to the formation of a pattern that
propagates radially from a spherical surface. After a certain time the new pattern describes a posi-
tion of the wave front resulting from an infinitely large number of points, as a surface tangent to
the contributing secondary waves. That pattern (a new wave front) can then be replaced by a line
that is always perpendicular to it
Reflection of Light Waves 61

Fig. 3.3 Gradual representation of the spreading of light from a source S where the concentric
circles (the wave fronts) are supplanted by arrows representing rays of light. Note that in (a) the
rays are always perpendicular to the wave fronts, and that only a few rays are drawn as there are in
principle an infinite number of these. Using the convention we can visualize how light spreads
from a source, such as a light bulb in (b)

number of points becomes infinitely large. This pattern, the dotted line in (d) is tan-
gent to the contributing secondary waves. Hence the light that emanates from a
spherical surface can be represented by the arrow in (d) that will be everywhere
perpendicular to the wave front (the tangent dashed line) created by the infinite num-
ber of points lying on the surface; in other words, by a ray of light. This is illustrated
in Fig. 3.3, where the arrows represent rays of light emanating from the surface S.
The reflection of light from surfaces can now be strictly considered by regarding
the light as propagating through the various materials in the form of rays. When a
source such as the sun is used, the rays emanating from it are regarded as being
parallel to each other (forming a beam), since the sun is considered to be infinitely
far away compared to the other distances involved.
This assumption can also be used for ordinary light sources, such as light bulbs,
whenever they are sufficiently far away from the objects and surfaces the light inter-
acts with. The fact that light appears to propagate ordinarily in straight lines (think
search beams) confirms such an assumption.
With the use of light rays, as shown in Fig. 3.4 we can tackle the many situations
where light is reflected from surfaces. As we said before, and as is shown in Fig. 3.5
reflection from surfaces that are very irregular or rough results in the reflected light
being dispersed, while reflection from smooth or regular surfaces leads to a condi-
tion where a law can be stated. This is the law of reflection: when a light ray strikes
a smooth surface, the angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection (both
measured from an imaginary line, called the normal).
Using the law of reflection we can explore the properties of mirrors, we begin by
looking at a plane mirror.
62 3 Reflection

Fig. 3.4 The use of rays greatly simplifies the description of the way light interacts with objects
and surfaces. In the figure, direct as well as reflected sunlight can be represented by light rays

Normal

Ray 1 Ray 1

q1 q2
Ray 2 Ray 2

(a) (b)
Fig. 3.5 (a) Diffuse or irregular reflection, (b) specular or regular reflection. In both cases the
arrows pointing to the surface are called incident rays, and those pointing away from it are called
reflected rays. The law of reflection applies only to (b) where the angles θ1 (called the angle of
incidence) and θ2 (called the angle of reflection) are equal. Two rays are shown in (b) and the con-
dition is applied to Ray 1, but it also applies to Ray 2, in which case the angles measured would be
different from those for Ray 1, but still would be equal to each other

Activity
The oldest type of mirror found in museum collections of ancient artifacts
from the earliest civilizations was made of metal. If you shine a light source
such as a flashlight on a metal cabinet and then shine it on a wall, you can see
the difference in the reflected light. Why do you see an image on the metal but
not on the wall if the light is reflected from both surfaces?
Plane Mirrors 63

Plane Mirrors

Mirrors have been made for centuries by coating a glass surface with aluminum or
silver. A plane mirror is the simplest type and we establish a few conditions so that
we can investigate the properties of images produced by it.
Figure 3.6 illustrates the properties assigned to objects and images. All light rays
originate at the object and they become the incident rays upon striking the mirror.
The thin dashed lines perpendicular to the mirror represent the normal lines drawn
at the points where the incident rays strike the mirror. The continued dashed lines
are the projections of the reflected rays behind the mirror. It is important to recog-
nize that only solid lines are considered to be real, dashed ones are not. As can be
seen from the figure if one measures the distance from the mirror to the tip of the
black arrow and to point P, plane mirrors have the unique properties that the object
and image size or height, as well as their distances from the mirror, are always
equal.
In addition to the above properties, we always assume that the intersections
formed by solid rays whether they emanate from an object or converge at an image
result in real objects and images. In contrast to situations like the one at point P, the
intersection of projected rays results in virtual objects and images. The deciding
physical characteristic of real objects and images is that they can be projected onto
a screen or other smooth surface, whereas virtual ones cannot; although they still
exist in the sense of being perceived.

Fig. 3.6 A plane mirror showing two rays emanating from the tip of the black arrow drawn from
point O that represents the object, with its height or size determined by the length of the arrow.
Both rays obey the law of reflection, although only one case is shown where the two angles θ1 and
θ2 are equal. The two reflected rays spread out, but their projections (the continued dashed lines
behind the mirror) appear to cross at point P where the image forms
 Conceptual Task
Using Fig. 3.6 to represent the cabinet mirror in your bathroom, with the
arrow at 0 representing where you are in front of the mirror, when you look at
your reflection what do you notice about your distance from the mirror and
the distance behind the mirror where your image appears?

The quantitative counterparts to the properties of a plane mirror are expressed as

follows:

Di = Do ( Image distance = object distance )

Hi = Ho ( Image height or size = object height or size ) .

Experimental Task

The diagram shows a garbage can reflected on a plane mirror. If you were
the person at (A) would you see the reflection of the can on the mirror?
• Place your finger on the top of the reflection of the lid and mark it on the
diagram; if you were to move from (A) to (B), where would you put your
finger on the diagram now?

(continued)
• Use a plane mirror supported onto a piece of paper, draw a point (P) in
front of the mirror, on the paper.

• Draw two rays similar to those shown above on the paper, then draw the
normal (the dashed lines) and measure the angles of incidence of both rays.
Using the law of reflection, draw the reflected rays, and then their projections
until these intersect behind the mirror to form the image of (P).
• As you move your head sideways while looking at the image of (P), does
it change the position?

• If the person moved to position (C), would she still be able to see an image
of the can?
66 3 Reflection

Fig. 3.7 The reflection of the plastic bottle exhibits a well-known but often misunderstood prop-
erty of plane mirrors. The orientation is unchanged since the handle appears on the left side of both
the object and its image; what changes is the front-to-back perspective. The back of the object
appears as the front of the image

Fig. 3.8 Placing three plane mirrors at right angles to each other will produce a number of reflec-
tions of the single object placed in front of them

Plane mirrors have a unique property that is often misunderstood; as Fig. 3.7
shows, there is a change between the object and its reflection (the image). However,
the change isn’t in the direction of the orientation, it is in the sense that the front of
the image is the back of the object. There are objects and patterns, among them
some letters and numbers that will indeed show a reversal in the direction upon
Plane Mirrors 67

reflection from a plane mirror, but that is a property known as symmetry that will be
explored later in the book. Nevertheless, the presumed change in orientation
attributed to all objects reflected from a plane mirror is a misconception arising
from experience often lacking in reflection.
A combination of plane mirrors has many interesting applications in the creation
of illusions and changes in perspective. Placing mirrors at certain angles gives rise
to a variable number of images, depending on the angle between the mirrors, as
Fig. 3.8 illustrates.

Activity
A person stands in front of a plane mirror whose size only allows her to see
her image from the waist up.

Is there a way that the person can move so that her whole body can be seen
on the mirror?
Now try it yourself with a mirror where you can only see the top half your
body reflected, and compare your experience with your prediction.
68 3 Reflection

Curved Mirrors

A concave mirror is constructed with the silvered surface of the mirror on the inner,
or concave, side of the curve. A plane mirror is essentially a special case of a more
general type of reflective surface, that of a curved mirror. The difference in perspec-
tive is that if one stands very close to a large curved mirror, its curvature may not be
apparent and its surface approximates that of a plane mirror. However, there are
some definite differences between the images produced by both types of mirrors.

Conceptual Task
Double-sided mirrors used for makeup applications have a very distinctive
property when you compare the reflections from both sides, what is it?

The first type of curved mirror we investigate is a concave mirror, as shown in

Fig. 3.9.
Figure 3.9 shows that all incident rays in this case are reflected through F (the
focal point). This is true for mirrors as well as for satellite dishes, where the antenna
will be located at the focal point. Concave mirrors are also called converging since
all rays coming from far away converge at the focal point upon reflection. We shall
regard all values of Do, Di, and f as positive when these locations are in front of the
mirror, and negative when they appear behind it. There are potentially an infinite
number of rays emanating from all points on the surface of an object that either radi-
ates or reflects light. At this point we shall introduce three rules as shown in Fig. 3.10
that enable us to locate the images formed by mirrors, all rays are assumed to be
coming from radiant objects (whether producing or reflecting light):
The dashed lines are the normal lines or radius of curvature of the mirror, showing
that the law of reflection is obeyed (the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection).
We can always add any other ray that obeys the law of reflection, provided that
we draw the normal to the surface (the radius) so that the angles of incidence and
reflection are equal.
As long as we have at least two reflected rays that intersect, it will be enough to
locate the image.
We now introduce the equations needed to provide the quantitative description of
the properties of mirrors (which will be the same for lenses later).

R
f = (3.1)
2

1 1 1
= + (3.2)
f Do Di

Di Hi
M =- = (3.3)
Do Ho
Curved Mirrors 69

Fig. 3.9 A concave mirror showing rays coming from an object on the left infinitely far away so
that its rays are parallel, and two points; the center of curvature of the mirror (C) where the dashed
line, the radius begins, and the focal point (F) halfway between the center and the mirror. The hori-
zontal darker line on which the center and focal point are located is called the principal axis. The
distance between the mirror and the focal point (F) is called the focal length (f)

Fig. 3.10 Illustration of

the three rules for ray
reflection. 1. A ray incident
parallel to the principal
axis is reflected through
the focal point. 2. An
incident ray through the
focal point is reflected
parallel to the principal
axis. 3. An incident ray
through the center of
curvature is reflected back
through (C)

The variables in the equations have all been introduced except for M which stands
for the lateral magnification, which is taken to be negative when the image is
inverted (upside down) as compared to the object. Magnification doesn’t mean that
it is always larger, it could sometimes be smaller than 1, in which case the image
will be smaller/shorter than the object.
Since the equations apply to both plane and curved mirrors, we can see that for
a plane mirror M = 1 since the image and object distances are the same, as well as
the image and object sizes or heights. Note that the only way for M to be 1 is for
Di to be negative, which makes sense since as we saw the image produced by a
plane mirror is always behind the mirror. In addition, the radius of curvature for a
plane mirror is infinitesimally large, thus with R = ∞, f = ∞ and if we substitute this
into Eq. (3.2):

1 1 1
=0= + =0 (3.4)
¥ Do Di
Fig. 3.11 Cases where in (a) Do > 2f, (b) Do = 2f, (c) 2f > Do > f, (d) Do = f, (e) Do < f

Hence Di = −Do (the image distance will always be equal to, but negative as com-
pared to the object distance. That is why the image is considered to be virtual, or
appearing to form on the other side of the mirror.
We can now explore the various cases where a concave mirror exhibits interest-
ing properties, all depending on the object’s distance, as shown in Fig. 3.11.
In the first three cases an image is produced (the inverted arrow) that is real, but
that is smaller in (a), equal in size/height in (b), and larger in (c). There is no image
in (d) since the reflected rays are parallel (they never intersect), and the image is
virtual, larger, and upright in (d). In the last case the arrow indicates an image but
the lines that intersect aren’t solid since they are projections, not real rays.

Problem

• According to the diagram, what condition of Fig. 3.10 is being

represented?
• What two rays are drawn?
• Using Eqs. (3.1) and (3.2), where is the location of the object if the image
is located 20 cm in front of a 30 cm radius mirror?

(continued)
Experimental Tasks
(1) Comparing a Plane and a Concave Mirror

Procedure
Place a plane and a concave mirror side by side (makeup mirrors are suit-
able since one side is concave to magnify features). They don’t have to be as
large as those shown in the figure, but they should be comparable in size.
Make sure you have a large reflective surface opposite to them (such as a
blank wall) on which to see the images produced.
• Dim the room lights or turn them off, turn on and place a small flashlight
or other bright light source in front of each mirror. Describe what you see
as you illuminate each mirror; what is the difference?
• With the lights back on, stand facing both mirrors and describe what you
see on each as you move slowly away from them.
• Use the terminology and equations introduced to explain what you have
observed.
• Given what you have observed, where is the focal point of the plane mirror?
(2) Using a Concave Mirror
Procedure
1. We first determine the mirror’s focal length; this will be done in two
ways:
(A) Focus on a distant object (as in Fig. 3.9) by moving the screen until its
image appears sharp on it. Record the distance the screen is from the
mirror.
1 1 1
Use = + where Do ≈ ∞ (the object is infinitely far away
ƒ Do Di
compared to the image distance), to solve for the image distance (Di)
which is in this case equal to the focal length (ƒ); Hence Di = f.

(continued)
72 3 Reflection

Focal length of mirror = (I)

(B) Use a light source as the object and place it at a point so that you can
find its image on the screen. Record both distances, the object’s and the
screen’s from the mirror. Then use
1 1 1
= +
ƒ Do Di
But this time we solve for f since we know both Do and Di
focal Length of mirror = (II)
You should average the two results (I) and (II)
Average value of mirror’s focal length =

A convex mirror is constructed with the silvered surface of the mirror on the outer, or
convex, side of the curve. In this case the focal length and the image distance are always
negative, and therefore virtual. Instead of the five cases we saw for a concave mirror, a
convex one exhibits a single case, as illustrated in the figure below. Convex mirrors are
also called diverging since the reflected rays spread in different directions.
As Fig. 3.12 shows a convex mirror has an important characteristic that is useful
for many applications. It allows for the creation of images that can be reproduced in
small areas. The objects in the field of view can be large in number, and spread out
over large areas as well.

Fig. 3.12 A convex mirror always displays the same type of image, regardless of the position of
the object. In (a) the two projections of the reflected rays (the dashed lines) intersect to produce a
virtual, upright, and smaller image. The most general application of convex mirrors (b) is to gather
a large field of view into a much smaller image
Application to Sound 73

Activity
Consider the mirrors used in automobiles for various purposes. There are reasons
for two plane mirrors (the driver’s side and rear view), and the passenger’s
side mirror. Why is there a warning on the passenger’s side mirror, but not on
the others?

The rules for image formation by mirrors have limitations since there are circum-
stances where images will appear blurred. Parallel incident rays that are far from the
principal axis converge to other points besides the focal point, and other light rays
make large angles with the principal axis. The result is an effect called spherical
aberration, where the extended image doesn’t form at a single point.

Application to Sound

We now look at the reflection of sound waves, where by contrast very often the
more interesting applications are from reflections that occur from irregular or rough
surfaces, not from smooth ones. The simplest case is that of the production of an
echo, as sound is reflected from a large and fairly smooth surface.
The main application is in the determination of the acoustic properties of per-
forming spaces like concert halls, auditoriums, lecture halls, and even churches and
libraries. The property measured is the perceived intensity or loudness of a sound
specifically created in the chosen space, and how long it takes for it to decrease until
it blends in with other ambient sounds or background noise. This change in loudness
is called reverberation. The more reflective the surface, the longer the produced
sound remains in the air, and so the longer the reverberation time. Highly absorbing
surfaces will yield a short reverberation time since the loudness of the sound pro-
duced will decay quickly.
The convention is to measure the time that it takes for a sound produced at a
certain loudness to decay by 60 dB. This concept (and its units) will be introduced
and explained in a later chapter, but it shouldn’t prevent one from completing the
task; dB are simply convenient units used for sound level measurements. This is
often quite difficult to achieve due to the challenge of finding spaces where the
ambient sound level is lower than 50 dB. Creating a maximum loudness of approx-
imately 120 dB requires creativity and a powerful device. The ideal spaces tend to
be those that are very quiet, although ventilation/heating systems can produce
ambient loudness levels that can confound the results. The following figure illus-
trates a way in which the reverberation time can be determined in a room where the
maximum loudness can be around 120 dB. Even if the background noise is signifi-
cant, all one needs is a decrease of 60 dB, to measure the reverberation time; in this
case it is about 3 s (Fig. 3.13).
74 3 Reflection

Fig. 3.13 Measurement of the sound changes in a room where readings were taken with a
Sound Level Meter. Notice that the reverberation time is approximately 3 s (the time for the
sound intensity to decay by 60 dB)

The experimental determination of the reverberation time can be compared to a

formula that takes into account the volume of the room, and the types of materials
making up all surfaces upon which the sound reflects. The optimum reverberation
time for an auditorium or room of course depends upon its intended use. For music
and speech reproduction rooms the range is typically between 1.5 and 2.5 s. A class-
room should be much shorter, less than a second, and a recording studio should
minimize reverberation time in most cases for clarity of recording.
The reverberation time is strongly influenced by the absorption properties,
known as coefficients of the surfaces enclosing a room. The larger the room, the
longer one would expect the sound to remain in it if the surfaces are not particularly
rough or irregular; as a rule one should not expect to get a long reverberation time
with a small room.
Chapter 4
Refraction

Conceptual Task
If you put a pencil half way inside a glass filled with water, what do you
notice?

Virtual Experiment
The activity can be accessed at https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/bending-­
light/latest/bending-light_en.html.
Make sure the screen looks like the figure below

Change the material in the bottom half of the figure to water and then to
glass, describe what you see in each case.

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 75

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_4
76 4 Refraction

What is Refraction?

Refraction is the bending of waves as they go from one material or medium into
another. As we have previously stated, when waves travelling through a transparent
medium encounter a boundary between that medium and another, they are generally
partly reflected and partly transmitted or absorbed. When waves travel from one
medium into another, their amplitude, wavelength, and speed will change, but not
their frequency. The direction of the bending depends on the difference between the
materials. Figure 4.1 shows the changes in direction of waves as they are refracted.

Task

In the diagram the spacing between wave fronts can be used to describe the
wavelength; using the formula v = λƒ and remembering that upon entering a
new medium the frequency of a wave doesn’t change, what can one say about
the speed of the wave in the medium (the lower part) where the bending
occurred?

We begin by defining a property of materials known as the index of refraction. It

is the ratio of the speed of light through a vacuum to its speed through the material,
as stated by Eq. (4.1).

c
n= (4.1)
v
What is Refraction? 77

Fig. 4.1  Representation of

wave fronts and
corresponding rays as a
wave enters a different
medium than the one
through which it has been
initially travelling; the
change in the direction
indicates a more refractive
medium than the original
one

As a reference we take the index of refraction of air to be n = 1, which states that the
speed of light is the same through a vacuum as it is through the air. This is of course
an approximation, since the speed of light is taken to be 300,000 km/s through a
vacuum, and it is known to slow down by about 70 km every second as it travels
through air. However, 70 compared to 300,000 is insignificant for our purposes, and
so we take both speeds to be the same.
As a general rule we state that when light enters a medium of higher index of
refraction, the rays bend toward the normal, and when entering a medium of lower
index they bend away from the normal. How much is the bending? It can be
­determined by the use of Snell’s law, after Willebrord Snell who proposed such
description in the early part of the seventeenth century.

n1 sinq1 = n2 sinq 2 (4.2)

In Eq. (4.2) n1 and θ1 are the index of refraction and angle of incidence in the first
medium; n2 and θ2 are those in the second medium.

Examples

1. A light ray travelling through air strikes a glass surface at an angle of 40°, what
is the angle of refraction of the ray in the glass?
For air n = 1, for glass n = 1.5.
78 4 Refraction

Fig. 4.2  Illustration of a 40°

case where light goes from
air into glass

Glass

Fig. 4.3  Illustration of the

reverse case where light
goes from glass into air

Glass
30°

Figure  4.2 shows the incident ray and angle of incidence, measured from the
normal; it also shows that the ray does not continue straight since it enters the glass,
which has a higher index of refraction.
Using Snell’s law:

n1 sin q1 = n2 sin q 2

(1) sin 40° = (1.5) sin q2
(1) sin 40° 0.643
sin q 2 = = = 0.429 therefore, q 2 = 25.4°
1.5 1.5
The angle that the arrow makes with the normal in the glass is 25.4°.
2. Suppose now that a light ray has been travelling through glass and it strikes a
glass–air interface at an angle of 30°. What is the angle at which the ray emerges in
the air?
Figure 4.3 shows the situation; in this case

n1 sin q1 = n2 sin q 2

(1.5) sin 30° = (1) sin q2
(1.5) sin 30° 0.75
sin q 2 = = = 0.75 therefore, q 2 = 48.6°

(1) 1

The angle that the arrow makes with the normal in air is 48.6°, and that is why the
ray bends away from the normal instead of emerging as the dashed line indicates.
Total Internal Reflection 79

3. If instead of glass a light ray strikes an air–water interface at an angle of 40°,

what is the angle of refraction in water (n = 1.33)?

Activity
We see objects under water as long as there is light reflected from them to
reach our eyes. However, there is a distortion of the way they look. Using
Fig. 4.4 explain how the reflected ray that the person sees (2) appears to be
coming from the position where the fish seems to be (B), rather than from
where it really is (A). Use the result from Example 3, along with the letters
and numbers shown, as part of your description.

Total Internal Reflection

There is a special case when light that has been travelling through a medium encoun-
ters an interface between the medium and another, the latter one having a smaller
index of refraction. Upon striking the interface, the angle of incidence will have an
upper limit beyond which something interesting happens.
Figure  4.5 shows the situation in detail. In part (a) both rays (1) and (2) will
emerge refracted away from the normal at the glass–air interface. For ray (3), Snell’s
law states that

n1 sinq1 = n2 sinq 2

Fig. 4.4  Illustration of a person looking into water and seeing a submerged object (the fish) at a
depth different from where it really is
80 4 Refraction

Fig. 4.5  Demonstration of total internal reflection. In (a) rays (1) and (2) are incident on the glass–
air interface. Since glass has a higher index of refraction than air, the refracted rays will bend away
from the normal, as shown by the two top arrows in air. For ray (3) the refracted angle will be 90°,
and it is shown as the thicker arrow drawn parallel to the glass–air interface. Ray (4) exceeds the
critical angle and so it is reflected (4’). In (b) we can see that the laser light travels along the plastic
fiber since the initial direction of the light as it enters the fiber is such that the angle of incidence at
every instance will exceed the critical angle

As shown in the figure, n1 is the index of refraction of glass, and θ2 will be 90°.
Since sine of 90° is 1, and n2 = 1, then θ2 becomes the critical angle θc. Therefore,
1
Sin θc = , which means that in general, when light has been travelling through
n1
a medium and upon striking an interface with another medium of lower index of
refraction (in this case air), the angle of incidence becomes the critical angle when
the refracted ray travels along the interface. Any higher angle of incidence will
result in the rays no longer refracting but being internally reflected. The successive
angles of incidence will result in the ray travelling down the medium. Figure 4.5b
shows the most obvious application, that in fiber optics for telecommunications.

Exercise
What material has a higher critical angle, water or glass?
Use nwater = 1.33 and nglass = 1.52
1 1
For water: Sin θc =  =  = 0.751, and so θc = 48.7°
n 1.33
(Repeat for glass and then compare the angles).
Properties of Lenses 81

Exploratory Task

In the accompanying figure a battery is shown refracted by a glass prism.

1 . Why are there two images produced?
2. Draw rays that can be used to construct the formation of those images.

Properties of Lenses

We now turn our attention to the investigation of the properties of lenses, and their appli-
cations. As in the case with mirrors, we make a distinction between converging and
diverging lenses; except that the types are reversed. In other words, the images produced
are the same for converging mirrors and lenses, but a converging mirror is concave,
whereas the corresponding lens is convex. Similarly, the image is the same for a diverg-
ing mirror, as it is for a diverging lens, but a diverging mirror is convex, whereas a
diverging lens is concave. This is due to the curvatures of the surfaces upon which the
rays are incident from the objects. In addition, a lens has two focal points since there are
two surfaces of specific curvature that contribute to the image formation.
82 4 Refraction

F1 F2

Fig. 4.6  Representation of the convergence of rays to form an image by a convex/converging lens.
The arrows indicate the location of the first and second focal points, as well as the optical center
(which replaces the center of curvature for a mirror)

Fig. 4.7  Cases where in (a) Do > 2f, (b) Do = 2f, (c) 2f > Do > f, (d) Do = f, (e) Do < f. The thickness
of the arrow representing the image varies as the length does, which happens for (a), (b), and (c)

Figure 5.6 corresponds to the one used in the previous chapter to represent a
concave/converging mirror, where all rays are coming from an object far away so
that they are parallel, and thus converge at the focal point. In the case of a convex/
converging lens, the parallel rays are refracted through the second focal point (the
one at the far side of the lens) (Fig. 4.6).
The same formulas apply as with mirrors, but the criteria for rays are slightly changed:
1. An incident ray parallel to the principal axis is refracted through the second focal
point (F2).
2. An incident ray through the first focal point is refracted parallel to the principal axis.
3. An incident ray through the optical center (instead of the center of curvature)
does not undergo refraction; in other words, it goes straight through the lens
without changing direction.
In the first three cases shown in Fig. 4.7 an image is produced (the inverted arrow)
that is real, but that is smaller in (a), equal in size/height in (b), and larger in (c).
There is no image in (d) since the refracted rays are parallel (they never intersect),
Properties of Lenses 83

and the image is virtual, larger, and upright in (d). In the last case the arrow indicates
an image but the lines that intersect aren’t solid since they are projections, not real
rays.
Figure 4.8 is a detailed illustration of the last case (e) in Fig. 4.7 in the case where
an object is located closer to the lens than the focal point.

Fig. 4.8 Fig. 4.7(e) is worth showing in more detail, as it represents a very important application
of the use of a convex lens, that of a magnifying glass. Note that the eye is shown at the location
where one would have to be, to see the image (the larger arrow) produced by the object (the short
arrow) when it is closer to the mirror than one of its focal points (F1)

Exercise

(A) In the accompanying figure, draw the missing ray coming from the object
and refracting in such a way as to intersect the other ray and form the
image shown.
(B) Which of the three rules does that ray follow?
1 1 1
(C) Use the lens equation = =
f Do Di
to find the image distance (Di), if the object is located at 18 cm (Do),
and the focal points are at 10 cm (f)?
(D) Does the numerical answer confirm the location of the image in the
diagram?

(continued)
84 4 Refraction

Exploratory Task

Part (a) shows an object (the inverted letter A) located such that 2f > Do > f;
two rays originate at the vertex and intersect at a corresponding point to pro-
duce the image. In part (b) the lens is half-covered with a dark material.
1 . What two rules are followed by the rays in part (a)?
2. Is it possible for an image to form in part (b)?
3. If you think an image can be formed, provide evidence by drawing any two
rays that can intersect to form it.

A Concave/diverging lens is constructed with the curvature of the refracting sur-

faces reversed from that of a convex lens.
Figure 4.9 shows that the image produced by a concave lens is like that produced
by a convex mirror. It is important to notice that when applying the rules for the
refracted rays, the one incident parallel to the principal axis is now refracted through
F2 instead of F1 as with a convex lens. In both cases the image is perceived to be
located on the same side of the lens/mirror as the object, and it has the same charac-
teristics regardless of the position of the object. All three rays are drawn in Fig. 4.9a
to show how the image forms.
 (a) (b)

Fig. 4.9  Image produced by a concave lens (a). A concave lens produces an image that like that
of a convex mirror is always smaller than the object, upright, and virtual. The comparison between
the virtual images produced by a convex and a concave lens is shown in (b). In both cases the eye
perceives a virtual image even though it cannot be projected onto a screen; the difference is in the
size of the image

Exercise

In the above diagram

(a) What two rays are shown to form the image?
(b) Why are the incident rays parallel to the principal axis refracted through
F1 instead of through F2 as was the case with a convex lens?
1 1 1
(c) Use the lens equation = = to determine the location of the
f Do Di
image (Di) if the lens has a focal length of 20 cm, and the object is located
at 80 cm.
(d) Is there something contradictory between your answer to c) and the location
of the image in the diagram?
86 4 Refraction

As pointed out in Chap. 3 parallel incident rays that are far from the principal
axis converge to other points besides the focal point, and other light rays make large
angles with the principal axis, thus producing a blurred image. A similar situation
occurs with lenses, where the result is an effect called chromatic aberration; again,
the extended image doesn’t form at a single point. This last observation leads
directly to a very important application of lenses, where vision problems arise due
to conditions related to these so-called aberrations.

Applications of Lenses

The human eye has a structure that contains parts that behave in a similar way to
mirrors and lenses. Vision problems have been corrected for centuries with the use
of lenses, and modern interventions such as laser surgery continue to improve the
treatment of vision afflictions.
Figure 4.10 shows a diagram of the basic structure of the human eye. The main
parts of the eye that concern us are the cornea, the aqueous humor, the lens, the
retina, and the optic nerve. As the diagram indicates, the cornea, the aqueous humor,
and the lens appear to have properties similar to those of lenses. Vision issues
related to these parts can be corrected according to the needed refraction properties
associated with lenses, whether the corrections are accomplished with eyeglasses,
contact lenses, or laser surgery. In such cases the curvature and index of refraction
of the visual aids can be manipulated accordingly.

Fig. 4.10  Illustration of the basic structure of the human eye

Applications of Lenses 87

The two most common vision problems involving the eye’s ability to focus on
objects can be corrected with convex and concave lenses, as well as with changes in
the index of refraction. Myopia or near-sightedness is the inability to focus on dis-
tant objects results from images forming in front of the retina, and is due to the
index/curvature of those parts that contribute to image formation. In this case the
afflicted person needs to move distant objects closer to the face to be able to focus
on them. Hyperopia or far-sightedness is the opposite case, where the image forms
behind the retina and so the person needs to move near or proximate objects farther
away to be able to focus on them.

Conceptual Task
Knowing the reasons for both Myopia and Hyperopia, using the lens of the
eye draw two rays coming from the object and forming an image in front of
the retina in (a), and behind the retina in (b).
What kind of lens can correct each of them? Explain.

(continued)
88 4 Refraction

The next activity is based entirely on the role played by the retina and the optic
nerve, in terms of the reflective properties associated with mirrors.

Experimental Activity
Blind Spot Properties
Background
Each eye has a surprisingly large blind area, which is about 4° of the visual
angle, roughly the width across your four fingers held at arm’s length.
Fortunately for us, they are in different locations in each eye, the one in the
left eye is about 10° (two hand widths at arm’s length) to the left of the central
visual region, and the one in the right eye, an equivalent distance on the other
side. Amazingly, we are normally unaware of these natural blind spots. They
are either filled in perceptually (a remarkable phenomenon) or they are
ignored and so not seen. These are very different possibilities for explaining
why the eyes’ blind spots are not generally seen or noticed, even when one
eye is covered.
Examples of effects related to the blind spot

(continued)
Applications of Lenses 89

To get an idea of what the blind spot looks like, and what it does, look at
each case above with your right eye closed. (1) Tilt the page until the +
becomes an x; as you move your head away/towards the page, what do you
notice happening to the top figure? (2) Keep the page vertical (without any
tilt) and repeat; describe what you see in the lower figure. In this activity we
explore two features of the blind spot:
(1) Variation of distance where the spot disappears from the surface (wall) as
a function of distance between the spot and a reference (+) position. Is it
symmetrical for both eyes? Suggestion: two sets of paper/index cards
should be made, one with (+) on the left (as shown), and one with (+) on
the right (for the left eye, with the right one closed).
(2) Variation of blind spot size (diameter) measured between the two points
where the spot disappears and then reappears, as a function of distance
from the surface where this takes place (wall).
(1) Reference

(continued)
 Distance between Distance from surface where spot
spot and reference disappears D (cm)
d (cm)

Left Eye Right Eye

(continued)
Applications of Lenses 91

(2)

(continued)
 Distance from surface Size of blind spot
(wall) d (cm) D (cm)

Plot the data from the tables, D (vertical) vs d (horizontal) in both cases.
Note: Only one graph is needed from the first part, either the left or the
right eye data.
Examples of Data Graphs

(continued)
Applications of Lenses 93

Graph of a sample data collection for the first table

Graph of a sample data collection for the second table

Reflections
• Do the data look symmetrical (roughly the same distances) for the left and
right eye in the first table? Explain.
• Compare your graphs with the ones included, and discuss the sources of
error in this experiment.
• Consider the situation of an animal that has only monocular vision (one
eye on each side of the head) in terms of the second graph. What does the
relationship found between the size of the blind spot and the distance to
where it is suggest that such animals must be attentive to?
• How can you relate your conclusion to the animal’s behavior, particularly
when they are eating?

Experimental Task
Snell’s Law, Refraction, and Total Internal Reflection
We explore the properties of refraction and use these to determine the indi-
ces of refraction for glass and water, as well as the critical angle for which
total internal reflection occurs.

(continued)
94 4 Refraction

Part I. Refraction

Place a flat piece of glass onto a sheet of white paper so that it looks like
the figure above.
1. Place two pins to form a ray and view them by looking through the
glass so that they appear as one, this way you can create a ray that is refracted
(shifted) as you view the pins through the glass, and compare the view with
that through air. Put a third pin at the point where you see the refracted ray
emerging from the glass, on the other side of where the pins are initially
placed.
2. Connect the line that makes the incident ray at the point it hits the glass,
to the third pin on the other face, so that you can reconstruct the ray as it trav-
els through the glass.
3. Measure the angle of refraction (from the normal to the ray made by the
line connecting pins 2 and 3).

(continued)
Applications of Lenses 95

4. Fill in the table below as you change the angle of incidence.

Angle of Incidence Angle of refraction Sin θi Sin θr

(θi) (θr)
10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

60°

5. Plot the data so that the values for Sin θr are along the x-axis (the hori-
zontal), and those of Sin θi are along the vertical.
6. Determine the slope of the line formed by the points.
7. Repeat the procedure using the semicircular container shown below. The
difference now is that the container is filled with water.

Normal

Place the container onto polar graph paper so that the angles can easily be
read off itit; otherwise, a protractor must be used to measure angles if plane
paper is used. Outline the rays as you did with the glass plate by using the pins.
Vary the angle of incidence as before and record the data on the following table:

(continued)
96 4 Refraction

Angle of Incidence Angle of refraction Sin θi Sin θr

(θi) (θr)
10°

20°

30°

40°

50°

60°

8. Upon determining the slopes of both graphs (the one constructed for
glass and that for water), compare their values with the indices of refraction
of each substance, respectively.

Part II. Total Internal Reflection

1. For this part we use a laser (be very careful not to point it at anyone’s face!).
Using the same semicircular container, place it upside down so that the inci-
dent laser ray strikes the curved surface, and upon entering the water does not
bend since it will always strike the container along the normal (the radius of
the circular surface).
2. Vary the angle of incidence until the transmitted ray is reflected at the
flat surface. When that happens, record the value of that angle to determine
the critical angle for total internal reflection in water. The situation is depicted

(continued)
Applications of Lenses 97

in the figure below, (a) shows the way the rays enter on the curved surface,
and (b) what the reflection should look like at the bottom face when the angle
is the critical angle.

(a)

(b)

3. Determine the experimental critical angle twice and find its average, com-
pare the experimentally determined critical angle to that predicted by theory
using
1 1
Sin q c = ® q c = Sin -1 ( ) where n is the index of refraction of water
n n
(1.33).
4. Determine the percent error by using

q c Th. - q c exp.
% error = ´ 100
q cTh.
The % error is the absolute value of the difference between the theoretical
value θ c above using n = 1.33, and the experimental value of the measured
angle. This difference is then divided by the theoretical value, and then multi-
plied by 100.

Critical angle Critical angle % error

(qc exp) (qcTh)

Reflections
98 4 Refraction

Application to Sound

The refractive properties of sound waves that we shall consider have applications in
medicine as diagnostic tools, in echolocation, and in outdoor activities, as sound
propagates through media where its speed exhibits variable properties. Figure 4.11
shows a situation that may be familiar to you. It is included to encourage you to
explore an application.
Figure 4.12 serves as an explanation for Fig. 4.11 and illustrates the case where
sound is refracted as it travels through the air, due to the change in direction result-
ing from the fact that the speed of sound depends on the temperature of the air. The
left side illustrates what happens as a source on the surface produces sound and it
propagates through the air. A listener (a) at the same level as the source will hear the
direct sound represented by the arrows closer to the ground on either side. (b) indi-
cates that the listener hears additional sound produced by the contributions of the
higher layers of air, whenever there is a temperature inversion.
Normally the surface would be radiating heat and as the height above it increases,
the temperature decreases. However, during temperature inversions, such as when
the air over a lake in the early morning is being heated by the sun, the reverse will
take place; namely, the temperature will be lower over the surface of the water than
in layers above it. The result is that sound will propagate faster in the warmer layers
than in the cooler ones, and so when sound emanates from a source there will be a
contribution from the speed at higher temperatures, to what the direct value is along
the surface of the water. Consequently, in such a case someone will hear sounds
from far away that would not be audible at other times.

Fig. 4.11  Does this situation look familiar to you? What do you suppose it represents?
Applications to Sound 99

Fig. 4.12  Emission of sound waves from a source; they are represented both by circular wave
fronts and arrows perpendicular to them. In (a) a listener at the same height as the source on the
ground will received the direct sound produced by the two lowest dashed arrows (one on each
side). The other arrows represent the sound as it propagates through the air. In (b) due to tempera-
ture inversion caused by the sun heating the air in the early morning resulting in cooler layers near
the surface, the wave fronts bend to indicate the refraction of sound. The net result is that a listener
at B will experience sound coming from the direct (dashed arrow) direction, as well as from the
bent arrow at higher layers

Exercise
The dependence of the speed of sound on temperature is given by the
equation

n = ( 331 + 0.606Tc )m / s

where Tc is measured in degrees Celsius.
In each of the cases represented below, the person at A is at the source of
the sound so she does not measure a value for the speed of sound; however,
the person at B measures the value given in each case.

(continued)
 Using the above equation, what must be the air temperature for (a), (b), and (c)?

Fig. 4.13  Use of sonography for diagnostic and treatment purposes. The basis of the technique is
a sound pulse sent by the transducer (a device that both sends and receives signals) that is both
reflected and transmitted. Upon encountering the stomach wall, pulse 1 is reflected (pulse 2) and
transmitted (pulse 3). The orientation is reversed for all reflected pulses shown since the incident
pulses (1 and 3) encounter a boundary with a medium of higher index of refraction. The distance
to the organ (dashed black arrow) can be determined by using the time difference between pulses
2 and 4, and using the speed of sound inside the body

In the case of sonography or the use of sound in medical applications, high

frequency (ultrasound) pulses are used and their echoes or reflections help deter-
mine the locations and other features of internal organs as the sound encounters
objects of varying densities in the body.
Consider a pulse incident upon a person’s body and experiencing both reflection
and refraction at two obstacles; the first is the stomach surface, and the second an
internal organ. The following figure illustrates the situation.
Figure 4.13 illustrates the basic procedure where an incident sound pulse under-
goes reflection and transmission three times; twice at the stomach wall and once at
the organ surface. The last reflected pulse (pulse 2) is really an approximation of the
Applications to Sound 101

transmitted one from pulse 4; at the stomach wall pulse 4 is both reflected and
transmitted. However, the reflected part is minimal since the sound is now going
from a medium of higher (the body) to one with a lower index of refraction (air),
thus the transmitted pulse (pulse 2) contains most of the sound energy. These details
were left out of the figure to keep it as simple as possible.

Problems
1. Ultrasound waves are used for imaging and treatment; if the speed of
sound inside the human body is approximately that of sound through water
(1500 m/s), and if the range of imaging frequencies is between 2 and
15 MHz.
(a) What is the range of wavelengths visible?
(b) What are the types of everyday objects that are visible with this
technique?
(c) If 3.5 MHz is used for abdominal imaging, what is the smallest size
visible?
2. If your dog accidentally swallows a pebble roughly 5 mm in size, can ultra-
sound imaging be used to determine its location? Explain why or why not.
Chapter 5
Interference and Standing Waves

Have you noticed that in a room full of people you are able to hear several conversa-
tions, and it is often difficult to concentrate on the one you may be having with the
person next to you? Or that if an object falls into a liquid it creates ripples that mix
with one another after a while?
This is the result of the fact that waves behave very differently from other material
objects upon encountering other waves, or even encountering themselves, which
sounds rather odd. In general, whenever an object interacts with another, such as
when they collide the result is either a separation or a joining of them. This is a
consequence of the properties possessed by the objects known as energy and momen-
tum that are exchanged between the objects regardless of whether they separate or
stay connected after the collision.
Waves, on the other hand, exhibit the ability or capacity to go through one another
as they interact, resulting in properties different from other objects. This statement of
course is only true at the level of perception where the laws of everyday phenomena
apply. There is an area of physics known as quantum mechanics where both material
objects such as sub-atomic particles, and waves behave similarly. This effect dissi-
pates as the size of the objects increases beyond the realm of microscopic interac-
tions. Therefore, the terminology we use is strictly applicable to phenomena where
quantum effects are negligible.

The Principle of Superposition

As pointed out in chapter two when discussing pulses, whenever we use the term
interference as applied to the way material objects or people interact, we mean an
obstruction of sorts, where something stands in the way, or impedes something else.
In the case of waves interference means the opposite; the interaction is not repulsive
but cohesive if you wish to look at it that way. The interaction of waves can be
understood with the principle of superposition. It basically states that waves can

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 103

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_5
104 5  Interference and Standing Waves

be combined at the same location in space, and this combination leads to two types
of interference, constructive and destructive.
In constructive interference the resulting amplitude is greater than the individual
ones before they interacted, and the opposite is the case for destructive interference,
where the waves can even cancel each other out in terms of amplitude. However, the
individual waves can pass through each other without being altered in any way, the
alteration takes place afterwards. If the shape of the waves is not maintained, the
resulting wave will eventually dissipate, as energy is lost in the interaction. However,
if the shape is kept, such as when a string is held fixed at both ends, and is continu-
ally plucked, then an interesting phenomenon is produced, that of a standing wave.
The following figure illustrates this for the case of mechanical waves produced by
a vibrating string held fixed at the ends. What is interesting is that this represents the
case when a single wave can interfere with itself to produce both constructive and
destructive interference.
Figure  5.1 illustrates that as the wave produced by the string bounces back
and forth between the ends, a repetitive pattern results where constructive inter-
ference is a maximum at the largest amplitudes, and destructive interference a
minimum at the points along the horizontal where there is zero amplitude. These
alternating points are known as both the antinodes (A) and the nodes (N). The
figure shows the first four modes or patterns of vibration—the fundamental (bottom)
and its multiples or harmonics. Note that the fundamental contains two nodes
and one antinode.

Fig. 5.1  A standing wave produced by the vibrations of a string held fixed at the ends. Notice how
the string begins to vibrate from its equilibrium position (the horizontally dashed line) until the
vibrations reach a maximum displacement (A). The first mode of vibration or fundamental wave is
at the bottom of the figure, and the harmonics or multiples are shown above it. The number of
nodes (N) and antinodes (A) repeat themselves in sequences as one goes from the fundamental to
higher modes of vibration
The Principle of Superposition 105

Conceptual Task
How does the number of nodes and antinodes change as you move up from
the fundamental wave to the forth mode or third harmonic?
Which one leads in number as the sequence unfolds?

Exploratory Task
Standing waves can be generated in a variety of ways; we can use water waves
to represent a standing wave created by the reflection of the waves from a
surface (a wall). Use the online simulation at (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.
php); Choose Wave Interference from the available choices, select the water
tab and make sure the screen looks like the figure below.

You will notice as you run the simulation that the amplitude of the water
wave decreases and we expect that as the waves exit the screen on the right
they eventually dissipate.
• Pause the simulation, add a wall, and adjust its position so that it looks like
the figure below.

(continued)
106 5  Interference and Standing Waves

• Continue with the simulation and describe what you see; then gradually
increase the frequency until a clear pattern of alternating bright and dark
regions appears. Now rotate the wall until it is fully vertical and at the right
end of the figure, and wait for a few seconds. How do the representations
from the figure and the graph compare?
• How can we conclude that this is an example of wave interference?
• Stop the simulation, click “Reset All” and choose Two drips; make sure the
amplitude and frequency are towards the middle of their ranges. Run the
simulation and describe what happens; how does what you see now resemble
the part with the wall?

The same types of interference can be seen when you choose “Sound” and
“Light” in the above task. It is important to notice that the units of intensity in the
graphs are different: water level for the water, pressure for the sound, and Electric
Field for the light, as these represent different vibrational phenomena that can all
display interference patterns.

Beats

When two waves start out with slightly different frequencies and they interact, the
result is an alternating pattern of constructive and destructive interference; the
pattern exhibits a particular shape called a beat. It has a given frequency, which
depends on the initial frequency difference between the interacting waves. Figure 5.2
shows the evolution of the pattern, from its beginning to its completed shape.
Beats 107

Conceptual Task
In the diagrams that follow, the beat frequencies are a function of the initial
frequency differences between two interacting waves. In (a) the difference is
50 Hz, in (b) it is 40 Hz, in (c) it is 30 Hz, and in (d) it is 5 Hz.
What is the relationship between frequency difference and beat frequency?

(continued)
108 5  Interference and Standing Waves

Fig. 5.2  The development of beats occurs as two waves of equal amplitude but slightly different fre-
quencies interact. In (a) the interacting waves are shown along with the resulting (larger amplitude)
wave; as they begin to change phase, or to be out of step with each other the resulting amplitude
decreases. In (b) the waves are shown after a sufficiently long time interval as their interaction has
developed the pattern of beats. Whenever the waves are out of phase or opposite to one another, the
beat will have a node; when they are in phase or in step with one another, the beat has an antinode
Resonance 109

Resonance

The phenomenon of beats serves as an introduction to an important property of

waves that results when an interaction between two waves results in a maximum
value for the resulting amplitude. This is generally known as resonance, and many
phenomena as well as systems that display wave properties exhibit it.
Whenever vibrations result in a wave that is acted upon by an external agent such
as a variable force that itself has a repetitive pattern, the wave is affected depending
on the periodicity of the applied force. Consider a child on a swing set; to get started
a push is needed (the external force) and the child moves back and forth in an oscillat-
ing pattern that can be described by a wave. As time goes on, the amplitude of the
wave decreases (the child will return to the starting position), unless there is a means
to keep the oscillations going. This can be provided by continuing to apply the push,
or as the child will learn, by tucking and extending its legs. However, regardless of
how it is done, it must be done in unison, or with the same periodicity as the swinging
motion of the child. The resulting successful maintenance of the motion is an example
of resonance. The amplitude of the oscillations described by the child’s motion is kept
at a maximum, thus facilitating the continuation of the swinging activity.

Exploratory Task
Virtual Demonstration of Resonance
Use the PhEt simulation “resonance” available at:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/resonance
Make sure the initial figure looks like this

Prediction: Is there a way to make the platform move up and down so that
one of the springs oscillates greatly as compared to the others?
1 . Choose 2 resonators from the toolbar of the number of resonators
2. Turn the driver on

(continued)
110 5  Interference and Standing Waves

3. Observe what happens for a few seconds; what do you see shown on the
simulation that explains why the amplitude of simulator 1 is the greatest?
4. Click on the box showing Resonator 1 and type 2, hit enter and note the
frequency of resonator 2 at the bottom of the blue box.
5. Now change the frequency of the driver by rotating the knob under the
moving platform and setting it to a value equal to that of resonator 2.
6. What did you observe happening after a few seconds?
7. Finally slide the top rider indicating the number of resonators until you see
six (6) springs appear oscillating on top of the moving platform.
8. Again, click on the box showing Resonator 2 and type the value of any of
the added oscillating springs. When you see its frequency appear, change
that of the rider until it matches it and determine if the same thing that hap-
pened before takes place now.
9. Does this observation confirm your prediction?

There are many instances of resonance, and a good activity that exposes us to its
devastating effects (quite unlike the successful effect of keeping a child moving on
a swing set) is provided in the following task.

Conceptual Task
Consider the situation described by many videos (on you tube) where the
Tacoma narrows suspension bridge collapsed. The bridge had been oscillating
basically in the fundamental mode of vibration (see the bottom part of Fig. 5.1)
for months. However on the morning it fell, a new mode of vibration appeared.
Can you identify the mode by comparing the parts of the video showing
the bridge’s motion that day, and one of the modes from Fig. 5.1?

Exploratory Task
Use the PhEt simulation that allows you to display the motion of a mass or a
system of masses attached to springs available at:
https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/normal-modes
Try to simulate the motion of the Tacoma narrows bridge from the video
by using the simulation and pointing out features from the film that can be
reproduced with it. Some suggested ways to use the simulation follow:
1. Choose 1 mass, slide the frequency button upwards and then start the
oscillation.
2. Choose 2 masses and manipulate the frequency modes until you get the
system to move in a similar way to the oscillating bridge.
Application to Sound 111

As seen from the previous tasks there are many interesting applications of the
concept of resonance involving a wide variety of phenomena. It is one of those
unique wave properties that can provide insights into many other phenomena where
such behavior (matching frequencies) may help us see relationships not otherwise
apparent. In particular, how information content (in the form of energy or other
intensity relations) can be transferred and maximized between systems.

Application to Sound

The quantitative differences between various types of vibrations resulting in stand-

ing waves can be understood as these are produced in two ways:
1 . By the vibrations of a string held fixed at both ends
2. By the vibrations of an air column in tubes
String vibrations and the vibrations in a column of air in a tube that is open at both
ends have similar properties. The following figures show the differences, as well as the
common features between these vibrations, and those in a tube with one end closed.
Figure 5.3 shows how the string vibrations and those of air inside a tube open at
both ends are similar in the patterns produced. Both show that for the fundamental
mode of vibration the wavelength is ½ the length of the string, or the tube. It is easier
to see that for the string than for the tube since a half wave is more readily perceived,
although both exhibit the property that two corresponding points on the waves
shown, separate a linear distance that corresponds to half a wave. As the next three
vertical modes of vibration, or harmonics appear, they are simply repeating patterns
of the fundamental one. The first four modes are shown, and the difference is that
for a string the sequence of the number of nodes moving vertically leads that of the
antinodes, whereas it is the reverse for the air vibrations.

Fig. 5.3  The patterns resulting from the vibrations of a string held fixed at both ends, and from air
vibrating inside a tube open at both ends. In both cases (N) are nodes or points that are not dis-
placed vertically, and (A) are antinodes or points where the displacement from equilibrium (the
horizontally dashed line) is a maximum
112 5  Interference and Standing Waves

Fig. 5.4  The vibrations are those of air inside a tube with one end closed

The situation is different in Fig. 5.4 where neither the nodes nor the antinodes
lead; they are equal in number as the harmonics repeat the pattern created by the
fundamental mode of vibration. Additionally, as the pattern is reproduced vertically
the need to maintain a node at the closed end, as well as to have a corresponding
increase in the number of antinodes requires that only odd multiples appear, there
are no even multiples like in Fig. 5.3.
Air vibrations can be understood in terms of either vertical air displacement or
changes in air pressure. One can see that they are inversely related, when the air
movement is a maximum the air pressure is a minimum. Correspondingly, when the
air movement is a minimum the pressure is a maximum.
At this point it is important to remember that the actual motion of air is that of a
longitudinal wave, where the maxima and minima are really regions of compression
and expansion of air inside the tube. The above representation is only for the pur-
poses of illustrating the similarities and differences between air vibrations and those
of a string, which are transverse since the string cannot be compressed, although
being under tension generates the standing waves.
The mathematical representation of the above features summarizes the differ-
ence between the recurring patterns, and it also illustrates the reason why in the case
of sound produced by wind instruments there is a difference of tone quality (timbre)
despite the frequency being the same.
For both cases in Fig. 5.3 the fundamental frequency is obtained from
v = λ f using L = λ/2
Application to Sound 113

f1 = v/2L, where f1 is the fundamental frequency corresponding to the lowest

mode of vibration.
For the second harmonic or first overtone L = λ, and so f2 = v/L
f 1 v / 2L
Expressing as a ratio = = 1 / 2 which means that f2 = 2 f1
f2 v/L
For the third harmonic or second overtone L = 3/2 λ, and so f3 = 3v/2 L = 3 f1
Finally, for the fourth harmonic or third overtone L = 2λ, and so f4 = 2v/L = 4 f1
Consequently, for string and air vibrations in a tube open at both ends, all the
harmonics (even and odd) are present.
However, for Fig. 5.4 the fundamental frequency f1 = v/λ, and using L = λ/4 gives
f1 = v / 4 L

For the first overtone L = 3/4 λ, and so the next harmonic is f = 3v/4 L = 3 f1 or f3
instead of f2!
The same is true for the next overtone where L = 5/4 λ, and so its frequency is
5f1 or f5
Therefore, we can see that for a tube closed at one end the even harmonics are
missing, only the odd ones appear. That is what makes a difference in the tone qual-
ity produced by wind instruments that are open at both ends (like a flute), and those
reed instruments (like a clarinet) that are open at one end only.

Exercises
1. What is the length of a string that produces a second harmonic frequency
of 300 Hz if its wavelength is 20 cm?
(Hint: this exercise can be solved either by getting the length from the
equation for the second harmonic directly or by realizing that the second
harmonic is simply twice the first, and then finding the length from the
fundamental one).
2. How long must a tube closed at one end be if the second harmonic of air
vibrations has a frequency of 600 Hz? (Use v = 340  m/s)
3. (A) What is the wavelength for a 2 m long tube open at both ends when
the third harmonic has a frequency of 900 Hz? (Use v = 340  m/s)
(B) How many antinodes and nodes exist in this mode of vibration?

Adding harmonics can have interesting applications in sound due to the effects
that a set of tones of different frequencies can have upon listeners. One such exam-
ple is the sound produced by a group of harmonics where one can hear the funda-
mental frequency mixed in with the higher overtones; remarkably, a collective
sound produced by such a group will contain a tone perceived by the listener as the
fundamental, even if that frequency is missing from the group!
114 5  Interference and Standing Waves

Exploratory Task
Use the PhEt simulation “Fourier: Making Waves” available at
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/fourier
Choose the first eight harmonics so that each of their amplitudes is 0.5;
then click the speaker symbol to hear the sound. After a few seconds, turn off
the fundamental (A1) by lowering its amplitude to zero, and then listen care-
fully to detect its presence amid all the remaining frequencies heard.

Application to Light

The combination of waves with varying frequencies and wavelengths can also occur
in the case of light, where the composition of the spectrum can help understand how
colors are formed and perceived. Red, green, and blue are the primary colors of
light, which correspond to color-sensitive cells called cones in the human eye; yel-
low, magenta (a purple color), and cyan (a green-blue color) are called secondary
colors. Each color is associated with a particular wavelength.
The classic demonstration of the decomposition of white light into its respective
colors is attributed to Newton, who also demonstrated that not only can a beam of
white light be split into various colors by a glass prism, but another prism can be
used to recombine them into the white light initially observed. Figure 5.5 illustrates
this phenomenon.
Color mixing follows a similar type of property to that of sound frequencies,
where a net result is obtained from adding or subtracting individual frequencies to
produce specific patterns of sound. In the case of light the addition of the fundamen-
tal or primary colors (red, green, and blue) will in turn produce secondary colors
that are a mixture of those. This is the way television and computer monitor colors
are produced, where the middle area (white) corresponds to a pixel. For subtractive
color mixing one begins with the secondary colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and
by successive filtering arrives at the absence of color (black). This is the way print-
ing and painting color mixing is done (Fig. 5.6).

Fig. 5.5  Two prisms are used; one to separate the white light into its colors, and another one to
recombine the spectrum into the original white light
Application to Light 115

Fig. 5.6  Color mixing of the primary and secondary colors by addition and subtraction. The cen-
ter of the figure on the left would be white color

Exploratory Task
The two processes of color mixing can be demonstrated with the use of the
PhEt simulation
“Color Vision” available at http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/
color-vision
1. For additive color mixing select RGB bulbs and gradually change the
intensity of each of the colors; observe the secondary colors that are per-
ceived as the intensity of the primary ones changes. In particular, notice
the shades produced as any given two primary color intensities are gradu-
ally increased and mixed.
2. For subtractive color mixing, first select the white light and notice how the
color perceived corresponds to that of the filter as you slide the filter con-
trol. This corresponds to the way colors are perceived when white light
shines on an object that has been painted a given color, where the other
colors of the white light are absorbed, and the one corresponding to the
painted one is reflected.
3. Demonstration of Resonance— Now select the colored bulb and notice
that as you change either the bulb or the filter color, the perceived color is
always black unless the two colors match. This is the result of the two
frequencies or wavelengths being identical, which produces the maximum
intensity of the light perceived.
116 5  Interference and Standing Waves

Fig. 5.7  A standing wave

created by a vibrating
string, containing more
than one wavelength

Problems
(1) (a) How long should a closed tube in air be such that its fundamental
frequency is 200 Hz?
Use v = 345  m/s.
(b) What is the frequency of its next possible mode?
(2) The second possible standing wave in a closed tube in air has a frequency
of 1000 Hz.
(a) What is its fundamental frequency?
Use v = 345  m/s.
(b) What is the fundamental wavelength?
(c) What is the length of the tube?
(3) (a) A standing wave is oscillating at 690 Hz on a string, as shown in Fig. 5.7.
What is the wavelength?
(b) What is the speed of traveling waves on this string?
(c) How many nodes and antinodes are shown in Fig. 5.7?
Chapter 6
Diffraction

We already discussed one type of bending experienced by waves as they are refracted
upon encountering media with different indices of refraction. In that case we saw
that when a wave goes from a medium of lower to one of higher index of refraction,
the rays describing the wave bend toward the normal; when the rays emerge from a
medium of higher to one of lower index of refraction, they will bend away from the
normal. The property called diffraction is another bending of sorts, but it occurs as
waves travel through a medium, and encounter an obstacle. Obstacles can vary in
shape and size, and the bending is always dictated by their geometry.
The first part of this chapter is concerned with light since there are many interesting
features of the historical development of the understanding of diffraction while using
light, as well as many interesting applications. We shall then apply the concepts and
principles to sound.
A good example of the ability of light and sound to diffract around obstacles, but for
one of them not to be readily perceived, is provided by the following situation. Imagine
that you are communicating with someone, and that communication consists of both
audio and visual information. If you were walking backwards (very carefully!) while
having the conversation, and then you go around an obstacle such as a large tree, you will
continue to hear the person but not see him/her while you are behind the tree. In fact, the
situation can be made even more dramatic by having you turn around a corner of a build-
ing and still notice the same thing. The reason why you can hear the person but not see
them is that the size of the obstacle is more comparable to the wavelength of sound, than
to that of light; while both light and sound are diffracted by the obstacles the effect isn’t
noticeable for light (you do not see the person), but it is for sound (you can hear them).

Conceptual Task
Suppose in the situation just described, you were also in communication with
the other person by using your cell phone; as we know the signals are electro-
magnetic (like light), and yet you can still receive them after you have lost the
visual information. Why you do suppose this happens?

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 117

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_6
118 6 Diffraction

Exploratory Task
Use the online simulation at (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php); Choose
Wave Interference from the available choices, then select the Water tab, make
sure the screen looks just like the figure below:

Describe what you observe as the droplets fall

Now click on the Add Wall button and orient the wall so that is appears
vertically as shown below

(continued)
6 Diffraction 119

Describe what you observe as you slide the wall across the screen, and as
you shorten its length.

The important aspect of diffraction is that the wavelength of the diffracting waves
must be comparable in size to the dimensions of the obstacle, as determined by its
discoverer Francesco Maria Grimaldi in the seventeenth century. He observed that
when a beam of light came into a dark room and projected onto a surface, the spot made
resembled the opening through which the light came in. If the opening is circular, the
spot is also circular; however, as the size of the opening decreases the spot at some
point will be surrounded by a set of concentric circles. This is the result of the wave
bending around the opening and reproducing its shape onto the projection.
Figure 6.1a shows a set of wave fronts represented by the parallel lines, that upon
encountering the gap will diffract. Notice that in part (b) there are lines drawn past
each gap, but these don’t imply that there will be projections onto the screen where
dots will appear. What will appear as a central maximum representing constructive
interference will be directly across from the middle of the line that separates the two
gaps, where the diffracted waves are intersecting each other.
The essential aspects of diffraction can be demonstrated by a diagram that
illustrates wave fronts being diffracted by a circular opening, and the resulting
interference being projected onto a screen at a distance from the opening. This is
shown in Fig. 6.2.
Figures 6.2 and 6.3 show the details of diffraction as wave fronts incident from
the left go through a circular opening. The size of the opening between points 1 and 2
is taken as the diameter and two points on a given wave front are shown ­illustrating
that there are two paths taken between the opening(s) and the screen where the

Fig. 6.1  The phenomenon of diffraction can be shown as occurring whenever waves encounter
obstacles, such as the gap in (a) the transmitted wave now diffracts as shown by the bending. As
shown in (b) two such gaps will lead to interference between the diffracted waves, resulting in
alternating constructive and destructive regions of interference
120 6 Diffraction

y
1
2

Screen
Fig. 6.2  A series of wave fronts on the left are incident upon a circular opening between points 1
and 2, and are shown diffracted as they emerge from the opening. The diffraction causes points on
the wave fronts to interfere, forming patterns of constructive and destructive interference on a
screen at a distance L from the opening. The distance y is used to illustrate points of constructive
or destructive interference

y y
q q
d q q
L d
L

Path difference

Path difference

(a) (b)
Fig. 6.3  Part (a) shows a magnified view between points 1 and 2 of the path difference between
two points on a wave front for a single circular opening of diameter d, and part (b) shows it for
points at the middle of two such openings separated by a distance d

interference pattern can be displayed. The two paths are clearly of unequal length;
using a right triangle one can see that the sine of the angle θ is the opposite side (the
path difference) divided by the adjacent side (d). Therefore, the path difference is
given by d sin θ.
Now different conditions can be imposed on this path difference to illustrate the
criteria for constructive and destructive interference. Notice that there is no path
difference along the horizontal line that denotes the distance between the opening(s)
and the screen L; this means that for both a single opening and multiple ones, there
will always be a bright spot or region along the horizontal representing constructive
interference, called the central maximum.
6 Diffraction 121

What is typically done with a single opening is to impose a condition for

minimum intensity resulting from destructive interference on both sides of the
central maximum; this will occur whenever the path difference is equal to one half
wavelength. This means that the two paths are out of phase when they arrive at
the screen, and thus cancel each other out. For this to happen one can construct a
similar triangle by taking half the diameter of the opening to form the hypotenuse,
so the path length will be
l
d / 2 sin q = ± m , where m is ± 1, 2, 3,¼ (6.1)
2
(The negative values of the integers are only meant to illustrate the fact that the
positions of the dark fringes representing destructive interference on the screen
appear above and below the central maximum along the length L).
The absence of m = 0 indicates that there is no central minimum; instead there is
a central maximum. The expression then can be simplified to

sinq = ±m l / d (6.2)

Equation (6.2) states that for a single opening diffraction, there will be a series of
regions of destructive interference on both sides of the central maximum.
For the case of diffraction by two openings the equation for the path difference
can be written using Fig. 6.3b as
d sin θ = m λ for constructive interference, and d sin θ = m λ/2 for destructive interfer-
ence. Constructive interference of course results when the path difference is equal to a
complete wavelength, which means the two interacting waves are in phase.
From Fig. 6.3 one can get
y
tan q = (6.3)
L
A useful technique called the small angle approximation is based on the following
relationship
sin q
tan θ = and since for small values of θ we have cos θ ≈ 1,whenever θ is small
cos q
tan q » sinq

y
And so d sin q = (6.4)
L

Equation (6.4) can be used to determine various parameters, especially when a mul-
titude of openings are used in a device called a diffraction grating. Such a device is
used to split white light into its colors, and has a great number of important applica-
tions. The openings do not necessarily have to be circular, in the case of diffraction
gratings they are slits resulting from the stretching of a plastic material, and many
of these slits are packed into an extremely short width of material where the value
of d is typically expressed in microns (millionths of a meter in length).
122 6 Diffraction

Example
Consider the situation where laser light goes through an opening that is
0.25 mm wide, and a central maximum appears on a screen that is 100 cm
away. If the width of the central maximum is 4.0 mm, what is the wavelength
of the light?
We use the small angle approximation, and begin with m = 1 for the central
maximum.
Then using sin θ = ± m λ/d → sin θ = λ/d
y
And tan θ =
L
Since the width is 4.0 mm (this represents 2y from Figure 3a), then
y = 2.0  mm, and L = 100  cm
Converting to meters: y = 2.0 × 10−3 m, L = 1.0  m, and d = 2.5 × 10−4 m
tan θ = 2.0 × 10−3 m/1.0 m = 0.002
And since tan θ ≈ sin θ
sin θ = λ/d becomes λ = d sin θ = (2.5 × 10−4  m) (0.002) = 5.0 × 10−7 m
Such short wavelengths are usually expressed in nanometers (nm), and
1  nm = 1.0 × 10−9 m
Hence λ = 500  nm.

Conceptual Development Task

As stated earlier the phenomenon of diffraction depends on the scale of the
dimensions of the obstacles that cause waves to exhibit such a property. One
can explore the way in which the size of obstacles such as slits can affect the
way light diffracts. The setup is shown in the figure below:

(continued)
6 Diffraction 123

1. Use a source of white light with the glass slab containing a variety of slits
and notice the way the pattern appears on the screen as you let the light
through each slit. What do you notice as the number of slits increases?
2. Repeat the procedure but instead of white light, use a laser of a given color
or wavelength; make sure not to look at the reflection of the laser on the glass
plate, and instead concentrate on the patterns produced on the screen for
each type of slit. What is different now from what you observed in part 1?

When white light passes through a diffraction grating, the spectrum of colors can
be seen. When monochromatic light (light of a single color, such as that produced
by a laser) passes through a diffraction grating a series of dots of the same color will
instead appear on a screen. These are the regions of constructive interference, and
the space between them corresponds to regions of destructive interference.
The following figures illustrate the cases of diffraction due to a single opening,
as well as due to two such openings.
Figure 6.4 shows the diffraction of light caused by a single opening. A source
sends the wave fronts from the left and when these encounter the obstacle (the single

Fig. 6.4  Diffraction caused by a single opening. The source of light sends circular wave fronts that
are diffracted by the opening and interfere to produce the pattern shown at the screen as a central
maximum. Note that the intensity graph shows the largest amplitude (at 0.55) for the central maximum,
and two smaller peaks (at 0.87 and 0.22, respectively)
124 6 Diffraction

opening) they are diffracted. The left side of the figure shows the wave fronts
containing regions of light and dark bands, which is due to the wave fronts i­ nterfering
with themselves upon reflection from the obstacle. One can see how the wave fronts
bend around the edges of the opening and propagate toward the screen, where the
pattern can be displayed.
The peak of intensity corresponds to the region of maximum brightness on the
screen, and the gradual change in the curve corresponds to the decrease in brightness,
as you go up and down from the central maximum.

Exploratory Task
To explore the use of the equations expressing the relationships between the
various factors involved in diffraction
y
sinq = l / d and tanq =
L
And using the small angle approximation sin θ ≈ tan θ, one can write the
following equation:
l y
=
d L
To determine how the width of the central maximum changes, one solves for y
l l
y = L , and so the width (2y) = 2L
d d
Use the online simulation at (http://phet.colorado.edu/index.php); Choose
Wave Interference from the available choices, then select the Light tab, make
sure the screen looks just like the figure below:

(continued)
6 Diffraction 125

The objective is to test the dependence of the width of the central maxi-
mum, on each of the variables in the equation (L, d, and λ). Change one vari-
able at a time, and describe what happens as you reach the limits of the values
of each variable in testing the relationship
l
Width of central maximum = 2L (the 2 is a constant factor that does not
affect the relationships). d

The use of a single opening or slit for diffraction applications is important as it

tells us what are the limits of imaging (used in a general sense, not just with light).
The dependence of the width of the central maximum on the various factors explored
in the previous task can be used to show why one cannot image an object that is
smaller than the wavelength of the signals used.
l
In the equation “Width of central maximum = 2L ” if one uses a device where
d
L and d are constant, the only variable left is the wavelength λ. The usual condition
for single slit diffraction is that L >> d (the distance from the slit to the screen is
much greater than the width of the slit).
Recall that the range of visible wavelengths is approximately (400–750 nm); if
we were to use light of 600 nm being incident on a slit ¼ mm wide as used in a
previous example, d = 2.5 × 10−4 m, and projected onto a screen at 2.0 m distance, we
would get a central maximum of width 2y where
2y = 2 (2.0  m) (6.0 × 10−7  m)/2.5 × 10−4 m = 0.0096 m or 9.6 mm, which is signifi-
cantly larger than the width d.
If we were to use instead a width an order of magnitude greater (ten times), d = 2.5 mm
2y = 2 (2.0  m) (6.0 × 10−7  m)/2.5 × 10−3 m = 0.00096 m or 0.96 mm.
This represents a central maximum width that would be smaller than the width d
of the slit, and being nearly 1 mm it would be extremely challenging to see. We can
compare this result with the first part, where the central maximum width is almost
1 cm and thus definitely visible.
However, there is an additional problem with the second result besides the fact
that it becomes very difficult to see the central maximum width. The following fig-
ure is designed to illustrate the results of the above exercise, not to scale of course.
As Fig. 6.5 shows, in the first part (a) there is a definitely clear central maximum
with a peak that gradually goes to zero, as expected for the adjacent minima. In part
(b) the central maximum is no longer there, instead there is a tendency for a central
minimum to form, although the intensity does not go to zero before repeating the pat-
tern. The second pattern almost seems like a reversal of the first part; instead of being
sharp at the middle, the pattern is now blurred. In addition, the distance between
minima has increased so much that there is no way to tell what it is in part (b) as the
pattern essentially goes off scale, and in part (a) it was easily determined to be 0.50.
The dramatic change in pattern shown above results from the change in size of
the slit width, even though only one source of light is sending the waves that are
diffracted. Looking at the two peaks one may be tempted to extrapolate back and
126 6 Diffraction

Fig. 6.5  Graphical representations of the changes made in the exercise above. The wave is repre-
sented by the changes in the electric field that is part of the electromagnetic oscillations that are
light. The figure shows in both parts that the wavelength λ of the light, and the separation L between
the slit and the screen remain constant. In part (a) there is a clear central maximum with a sharp
peak and gradual decrease to zero intensity for the adjacent minima. In part (b) the slit width is
made significantly larger than in (a), and this leads to the fuzzy pattern that now forms where the
central maximum was, and the intensity of the peaks does not decrease to zero in between them

imagine that instead of one light source, there are now two. If this effect arises from
only one source of light, imagine what happens where there is more than one.
The above result can be used to explain a limitation that exists for optical devices
due to the wave nature of light. Imagine two sources of light quite distant from a slit
of width d. If light were not diffracted and interfere with itself as it bends around the
opening or slit, we would expect to see two bright spots on a screen corresponding
to each of the light sources. However, as a result of interference each light source
will appear as a central bright spot (the central maximum width) surrounded by
adjacent dark areas, and even other maxima further away from the central one. With
two light sources being diffracted the result is now an addition of two patterns
appearing on the screen. If the two light sources are sufficiently separated their pat-
terns can appear as the result of Fig. 6.6a. However, what one usually gets is the
result of Fig. 6.5b, where the two overlap.
Figure  6.6 illustrates what happens in the extreme case where two sources of
light cannot be resolved by an optical instrument such as a telescope, or the human
eye due to the fact that the interference patterns produced by each source combine.
The two maxima overlap and what should happen in (a) instead often results in (b).
Ideally the central maximum of one image should appear where the first mini-
mum of the other image is, a condition or limit of resolution called Rayleigh’s criterion.
This applies to optical instruments in terms of the limit of resolution of images of
distant objects, such as stars. However, ordinary objects like automobile headlights
can also appear as a single source when they are far away, and only become resolved
as two as the distance decreases sufficiently for the human eye to see them as two.
6 Diffraction 127

Fig. 6.6  Two sources of light sufficiently separated by a distance should exhibit the pattern shown
in (a) that corresponds to the projected images being resolved, since the two patterns are clearly
distinguished. What one usually observes is the result of Fig. 5b where the two patterns overlap.
The extreme case is shown in (b) where the projected pattern or image appears as that of one, when
in reality there are two sources

Fig. 6.7  Diffraction caused by two openings. The interference pattern is more discernible than for
a single one

Figure 6.7 shows the situation for two openings, with similar features to those of a
single one. However, there is more detail available in the pattern. The intensity peak
at approximately 0.53 represents the central maximum, those at 0.43 and 0.65 in turn
represent the first two minima, and those at 0.30 and 0.77 represent the first-order
maxima.
128 6 Diffraction

1. The intensity graph representation corresponds to the bright and dark fringes
seen on the screen, with the central maximum illustrated by the dashed line. The
fact that the central bright maximum appears exactly behind the line separating
the two openings serves to illustrate the way the wave model of the nature of
light was demonstrated in the early nineteenth century by Thomas Young [1]. If
light consisted of particles, as Newton and others had thought, the interference
pattern would not be formed since the particles could only appear on the screen
directly across from the openings. In other words, there would only be two bright
spots on the screen, exactly where the particles impacted it.

Experimental Task
As we saw in the previous activity that used a laser, we want to minimize the
exposure to the reflection of the laser light from a glass or other smooth sur-
face. In that task we concentrated instead on the pattern of diffraction on a
screen produced by the light as it went through the slits. However, this same
property of reflection can be used to determine the wavelength of a given light
color. As you may have previously noticed, and as can be seen in the figure
below the reflection of light from a compact disc can produce a color spec-
trum since its surface appears smooth, but it really isn’t. There are a number
of versions of this experiment available online as well as other excellent
sources such as the one described in The Physics Teacher [2].
The objective of this experiment is to use a known wavelength from a
monochromatic source (a laser) to determine the diffraction properties of a
compact disc, so that when a light source that contains all the colors shines on
the disc, individual color wavelengths can be isolated and measured.
Procedure
(I) Determination of the track separation on the CD
In this part we use a laser and shine it through a hole on a screen (a sheet
of hard paper) so that it reaches the compact disc (CD) along the direction of
the normal to the disc, and it reflects back onto the screen. The screen should
be located approximately 20 cm from the CD (Important: Make sure the
laser hits part of the CD tracks, not the middle of the disc).

(continued)
6 Diffraction 129

Experimental setup showing the laser going through the slit on the screen
and its reflection on the CD forming the set of dots on both sides of the central
maximum. The following pictures show the pattern obtained.
You should observe first- and second-order spots on both sides of the cen-
ter hole; measure the distance D between the inner two (first-order) spots, as
well as between the second-order spots.

The diffraction pattern is shown in the dark on the first picture, and with
some light on the second, where the laser can be seen to the left of the screen.
There are clearly two sets of bright spots on either side of the central maxi-
mum (the middle spot); these correspond to the first- and second-order max-
ima, respectively. Notice particularly in the dark picture that one of the bright
spots is slightly beyond the edge of the screen, and the spot that is not part of
the pattern on the screen is where the laser strikes the CD.
The geometry of the situation is shown in the following diagram that
describes the diffraction pattern in detail.

(continued)
130 6 Diffraction

where y is the distance between the central and the first-order maximum;
L is the distance between the CD and the screen, θ is the angle formed by the
reflected rays for the same two maxima, and R is the hypotenuse of the right
triangle formed by these distances.
y
Sin θ =  , and using the Pythagorean theorem, R2 = y2 + L2
R
So R = √y2 + L2, Hence sin θ = y/√y2 + L2
And using Eq. 6.2
sin θ = ± m λ/d, we solve for d (which in this case corresponds to the spac-
ing between the CD tracks)
d = ± m l / sinq
since we are using the first-order maximum (m = 1)
d = l y 2 + L2 / y = l 1 + L2 / y 2 ( A )
the two distances y for the first-order maximum should be averaged before
using the value of y in the equation.
(II) Determining the wavelengths of chosen colors from the visible
spectrum
In this part a light source is placed behind and above an observer who then
moves the CD gradually from a distance of roughly 10 cm in front of the face,
making sure that a spectrum appears on the surface of the disc. You should
practice moving the disc slowly back and forth to confirm that the spectrum
appears more than once, since contrary to the laser, instead of dots represent-
ing the maxima the light source now produces spectra that appear at values of
m = ± (1, 2, 3,…) from the center of the disc. It is imperative that the disc
surface be kept perpendicular to the distance from the eye so as to ensure
consistency in the way the spectra appear. When a spectrum is clearly
obtained, move the disc until the particular color region chosen as the wave-
length to be determined, is just at the outer edge of the disc.
Additionally, in this part the distance from the light source to the observer
should be about 10–20 times that of the distance between the observer and the
position of the CD.

(continued)
6 Diffraction 131

Experimental setup to obtain the desired spectrum from the light on

the CD.
When the disc is at the point where the chosen color (wavelength) is on the
outer edge of the CD, the geometry in detail is shown below
The relationships used before are still valid, except that instead of measur-
ing y directly we must use instead the diameter of the CD, since the central
maximum falls on the hole of the disc. Thus
y
Sin θ =  , and y = D/2 (half the CD diameter)
R
And using the relationships from before
sinq = D / 2 / D 2 / 4 + L2 = 1 / 1 + 4 L2 / D 2
and sin θ = ± m λ/d, with m = 1

(continued)
132 6 Diffraction

sin θ = λ/d, using the value of d obtained in (A) of Part I we can now find
the wavelength
l = d sinq = d / 1 + 4 L2 / D 2
Write your calculations here and then fill in the value of the wavelength in
the table below
Color Wavelength Range (nm)
Red 620–780
Violet 390–455

Reflections
( 1) What values of the ranges are your wavelengths closest to?
(2) What do you consider the main sources of error in this experiment?

Application to Sound

The bending of waves around obstacles also takes place when sound propagates,
and as with light there are many applications. For example, if you are listening
to sounds coming from a room through an open door, you will have noticed that
you don’t have to be standing in the middle of the opening to hear the sounds.
Even if you walk away from the door, you will still be able to hear the sounds due
to the bending of sound waves around the obstacle represented by the door open-
ing. Additionally, one can hear the lower frequencies of sounds coming from
ensembles such as a marching band, before one hears the higher pitch sounds.
This is a result of lower frequencies bending or diffracting more than higher
ones.
But why is this so? Generally speaking waves will diffract whenever their
wavelengths are longer than the size of the obstacles that cause them to diffract.
That is why the initial example in this chapter results in one being able to hear
around obstacles, but unable to see around them. The wavelengths of light are
much smaller than the sizes of the objects causing the diffractions in the example,
so they end up being reflected rather than diffracted by objects ordinarily encoun-
tered everyday.
Consider the example of a loudspeaker producing sounds of various frequen-
cies within the audible spectrum (20–20,000 Hz); choosing two from among the
range, such as 200 and 2000 Hz yields the following values for their
wavelengths:
If we assume the speed of sound to be roughly 340 m/s, the 200 Hz sound will
have a wavelength given by
340 m / s
v = λ f, and so λ = v/f =   = 1.7  m
200 Hz
Application to Sound 133

whereas the 2000 Hz sound will have a wavelength

340 m / s
λ = v/f =   = 0.17 m or 17 cm
2000 Hz
A typical loudspeaker capable of producing such sounds will definitely be larger
than 17 cm and so will send out waves that will spread out more for the longer
wavelengths than for the shorter ones. This particular property will be explored in
the next experimental task.

Exploratory Task
Contours are graphical representations of data where the values of certain
quantities are constant, but there are also changes between the contours them-
selves. You may have noticed contours appearing on weather reports showing
the values of temperature or air pressure. There are many possible uses of data
collected and displayed as contours.
One important property of contours is that they are constructed from data
points displayed and connected whenever they have the same value. Since
contours represent numerical data they can overlap, but not intersect. In other
words, unlike waves contours cannot go through each other. The following
figure illustrates what contours look like in general.
The two contours shown indicate values that are the same for each curve, but
the curves themselves differ in value. The changes in value could be an increase
or a decrease, and can be shown changing inward or outward in the figure.
In this experimental task measurement and representation as contours
(lines of constant value) for sound intensity (in dB) as two tones of different
frequency are emitted, and as the measurements are taken progressively farther
from the source.
Using a sound level meter (either a microphone or a phone app) one can
determine on a predetermined grid what the pattern of propagation for sounds
of different frequencies is, to determine which one diffracts more.

(continued)
134 6 Diffraction

1. Sound of a given frequency is produced; determine a location where the

loudness level of sound has a specific value in dB, and repeat the measure-
ment for other locations that have the same loudness level.
2. Mark the locations on a grid and then translate the physical measurements
onto a model on paper where the points having the same loudness level can
be connected with a line, this will be the first contour.
3. Repeat the measurements for sound of a higher frequency than the first one.
4. Construct the second contour and compare the spreading with that of the
first one. What do you notice that is different in the spreading?

Inquiry-Based Investigation
We are familiar with many examples of the use of sound in nature by other
species besides humans. From insects to whales there are many accounts
and descriptions of their use of some of the properties exhibited by sound
waves, particularly for navigation, hunting, and echolocation, to name a
few. It is known that elephants and bats, to choose two examples from the
animal kingdom, use ultrasonic (beyond the higher limit of the audible
range), and infrasonic (beyond the lower limit) for communicating and/or
hunting purposes.
1. Determine the range of the dimensions of typical objects animals encoun-
ter in their habitats, such as average tree widths, rock sizes, and small
mounds that they interact with on a regular basis.
2. As stated before, generally speaking waves having wavelengths shorter
than the objects they interact with will be reflected, and waves with longer
wavelengths than those objects will be diffracted rather than reflected.
3. Use 340 m/s for the speed of sound in air as an approximation, the audible
frequency range as (20–20,000 Hz), and choose an infrasound frequency
of 15 Hz to determine the wavelength of the waves that could be used by
one of the two groups of animals chosen (elephants and bats). Based on
your answer for the wavelength, which one of the groups do you conclude
would use these waves, and for what purpose is the sound used?
4. Now choose an ultrasonic frequency of 50,000 Hz to determine the wave-
length of the waves that could be used by the other chosen group of ani-
mals. Which one of the groups do you conclude would use these waves,
and for what purpose is the sound used?
5. Reflect on your results by writing a short paragraph describing how the
two groups of animals would specifically go about using such waves.
References 135

References

1. Young, Thomas (1804). “Bakerian Lecture: Experiments and calculations relative to physical
optics”. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 94: 1–16.
2. Nöldeke, C. (1990). “Compact disc diffraction” The Physics Teacher 28, 484 (1990); doi:
10.1119/1.2343118.
Chapter 7
Polarization

As in the social context, polarization implies a preferred orientation or direction, or

even a partial perspective on an originally impartial one. The effect of polarization
is to alter a pre-existing condition that shows no preference for the way things are,
or that has no particular direction or way for objects to move. This is essentially the
way one can see waves as they would appear to oscillate in all allowed directions,
and of course this has implications for the types of waves that can do that.

Exploratory Task
Use the simulation available at https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/
radio-waves
Make sure the screen looks like the figure below

(continued)

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 137

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_7
138 7 Polarization

Now click on Oscillate and describe what you see after a few seconds;
what reasons can you offer for what you observe happening?

Transverse waves result from oscillations that are perpendicular to the direction
the wave travels whereas longitudinal waves are by definition already constrained
to move in the way the oscillations occur. An un-polarized or non-polarized wave
would exhibit the property of oscillations in every direction allowed, and the filtering
effect, which is the result of polarization, would decrease the amount of oscillations
in certain directions. Figures 7.1 and 7.2 demonstrate how polarization occurs.
Figure 7.3 demonstrates why longitudinal waves like sound cannot be polarized;
the oscillations being along the same direction as the wave travel allow the wave to
be transmitted regardless of the orientation of the slits.
There are innumerable uses of polarization with electromagnetic waves, so we
shall concentrate on the applications that concern light.
Figure 7.4 shows the reason why electromagnetic waves can be polarized. In reality,
the oscillations should occur in all directions, so the actual shape of an un-polarized

Fig. 7.1 A transverse wave moving to the right as represented by the dashed arrow; the other
arrows illustrate the oscillations. The slit on the right will allow the passage of the wave since the
orientation of its opening is along the same direction as the oscillations, namely along the vertical
direction

Fig. 7.2 The same wave will be blocked by the orientation of the slit’s opening being horizontal,
whereas the oscillations are vertical

Fig. 7.3 The arrows now represent oscillations along the same direction as the wave travel, a
longitudinal wave; in this case they will all go through regardless of the orientation of the slits
Polarization by Absorption 139

Fig. 7.4 An electromagnetic wave is clearly seen as consisting of oscillations of electric and mag-
netic fields along mutually perpendicular planes. One can assume the electric field oscillations to
be represented by the vertical arrows, and those of the magnetic field to be represented by the hori-
zontal ones, those that appear to be going into and coming out of the page. The dashed arrow
represents the direction of travel of the wave

Fig. 7.5 An un-polarized or non-polarized transverse wave is represented by the helical pattern
above, where the two shorter dashed arrows point along the plane of the oscillations, whereas the
long dashed arrow points along the direction of propagation of the wave. The set of solid arrows
drawn on the first circle are part of an infinite number of oscillations covering the plane, and they
would point in every direction on it

electromagnetic wave should be visualized as a series of connected footballs.

Polarization can be accomplished in several different ways: by absorption, by
reflection, by double refraction, and by scattering. In each case, the number of oscil-
lations on a plane perpendicular to the direction of wave travel is reduced. Figure 7.5
shows the details of a non-polarized wave.

Polarization by Absorption

Polarization by absorption consists of using filters made of materials whose molecules

have been stretched along a chosen direction, and then allowing un-polarized waves
to go through such filters. The orientation of the filter determines the amount of filter-
ing or polarization, from a minimum to a maximum amount of blocked oscillations in
a repetitive way. You can visualize this effect by looking at Fig. 7.1 and imagining the
slit gradually rotated from its position in that figure, to the one in Fig. 7.2. If you were
to continue rotating the slit until it returned to its original position, you would see the
reverse of what happened before, namely an increase from a minimum amount of
transmitted oscillations to a maximum.
140 7 Polarization

Polarization by Reflection

Polarization by reflection can be illustrated by Fig. 7.6.

Figure 7.6 shows polarization by reflection as occurring whenever an un-
polarized wave is incident upon a regular surface, and partial transmission and
reflection take place. The angle of incidence and that of reflection are equal, thus
ensuring complete polarization along the direction of the plane of the surface. The
angle of refraction is smaller, although partial polarization in all directions takes
place. The number of arrows is used to illustrate the amount of polarization, besides
their orientation.

Polarization by Double Refraction

Polarization by double refraction is shown in Fig. 7.7.

Figure 7.7 shows double refraction leading to polarization. The originally un-
polarized wave is incident upon a transparent material that has two different indices
of refraction. Since the transmitted waves travel at different speeds due to the
different indices, they emerge polarized and producing a double image. Notice that
the two emerging waves have a polarization direction that is mutually
perpendicular.

Fig. 7.6 Polarization by reflection occurs when an un-polarized wave is incident upon a surface
where both transmission and reflection take place. The reflected wave is completely polarized
along the direction of the plane of the surface, whereas the transmitted one is partially polarized in
the other directions
Polarization by Absorption 141

Fig. 7.7 Polarization by double refraction occurs whenever an un-polarized wave is incident upon
and goes through a material with two different indices of refraction. These materials are called
birefringent; since the first two refracted waves travel in different directions, the emerging waves
will be mutually perpendicularly polarized and will produce a double image

Polarization by Scattering

Finally polarization by scattering results from un-polarized light being incident

upon a material made of systems of particles, like clouds, where the electrons absorb
and reradiate the light. The most important instance of polarization by scattering
accounts for the different colors of the sky, and in particular why it is blue, as shown
in Fig. 7.8.
When the electric field component of sunlight interacts with an atom or a mole-
cule of air, it sets it in oscillatory motion with a resonant frequency. This oscillatory
motion leads to a type of radiation like that coming from an antenna, and it is along
a preferred direction, which is the polarization effect.
Figures 7.9 and 7.10 explain the phenomenon of a blue sky, and the appearance of
the sun at dusk, when it is low on the horizon. In Fig. 7.9 the scattering that results in
the blue color is shown as an interaction of an originally un-polarized electromag-
netic wave (sunlight) with a molecule in the atmosphere. In Fig. 7.10 the reddening
of the sky is shown from the perspective of observers on the Earth. Two observers
are at points A and B, respectively, and they will see two different colors of the sky.
The difference in the type of scattering depends on the wavelength of the light and
the size of the particles that scatter it. The colors one observes in the sky depend on
scattering; recall that the range of wavelengths for visible light is approximately
(400–750) nanometers (nm). When a deep blue sky is seen, that comes from
142 7 Polarization

Fig. 7.8 The figure shows two examples of polarization by scattering: the blue color of the back-
ground sky, and the white color of the clouds in the foreground

Fig. 7.9 The scattering of an un-polarized electromagnetic wave (the one on the left) by an air
molecule can be shown by assuming that photons are oscillating in two directions. The oscillations
of the electric field are along the vertical direction; the original wave has a wavelength λ1, and upon
striking the molecule the electrons will scatter the shorter wavelength photons producing a polar-
ized wave of shorter wavelength λ2

preferential scattering of photons of shorter wavelength in the visible spectrum.

Particles larger than 750 nm scatter all colors equally, such as those making up clouds
(1000–100,000) nanometers.
The reason why one sees a reddish sky when the sun is near the horizon is that
the light waves are traveling a longer distance through the atmosphere, and they
have already been scattered toward the shorter wavelengths. An observer will see
the scattering resulting now from the longer wavelengths of the light spectrum,
which is the red end.
Polarization by Absorption 143

Fig. 7.10 Description of the observation of the color the sun appears when it is low on the horizon.
The sun is drawn as it would look at a very long distance from the Earth, and so the diagram is not
to scale. In part (a) an observer at A sees a blue sky, whereas one at B will see a reddish one due
to two factors: the sunlight travels a longer distance through the atmosphere, and the blue color has
already been scattered, thus creating the familiar view at dusk (b)

Conceptual Task
In order to get an idea of the scale needed in the next experimental task, con-
sider that the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum is roughly
400–740 nm.
1 nm = 1.0 × 10−9 m
• When an object is said to be 10 micrometers (μm) in size, and knowing that
1 μm = 1.0 × 10−6 m
(a) How big is the object in nm?
(b) How many times larger than the object is the average wavelength in
the visible spectrum?
• When an object is said to be 0.01 μm in size
(c) How big is the object in nm?
(d) How many times smaller than the object is the average wavelength
from b)?

(continued)
144 7 Polarization

Exploratory Task
(The following activity is based on the educational types provided by NASA
(http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/education/index.html)
Scattering of Light and Particle Size Determination
As previously discussed in the chapter on diffraction, light of certain wave-
lengths can either be reflected or diffracted, depending on the size of the
objects with which the light interacts. If the wavelength is longer than the
dimensions of the object, the light will be diffracted (provided there is no
significant difference in the scale of the dimensions and the wavelength in
question). If the wavelength is shorter than the dimensions of the object, the
light will be reflected.
In the case of scattering, whenever the wavelength of the light interacting
with the objects that scatter it is kept constant, then a similar situation to that
of the previous paragraph takes place. In this instance, for a constant wave-
length the size of the objects matters.
Given the range of wavelengths for the visible part of the electromagnetic
spectrum where light is used to explore nature (400–750 nm), there is also a
range of sizes for objects to either reflect or scatter light. Objects larger than
about 10 μm reflect light, and those about 1/100 μm in size scatter light in all
directions. However, equal amounts of light are scattered back toward the source
and away from the source, and lesser amounts of light are scattered in other
directions. Objects about 1 μm in size can exhibit strong forward scattering and
weak backscattering.
• Materials needed:
1. Laser pointer.
2. Two clear plastic or glass water bottles or cups having vertical sides,
not slanted, and having a range of 5–10 cm in diameter.
3. Water, milk (1/20 teaspoon per 12 oz of water), and flour (less than or
equal to 1/4 teaspoon—a “pinch”—per 12 oz of water).
4. Eye dropper.
5. A rotating platform or other means to rotate a container.
6. Masking, duct, or electrical tape
• Procedure
Attach a piece of tape to one side of each container. Fill one container with
water and place it on the rotating platform. In the other container, prepare a
highly dilute solution of milk, thoroughly mixed so the water is just slightly
whitened. (Start with 1/20 teaspoon of milk per 12 oz of water; find the right
proportions by experimentation in advance.) Place the laser and sample bottle
on the rotating platform.
Align the laser pointer so that the beam passes through the water bottle and
projects onto the piece of tape on the far side of the container. (The tape will

(continued)
Polarization by Absorption 145

ensure that the laser beam is not projected farther into the room and perhaps
into someone’s eyes.) This arrangement is similar to the wavelength determi-
nation in chap. 6.
Darken the room and project the laser beam through the container of plain
water. Observe the brightness of the beam in the water as the platform is
rotated. The beam should pass straight through and be invisible or nearly so
from all directions except directly along the beam.
Next, project the beam through the dilute milk solution. Laser light scatter-
ing from tiny particles of milk will delineate the laser beam. The intensity of
the beam is stronger or weaker according to the scattering properties of the
milk particles (primarily their size) as the assembly is turned in front of fixed
observers. Observers should note how the beam reaches maximum brightness
when they are looking in nearly the direction it is coming from.
Mix flour with the plain water (less than or equal to 1/4 tea-spoon flour per
12 oz of water) in the first container.
Project the laser beam through the dilute flour solution. The scattering
properties of the milk and flour solutions are different because there is greater
variation in flour particle size than in milk particle size. Store-bought milk is
homogenized (its particles are reduced to the same size) so the cream stays in
solution. With either mixture, notice how the beam intensity diminishes with
distance (looking from the side).
You may have noticed when you drive under certain conditions that bright
headlights in fog may or may not help drivers, depending on particle size.
Reflections from large fog droplets make night visibility with bright head-
lights poorer than with dimmed headlights.
Predictions Based on Results
Try other materials that will remain suspended in liquid for sufficient
amounts of time to allow for observations. First fill out the following table
and predict whether or not the material will scatter light and thus be useful for
particle size determination.
Material Prediction Observed
Cornmeal
Cornstarch
Oat bran
Glitter
Salt
Sugar
Sprite
Diet Soda

Reflections:

(continued)
146 7 Polarization

Experimental Task
Polarized waves are those (transverse) where the waves vibrate in a specific
direction. Polarization can be achieved by filtering some of the vibrations,
such that only those aligned with the direction of the filtering mechanism will
pass through. For the case of light waves, those waves that vibrate in the same
plane as the polarizing material can pass through.
The most common method of polarization involves the use of a Polaroid
filter. Polaroid filters are made of a special material that is capable of block-
ing one of the two planes of vibration of an electromagnetic wave. (Remember,
the notion of two planes or directions of vibration is merely a simplification
that helps us to visualize the wavelike nature of the electromagnetic wave.) In
this sense, a Polaroid serves as a device that filters out one-half of the vibra-
tions upon transmission of the light through the filter. When un-polarized light
is transmitted through a Polaroid filter, it emerges with one-half the intensity
and with vibrations in a single plane; it emerges as polarized light.

Experimental Arrangement. Two Polaroid filters are used between a

light source and a light sensor. The Polaroid filter closest to the light source is
called the Polarizer, and the one closest to the light sensor is called the
Analyzer. The objective is to keep the Analyzer fixed, and rotate the Polarizer
a complete 360° to measure the transmitted light intensity. The light intensity
is recorded by connecting the sensor to a device (computer or interface) where
the information can be recorded.

(continued)
Polarization by Absorption 147

Detail procedure for turning the Polarizer while keeping the Analyzer
fixed.
The transmitted light is linearly polarized by the Analyzer, and then its
intensity is plotted as relationships between the light intensity and the angle
of the Analyzer, as well as the time taken to turn it.
Procedure
1. We first determine the difference in light intensity when the sensor points
directly at the light source, and then when a Polaroid filter is placed in
front of the light sensor. Let’s test both filters to ascertain whether or not
they are identical in their polarizing properties.

Intensity Intensity Ratio % Difference

Filter without it (I)1 with it (I)2 (I)2/(I)1 % [(I)2/(I)1] × 100 from (0.50%)
1
2
Average

2. Place the two Polaroid filters as shown in the first figure; while keeping the
Analyzer fixed, turn the polarizer as shown in the detailed procedure and
record your observations. Record the intensity for every 15° change, every
5 s until you complete one whole rotation or 360°.

(continued)
148 7 Polarization

3. Plot two graphs of the intensity, first as a function of the angle, and then as
a function of the time.
Observations (For Both Parts)
Processing The Data
1. Describe the graphs obtained; do they produce a wave pattern?
2. For what values of the degree measure was the light intensity a minimum
and a maximum?
3. Summarize what you consider the sources of error in the experiment.
Chapter 8
Changes in Properties of Waves

The Doppler Effect

We learned in chapter two that the frequency of a wave is not a property of the
motion of its components as the wave travels. As waves move through various mate-
rials their speeds, amplitudes, and wavelengths can change, but not their frequencies
and correspondingly their periods. These are strictly properties of the manner in
which the waves are generated. In other words, the frequency of a wave is constant,
unless it is changed at its source. As with most statements in science, there are
exceptions. An important one is the so-called Doppler effect (named after its discov-
erer Christian Doppler), an apparent change in frequency produced by motion. The
use of the term apparent is meant to highlight the fact that it is relative to something.
In this case the motion of either the source or the observer will cause a perceived
change in frequency; however, the change isn’t always there, it is only an effect
produced by motion. Figure 8.1 shows the Doppler shift for sound waves.
As we shall see in this chapter, the apparent change in the frequency of signals
generated by a moving object can be used for a great number of applications.
Ordinarily speaking, to determine the average speed of a moving object one needs
to know both the distance traveled and the time taken to travel it. The use of the term
average implies an approximation since the object’s speed may change and so deter-
mining its instantaneous speed proves more challenging. Of course, if the speed of
the object is constant, the average and instantaneous values are identical.
Using the Doppler shift in frequency can help to determine a good approxima-
tion to the instantaneous value of the speed of a moving object, or at the very least
a more accurate value than just the average.
The usefulness of the Doppler effect lies in its many applications to a variety of
situations, where knowing the shift in frequency enables one to determine the
speed of the object that produced the waves. This is true of such different situations
as the flow of blood in the human body in physiological and anatomical studies, the
motion of a speeding automobile in forensic investigations, and the motion of an
air mass in meteorological forecasts. In order to appreciate the applicability of the

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 149

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_8
150 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

Fig. 8.1  Doppler shift of sound waves emitted by a source indicated by the arrow, as it moves to
the right. As the waves reach the observer indicated by the dot to the right of the source, the spacing
of the lines demonstrates that the frequencies are unequal. In the top part the observer measures a
higher frequency (lines are closer to each other) as the source approaches it. In the bottom part the
frequency measured by the observer is initially higher, and then lower after the source has passed
it (the lines are more closely spaced and then further apart). However, the frequency of the source
remains constant (lower scale in both parts)

Doppler effect, we need to look at the quantitative determination of the values

involved in the variety of situations where the shift in frequency provides information
about the motion of the objects in question.
We can state the general relationship between the frequency of a source of waves
(ƒs) and the observed frequency (ƒ0) when detected as either the source or an
observer moves. The relationship takes into account the fact that when an observer
moves either towards or away from the source, the speed of the waves relative to the
observer is either larger or smaller than the original one in the equation v = λ ƒ.
Correspondingly, when the source moves either towards or away from an observer,
the wavelength of the waves changes in a similar way to the speed for a moving
Worked Example 151

v
observer. In other words, when there is no motion ƒ = 
from the above relationship.
l Dv
However, when there is motion the observed frequency is ƒ0 =  .
Dl
When one combines both the motion of the source or that of the observer, the
æ V + Vo ö
expression for the observed frequency becomes ƒ0 =  ç V - V ÷ ƒs.
è s ø

In the above equation v is the speed of the waves, Vo is the speed of the object,
and Vs is the speed of the source. The convention is to use positive (+) values for
both Vo and Vs when motion is towards each other, and negative (−) when motion is
away from one another.

Worked Example

An ambulance passes you by and you can measure the frequency as 560 Hz; if the
actual frequency of the siren is 500 Hz, and you are stationary, how fast is the ambu-
lance moving? We use 343 m/s as the speed of sound in air, and the Doppler formula
states that

æ V + Vo ö
ƒ0 = ç ÷ ƒs.
è V - Vs ø

ƒ0 = 560  Hz, ƒs = 500  Hz, V0 = 0 m/s, solving for Vs (the speed of the source, the
ambulance)
Rearranging the equation above we get

(V – Vs ) 0 =V s

Expanding the term V ƒ0 − Vs ƒ0 = V ƒs
And solving for Vs = V (ƒ0 − ƒs)/ƒ0
Substituting the given values
Vs = (343 m/s) (560 Hz–500 Hz)/ 560 Hz = 36.8 m/s

Example
A bat, flying at 5.00 m/s, emits a chirp at 40.0 kHz. If this sound pulse is
reflected by a wall, what is the frequency of the echo received by the bat?
(vsound = 340  m/s.)
ANS: 41.2 kHz
152 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

Other examples using the Doppler formula can be worked out by going to the
Explore Learning Gizmo website
https://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspResourceE
xplorer&browse=Science/Grade+9-12/Physics/Sound.
You can use the formula to substitute the values given for the source frequency,
the speed of the source, and the speed of sound. Note that the speed of the observer
is zero in the formula, since the icon where the observed frequency is measured
corresponds to an observer at rest. Select the box for “observed frequency” and
then run the simulation. Does the value of the observed frequency match your
calculated one?
You can practice by changing the given values, using the formula, and then run-
ning the simulation to compare the values.

Virtual Activity
The Doppler Effect and the Sonic Cone
The table shows six cases describing the emission of sound waves from a
moving source towards the point on the right. The speed of the waves is con-
stant (340 m/s), and each trial shows on the third column the effect of chang-
ing the speed of the source. Every trial shows the waves as they are about to
be received at the other point.
1. Describe what the diagrams indicate about the changes in the speed of the
source.
2. When does a cone first appear?
3. What happens to the shape of the cone as you continue to increase the
source’s speed values?

Trial Speed of source (m/s) Result

1 170

(continued)
Worked Example 153

Trial Speed of source (m/s) Result

2 300

3 340

4 400

(continued)
154 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

Trial Speed of source (m/s) Result

5 500

6 680

6 800

Exploratory Task
Using the Doppler effect to determine experimentally the Speed of a
Moving Object
The speed of a moving object can be determined in various ways; the sim-
plest case would be when the object moves with a constant speed. In general,
when an object travels a distance D in a time t its speed is given by the
formula

Distance D
Speed = . V=
time t

(continued)
We can construct an experimental task where an object moves with a constant
speed by having it move on a circular path. In this case the distance is the
circumference, and the time is the period of the motion.
2p r
Hence V =  , where r is the radius of the circle described by the motion
T
of the object.
We can also determine the speed of a moving object by using the Doppler
effect.
Doppler Effect Formula for General Cases
• The source and the observer could both be in motion; the observed
frequency f0 is given by the equation
æ V + V0 ö
• f0 = fs ç ÷
è V - Vs ø
• where fs is the frequency of the source, v is the speed of the signal, vo is the
speed of the object, and vs is the speed of the source.
• If either one is approaching we use positive values for vo and vs.
• If either one is moving away (receding) from the other we use negative
values for vo and vs.
Background Example
An alert student stands beside the tracks as a train rolls slowly past. The
student notes that the frequency of the train whistle is 480 Hz when the train
is approaching, and 440 Hz when it is moving away (receding). Using these
frequencies the train’s speed can be calculated.
Using
æ V + V0 ö
f 0 = fs ç ÷
è V - Vs ø
V0 = 0 (the observer is at rest)
Vs = Vt (the speed of the source is that of the train)

V = 340 m/s for the speed of sound

æ 340 m / s ö
Approaching: 480 Hz = fs ç ÷.
è 340 m / s - Vt ø
æ 340 m / s ö
Receding: 440 Hz = fs ç ÷.
è 340 m / s + Vt ø
Dividing the first equation by the second:
æ 340 m / s ö
fs ç ÷
340 m / s - Vt ø
= è
480 Hz
= 1.09 (The fs terms drop out)
440 Hz æ 340 m / s ö
fs ç ÷
è 340 m / s + Vt ø
Inverting the right side of the equation
æ 340 m / s ö æ 340 m / s + Vt ö
1.09 = ç ÷ç ÷
è 340 m / s - Vt ø è 340 m / s ø

(continued)
156 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

æ 340 m / s + Vt ö
1.09 = ç ÷ , cross-multiplying
è 340 m / s - Vt ø
(1.09) (340 m/s − Vt) = 340  m/s + Vt
370.6  m/s − (1.09) Vt = 340  m/s + Vt, rearranging the equation
370.6  m/s − 340  m/s = Vt + (1.09) Vt
Vt (1 + 1.09) = 30.6  m/s
Vt (2.09) = 30.6  m/s
30.6 m / s
Vt =   = 14.6 m/s is the speed of the train.
2.09
To practice using the Doppler formula before undertaking the experimen-
tal task, determine the speed of a moving object where the following data
were collected. An object moving on a circular path emitted a beeping sound
where the frequency varied between 3500 Hz and 3200 Hz. What was the
speed of the moving object?
Procedure
(Students work in groups stationed at various points near the circular path of
an object that emits a sound (like a beep). The object is held securely by a string
and made to rotate by a person holding the string at the center of the circle.)
1. Determine the speed of the moving object by measuring the length of the
string (the radius) and then measuring the time for a given number of rota-
tions (10). Measure the time for three trials and then average the result.
Construct a table showing the data collected.
2. Divide the average time for 10 rotations by 10 to get the period of each
rotation.
2p r
3. Use the equation V =  to get the speed of the moving object.
T
4. Determine the speed by using a microphone interfaced to a device, such as
a Vernier LabQuest to find the frequency of the beeping sound that the
rotating object produces. Three frequency values are needed:
(A) The frequency of the stationary object. (This frequency is only needed
to verify that the approaching and receding frequencies are suffi-
ciently different.)
(B) The frequency when the object is approaching the microphone.
(C) The frequency when the object is moving away from the microphone. To
ensure sufficient accuracy these frequencies should be measured three
times each, and then averaged. Construct a table for the data collected.
5. Use the Doppler formula as in the background examples to determine the
speed of the rotating object.
6. Discuss the results of both procedures, and include a reflections section
with specific references to the various sources of error.

(continued)
Application to Light 157

Write a Report including the following sections:

(A) Objective
(B) Brief procedure
(C) Data, calculations, and results
(D) Reflections—Analysis and discussion of sources of error.

Application to Light

The Doppler shift can be shown as it occurs in the case of light; the emission
spectrum of Hydrogen is shown in Fig. 8.2a as it appears in the laboratory (at rest).
The same spectrum is shown as it appears when Hydrogen is detected in the spectrum
of stars and galaxies.
Figure 8.2 shows what happens to the Hydrogen spectrum. The lines in part (a)
for a cloud of Hydrogen at rest appear around 430 nm for the blue, around 490 nm
for the teal or blue–green, and around 650 nm for the red. In part (b) when the

Fig. 8.2  The figure shows what happens in the case of light; the spectrum of Hydrogen gas
observed in the laboratory shows lines of varying intensity. In part (a) the same lines are observed
in the spectrum detected in a cloud of Hydrogen gas that is not moving with respect to an observer.
In part (b) the cloud is moving away from the observer at a speed about 10 % of the speed of light.
The spectral lines are shifted towards the longer wavelength or red end of the spectrum
158 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

spectrum is seen in a cloud that is moving and the same lines are now shifted to the
right; the blue line now appears at around 480 nm, the teal line at around 540 nm,
and the red at around 730 nm. The fact that they are all shifted towards the longer
wavelength end of the spectrum is an indication that the cloud is moving away from
the observer.
The longer wavelength end is the red part of the visible spectrum, hence the use
of the term redshift in astronomy. It is one of the most valuable pieces of informa-
tion available to astronomers and other scientists attempting to understand the
large-­scale properties of the universe.

Exploratory Task
Since radio signals are electromagnetic waves they can be used in radar appli-
cations; the Doppler imaging of clouds and air masses is used for weather
prediction. Use an online source of information, such as The National Weather
Service to write a brief explanation of how the Doppler effect is utilized in
this case.

 uman Hearing and the Subjective Perception of Changes

H
in Sound Intensity

The intensity, I, of a wave is defined as the power per unit area. This is the rate at
which the energy being transported by the wave transfers through a unit area per-
pendicular to the direction of the wave. A point source will emit sound waves
equally in all directions, which can result in a spherical wave where the power will
be distributed equally through the area of the sphere.
Figure 8.3 shows the structure of the human ear. The part that concerns us is the
curled up membrane in the inner ear. It is called the basilar membrane and known to
have a length of approximately 35 mm.

Place Theory of Hearing

The theory is based on the observation that two tones separated by a change in fre-
quency that either doubles or halves the initial frequency (an octave interval such as
512 Hz/256 Hz = 2/1 = 4/2 = 6/3 = 8/4) corresponds to a length separation of about
3.5 mm along the basilar membrane, within the human audible range (20 Hz–20 KHz).
Approximately ten such intervals covering the entire membrane have been identified,
thus making the whole membrane (35 mm) equal to roughly ten octaves.
Figure 8.4 shows a comparison between two relationships. In part (a) the rela-
tionship is that between the magnitude of ground movement and energy released
Place Theory of Hearing 159

Fig. 8.3  The human ear can be divided into the outer, middle, and inner ear

during a seismic event. This relationship constitutes the basis for the Richter scale,
which even in its modified version is used to determine the effect of earthquakes.
Note that the growth is exponential, and the energy difference between a 1.5 and a
2.5 magnitude earthquake is about 300 units; whereas between a magnitude 2 and 3
earthquake the energy difference is 900 units. In other words, while the difference
in magnitude is the same (1 unit), the energy difference is much greater between
larger magnitudes. Thus an earthquake of magnitude 3 releases 900 times the energy
of a magnitude 2 one, or it can be said to be 900 times stronger.
Part (b) shows a similar relationship between the frequency changes along the
basilar membrane and the length of the membrane where there is a doubling of the
frequency. Using the frequencies of several notes from the musical scale we get

C3 – C2 = 130.8 Hz – 65.4 Hz = 65.8 Hz;

C4 – C3 = 261.6 Hz – 130.8 Hz = 131.2 Hz;
C5 – C4 = 523.3Hz – 261.6 Hz = 262 Hz

C6 – C5 = 1046.5Hz – 523.3Hz = 523.3Hz;
C7 – C6 = 2093Hz - 1046.5Hz = 1046.5Hz

The graph shows that for every doubling of the frequency the distance along the
basilar membrane that responds to the change is roughly 3.5 mm. The distance in
question is that between hair-like cellular structures that rise in the membrane and
that lead to nerve responses correlated with frequency.
160 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

Fig. 8.4  Comparison of the scales used for both seismic energy release as a function of the
magnitude of the ground movement (a) and the frequency response of the human ear as a function
of the length along the basilar membrane (b)

The dependence of human responses to sound intensity changes based on

frequency needs an expression as a function of this doubling of the frequency, so the
relationship cannot be linear. Consequently, we can express as a power function the
relationship between variables where one doubles constantly as the other one
increases by a fixed amount. However, as you can see from Fig. 8.4a, a magnitude 7
earthquake would require extending the axes and it would be 10 million times stron-
ger than a magnitude 1 earthquake. Clearly the scale of one of the axes needs to be
reduced to display such large numbers in a comparable proportion to the values of
the other. There is a relationship between power and logarithmic functions; they are
the inverse of each other. In other words, the inverse function of y = bx is y = logb x.
Therefore, a relationship expressed as a function that yields a set of values expressed
as powers can also be expressed by a logarithmic function that expresses these val-
ues as regular numbers.
Place Theory of Hearing 161

The human ear is known to respond to changes in air pressure where the intensity
can be expressed in W/m2 but the range between what is audible (called the thresh-
old of hearing) and what is bearable (the threshold of pain) is about a trillion times,
or 1.0 × 1012 times. To reduce such a huge range of values to a scale where the sound
level can be expressed in a more manageable way, we can use an expression that
involves a logarithmic function.

æ I ö
SL = (10 dB) log10 ç ÷
è I0 ø

where I is the given value of the intensity, and I0 is the threshold of hearing (the
lowest possible sound) = 1.0 × 10−12 W/m2
It is imperative to clarify at this point that the use of SL as the sound level is
meant to represent what we hear, not the actual energy content of the sounds, which
in some textbooks is expressed in terms of loudness curves in addition to intensity
values. The emphasis on the use of sound level for SL is to differentiate it from that
usage in this context.
This human response can be represented by curves that are constant in intensity
(energy content), but variable in sound level (hearing volume) depending on the
frequency at which they are heard. The curves are based on the work of Fletcher and
Munson at Bell labs in the 1930s, and were made by asking people to judge when
pure tones of two different frequencies were equally loud, the curves being the
average results from many subjects. Several of these curves are shown in Fig. 8.6;

Fig. 8.5 Representation
showing that the ear canal
acts as a 2.5 cm close-­
ended tube
162 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

the lowest three beginning with the threshold of hearing, a medium one representing
typically heard everyday sounds, and the highest one at the threshold of pain.
The lowest curves indicate that low energy sounds are not all heard equally at
low frequencies, and the highest one is painful at almost all frequencies, represented
by its increased flatness. The common dip of all the curves is a result of the shape of
the ear canal.
Figure 8.5 shows a representation of the ear canal as a tube closed at one end.
Note that the length of the canal is ¼ of a wavelength, or L = λ/4 → λ = 4 L = 4
(0.025  m) = 0.10  m
v 340 m / s
v = λ ƒ → ƒ =  =  = 3400 Hz, which is the fundamental frequency ƒ1.
l 0.10 m
The next frequency is ƒ3 (3ƒ1) = 3 (3400  Hz) = 10,200  Hz.
Note that these values correspond to the dips in all the loudness curves shown.
This is the result of two resonances seen as the anti-nodes (A), or maximum
amplitudes. That is why the ear exhibits such sensitivity at those frequency values
(3400 Hz and 10,200 Hz) as shown in Fig. 8.6.

Fig. 8.6  Relationship between intensity levels and sound levels perceived as the frequency of the
sounds changes. The entire range of audible intensities (one trillion times difference in W/m2) can
be condensed into a manageable scale in dB by using a logarithmic relationship with the base of 10.
The two resonant frequencies (3400 Hz and 10,200 Hz) where the ear is most sensitive are shown
Useful Relations 163

Table 8.1  A comparison between ways to classify changes in sound energy. As changes in
intensity, and as changes in sound level or volume
Volume loudness (how many
Sound intensity (W/m2) Loudness level change (dB) times louder)
10,000 40 16
1000 30 8
100 20 4
10 10 2.0
4.0 6 1.52
2.0 3 1.23
1.0 0 1.0

I
Restating the formula SL = (10 dB) log10 ( ) we can see from the above graph
Io
that when a given intensity is I = 1.0 × 10 W/m2, the value of SL is 0 since log10
−12

(1) = 0. If the given intensity is 1, then SL = (10 dB) log10 (1/1.0 × 10−12) = (10  dB)

log10 (1.0 × 1012) = 120 dB, as can be determined from a logarithm calculator table or
a calculator with logarithm functions. These two values correspond to those on the
left vertical axis. The table below illustrates how the formula gives the correspond-
ing values of SL for some given intensities, and how many times louder these values
are compared to other levels, something that is not very intuitive on first inspection.
As an example, consider that a decrease of 10 dB in SL is equivalent to half the
volume but 1/10th the intensity.

Useful Relations

Log ab = log a + log b

Log a/b = log a − log b
If y = Ax, then x = logA y
In other words, if y = 10x, then x = log y
As Table 8.1 shows for the values indicated, a doubling in sound level corre-
sponds to an increase in sound intensity of ten times; this is true regardless of where
on the decibel scale the values change. Suppose operating a portable vacuum cleaner
produces a sound such that the sound level is measured at 60 dB, how much would
the sound made by four identical machines be?
164 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

Solution
We first determine the intensity value of the sound at 60 dB, by using the
formula
I
SL = (10  dB) log10 ( )
Io
I
60 dB = (10 dB) log10 ( ), dividing both sides by 10 dB
I Io
6 = log10 ( ), using the last of the relations given above (if x = log y,
I
then y = 10x) o
I
 = 106 → I = Io × 106
Io
I = (1.0 × 10−12 W/m2) (106) = 1.0 × 10−6 W/m2
This is the intensity of one machine; four such machines will produce
4.0 × 10−6 W/m2
And so the new sound level value will be
I
SL = (10  dB) log10 ( ) = (10  dB) log10 (4.0 × 10−6 W/m2/1.0 × 10−12 W/m2)
Io
SL = (10  dB) log10 (4.0 × 106) = (10  dB) (6.6) = 66  dB

A Note of Caution about Solving Sound Level Problems

The use of the two scales that are connected through the logarithm function, the inten-
sity scale, and the sound level scale can be counterintuitive. When solving sound level
problems, it is imperative that we understand the distinction that must be made
between sound level differences, as opposed to sound intensity differences. In the
previous example, the noise difference between one machine producing a sound level
of 60 dB, and four such machines must be determined first in terms of the intensities.
The real difference (the energy content) is between the intensities. The sound level of
the four machines depends on what their collective intensity is; one may be tempted
in the above example to simply multiply the 60 dB by 4, which would yield an
unreasonable sound level (240 dB); this number would exceed the noise produced
by a jet engine measured at a short distance from it. If we think about the result,
would it be reasonable to expect that four portable vacuum cleaners would be noisier
than a jet engine? (A look at a comparison chart of sound levels in decibels will
convince anyone that a sound level higher than 200 dB isn’t physically possible.)

Practice Problems

(1) In a workplace a machine has a sound level of 80 dB, how many identical ones
can be added before exceeding the federal noise limit of 90 dB?
Practice Problems 165

(2) If an orchestra produces a sound level of 85 dB, and a single violin produces
70 dB, how does the intensity of the sound of the orchestra compare to that of
the violin?
(3) A busy street has 100 cars/min passing a given point during a weekday produc-
ing a sound level value of 70 dB; if the number is reduced to 25 cars/min during
the weekend, what is the resulting sound level value?

Exploratory Task (I)

Noise exposure can be a serious matter if the levels approach high enough
values on the decibel scale to cause discomfort, and there are specific regula-
tions concerning indoor noise levels that humans can be exposed to before
harmful effects appear. We can use a sound level meter, or download an App
that enables a phone to collect sound level values and determine the level of
exposure in a given space.
The following table can be used as a reference to compare the readings
collected during a given period, with what has been determined to be accept-
able indoor exposure.
Duration per day (h) Sound level (dB)
8 90
6 92
4 95
3 97
2 100
1.5 102
1 105
0.5 110
0.25 115

US Dept. of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Standards
1910.95(b)(2)
Table G-16.

Exploratory Task (II)

Determining the relevance of measurements of decibel levels to the housing
market
Use the article “Soundproofing for New York Noise” (The New York
Times, Real Estate section, December 11, 2015) to determine three specific
uses of sound properties introduced in the text so far, that are actively used in
trying to address noise issues faced by apartment building tenants.
166 8  Changes in Properties of Waves

References

1. Roederer, J. G. (2008) “The Physics and Psychophysics of Music” Fourth Edition. Springer.
2. Berg, R. E. & Stork, D.G. (2004) “The Physics of Sound” Third Edition; Pearson/Prentice Hall.
3. Bennett, J. et. al. (2007). “The Essential Cosmic Perspective” Fourth Edition; Pearson/
Addison-Wesley.
4. Serway, R. A. & Jewett, J. W. (2014). “Physics for Scientists and Engineers”. Ninth Edition;
Cengage.
Chapter 9
Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

All transfer of energy by waves obeys the same laws that can be stated for light and
sound, particularly as it relates to the measurements of certain properties and the
variables they depend on. The very first property is that of the inverse-square depen-
dence on the distance from a source of waves. This is of the utmost importance due
to the similarity exhibited by the behavior of masses, charges, and systems made of
these. The most commonly observed phenomenon is that displayed by the electric,
magnetic, and gravitational forces. They all depend on the inverse-square of the
distance between the interacting objects. This has far reaching implications for the
way all forms of energy as radiation spread out and interact with matter.

Exploratory Task
For this activity you need to download an App (Sound Level meter) to your
phone so that you can measure the sound intensity produced by the online-­
generated signals. Use a source of sound that can register a measurable level
of loudness on a sound level meter App on your cell phone (such as Insta
Decibel for the iPhone).
To carry out the tasks go to
http://onlinetonegenerator.com/
Select the 432 Hz tab and then change the frequency to 440 Hz. Position
your phone as close to the sound source as possible. Play the sound produced
by each of the four different tones and measure the sound intensity value for
each tone with the Sound Level meter App running on your phone. Rank the
tones from loudest to softest; use the loudest sound and position the phone
with the Sound Level meter App running at selected distances from the source
of the sound (computer/laptop/tablet) and record the loudness at each posi-
tion, so that you have at least six different values.

(continued)

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 167

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_9
168 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Begin as close to the source of sound as possible and then record the loud-
ness level at each position of the phone as you move it away from the source.
Plot a graph of the loudness as a function of the distance from the source,
and draw the best-fit curve that connects the points.
What sort of relationship does your graph follow between the sound inten-
sity and the distance from the source?
Reflect briefly on the likely sources of error in this experimental activity.

There is a way to classify the different types of radiation that exist, similarly to
the way we classified waves earlier on.

Experimental Task
Inverse-Square Dependence on Distance
Background
In this experiment we shall explore the relationship that exists between
several properties of the physical universe and the distance between the
objects that interact and that give rise to such properties. Among these are the
inverse-square dependence on distance of the gravitational force between
masses, and the dependence of light intensity at a surface on the distance from
the source of light.
To begin please predict in two ways, as a statement and then graphically
what the graph of light intensity measured at various distances from a source
of light will look like as one moves away from the source. In this experiment
we are using a light sensor to determine the light intensity as read by the sen-
sor, as we move it away from the source of light.
I. Using a Light Source
Apparatus needed for the experiment (the light source may be different
than the one shown but this will not change the setup). The activity can also
be performed by using an App that measures light intensity (such as Lux
Camera for the iPhone), and then placing the phone at respective distances
from a light source. The data can then be collected and plotted the same way
as described in this particular experiment.

(continued)
 Prediction:

Predicted Graphical Relationship

Light, Brightness and Distance

6000

4000
Illumination (lux)

2000

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Distance (cm)

(continued)
170 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Procedure
Now assemble the apparatus so that you can place the light sensor at sev-
eral distances from the light source and then for each distance, take the read-
ing of the light sensor and wait until the instrument measures the intensity for
a few seconds and the reading stabilizes, then store the data and continue
changing the distance by 10 cm for every trial. At the end of the trials deter-
mine the average intensity at the given distance and then fill in the table below.

Distance (cm) Intensity (lumens) Distance (cm) Intensity (lumens)

10 50

20 60

30 70

40 80

Now plot the data on the graph below; connect the points with a best-fit
curve, and then compare your obtained graph with your predictions.

Light, Brightness and Distance

6000

4000
Illumination (lux)

2000

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Distance (cm)

(continued)
9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations 171

Reflections on the Results:

II. Relationship Between Light, Sound, and Gravity

The equation for the gravitational force between two masses M1 and M2
separated by a distance d is given by

FG = G M1 M 2 / d 2

where G is the universal gravitational constant 6.11 × 10−11 (N) (m2)/(kg2).

The equation can be modified so that the changes in the distance between
two masses M1 and M2 can be recorded and the corresponding force F′ can be
expressed in terms of F.
In the following table fill in the resulting value F′ of the gravitational
attraction between the objects M1 and M2 at the given distance, in terms of F.
(Fill in the missing blanks for F′.)

F » M1 M 2 / d 2

M1 M2 d F′
1 1 1 F
2 1 1 2F
1 1 2 F/4
2 2 1
2 2 2
2 2 1/2
3 2 1
2 3 2
3 3 3
3 3 1/2
4 3 2
4 4 2
4 4 4
4 5 1/3
5 5 1/5

(continued)
172 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Plot the data in the following graph and draw the curve that connects the
points as a best fit.

Gravitational Force F' vs Distance Between M1 and M2

30

20
Force (F)

10

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Distance (cm)

How does your graph of the gravitational force as a function of the dis-
tance between masses compare with those of Light Intensity vs distance, and
Loudness vs distance?

The propagation of waves obeying the inverse-square dependence on the dis-

tance can also be demonstrated by a laboratory activity.

9.1  Radiation

At this point we shall introduce a topic that has loomed large throughout the text,
but that we have not explicitly addressed despite having dealt with many of its prop-
erties, as we have explored those of waves.
Since we have been dealing with the way waves propagate from a source in this
chapter, we can logically extend our discussion to what sources of light, sound, and
other forms of energy do in general. We can begin with a definition of radiation as a
way to generalize what we have explored so far in this chapter.
Radiation can be considered as the energy emitted from a source, and that travels
through space or matter in the form of waves or high-speed particles. It should be
pointed out that radiation is only one type of energy transfer; there is also conduc-
tion and convection as ways for energy to travel. However, the distinctive feature of
radiation is that the way the energy is emitted is in all directions, as though it were
emanating from a point.
Radiation 173

1 . Radiation by its types: electromagnetic (waves) and particle radiation.

2. Radiation by its effect: ionizing and non-ionizing.
As with our wave classification there is a crossover between the divisions,
namely the first group can display both types of the second, but the reverse is some-
what more complicated. In other words, electromagnetic as well as particle radia-
tion can both be either ionizing or non-ionizing. However, the distinction between
waves and particles needs to allow for the difference in our perception of what
particles are. There are components of electromagnetic radiation that behave like
particles (photons), but they have properties that differ significantly from the par-
ticulate examples we encounter everyday.
As far as high-speed particles that are called particle radiation, they too can be
ionizing or non-ionizing depending mainly on their speed and charge. Radioactivity
(which incidentally also exhibits an inverse-square dependence on the distance
from the source) is often described in terms of three types, as shown in Fig. 9.1:
( a) Alpha (a helium nucleus)
(b) Beta (fast-moving electrons)
(c) Gamma (high-energy photons)
Alpha particles are generally slow moving and not very energetic since they can
be stopped by thick paper, or even by soft tissue. Beta particles can penetrate further
than Alpha, but they lose energy upon colliding with atoms and larger objects. They
can be stopped by a thin sheet of Aluminum, and even by human skin, although they
can be harmful if swallowed. Gamma radiation is usually called rays since they are
very energetic, and unlike Alpha and Beta radiation, have no charge. This is a reason
why they can penetrate thick materials and can be harmful to human exposure, but
can be stopped by lead or concrete.

Fig. 9.1  The three types of radiation are illustrated as models of what they look like. In part (a) an
Alpha particle is shown as a Helium nucleus, where the collective positive (+) charge is that of the
protons, the neutrons are shown as (0) having no charge. In part (b) the beta particle is shown as a
negatively (−) charged (electron) fast-moving one. In part (c) the Gamma ray is shown as a high-­
energy wave. The lengths of the dashed arrows are meant to illustrate the differences in speed, not
to scale
174 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

We also need some clarification as to what the terms ionizing and non-ionizing
stand for. According to our chemical models of molecular structure electrons are typi-
cally tightly bound to atoms through chemical bonding between molecules. This rep-
resents a case of chemical equilibrium where energy is mainly exchanged internally,
although some is also given or taken from the environment. However, whenever an
external source of energy radiates in such a way that the radiation has a certain amount
of energy, it can disrupt the state of equilibrium that exists in matter. The following
figure illustrates the case of ionization, when the chemical structure of matter is dis-
rupted, creating a situation where there is now radiation being emitted to the surround-
ing environment. In this rather simplified explanation, the idea is that ionization leads
to an increase in chemical activity, which can result in damage to organisms through
a variety of means, particularly through mutations in biological activity.
Non-ionizing radiation by contrast can still cause increased activity between
molecular structures, but without enough energy to cause the stripping of electrons,
which is essentially what ionization is all about.
Figure  9.2 represents the basic idea behind ionization, where the resulting
increase in chemical activity leads to a subsequent increase in biological activity
that often results in harmful mutations to organisms. In this regard, ionizing radia-
tion is to be avoided whenever one is exposed to either electromagnetic radiation,
or any other type.

Fig. 9.2  A high-energy wave or a fast-moving particle impacts a molecule. In part (a) the wave is
shown as a packet, and the particle is shown as oscillating in more than one dimension but moving
along the dashed arrow. In part (b) the solid arrow represents the chemical bond between the
atoms. If either the wave, or the particle possesses enough energy to break the bond, then ioniza-
tion occurs. In part (c) the result of the collision is an ion, where the single electron in the orbit is
unstable since the nucleus has a different amount of charge
 Virtual Experiment
When light interacts with matter a number of different outcomes can be
observed, depending on the energy of the light, which in turn depends on its
frequency and wavelength, and the type of molecules the light interacts with.
Explore the various ways that light interacts with matter by using the PhEt
simulation “Light and Molecules” available at
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/molecules-and-light
Run the simulation and explore the interaction of each type of radiation
with a given molecule. Change the intensity of the radiation and observe what
happens to the molecule, describing whether or not the chemical bonding is
disrupted. Fill in the table below with your observations for each molecule.

Microwave Infrared Visible Light Ultraviolet

CO

N2

O2

CO2

H2O

NO2

O3

Since radiation is contained in all parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, we need

to display in what parts of it the distinction between ionizing (harmful) and
non-ionizing radiation can be found.
Figure 9.3 contains the region of the spectrum where the radiation changes from
non-ionizing to ionizing. The boundary cannot be made sharper than somewhere in the
ultraviolet region since there is uncertainty as to where exactly one ceases to deal with
strictly non-ionizing radiation, and then encounters the harmful effects of ionization.
One can see that the visible part of the spectrum contains both types of radiation; how-
ever, the transition has taken place by the time one encounters the ultraviolet region.

Conceptual Task
A cell phone’s SAR, or its Specific Absorption Rate, is a measure of the
amount of radio frequency (RF) energy absorbed by the body when using the
handset. All cell phones emit RF energy and the SAR varies by handset model.
Find your phone’s SAR rating (value) and determine whether it falls on the
low or high emission range according to the government’s standards.
https://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/specific-absorption-rate-sar-cellular-
telephones
176 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Fig. 9.3  The figure illustrates the region of the electromagnetic spectrum where the transition
between non-ionizing and ionizing radiation has taken place

Exploratory Task
The following frequency ranges are used in telecommunications:
Radio frequency band (30 KHz–300 GHz); cellular mobile [(872–960)
(1710–1875) (1920–2170)] MHz; microwaves (2200 MHz–60 GHz).
According to the following figure of the electromagnetic spectrum, the cell
phone band is in the non-ionizing region. However, there is concern in some
circles about the effects of cell tower and cell phone exposure to radiation.

US Dept. of Labor-Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(continued)
Radiation 177

• Have you ever read the fine print on the boxes containing new cell phones?
• If you have noticed, there is a specific warning about not keeping the
devices closer to the body than an inch or so; why do you suppose that is?
• Whether one is texting or speaking on the phone, the basic operation is the
reception of the signal from a cell tower, and the radiation back from the
phone with the information contained. These signals, as all waves do, obey
the inverse-square dependence of the signal strength on the distance from
the source.
• Even if the exposure to radiation is in the non-ionizing region, whenever
your device is far from a cell tower it needs to send more energy back, and
so it will radiate more than if it were near one. Interestingly, whenever one
is near a cell tower there is more radiation being received by the device
since the distance is quite short.
• Do you think it is better to use cell phones in populated cities where there
are lots of cell towers, or in rural areas where there will be few and the
device may be very far from cell towers?
• When do you think you are exposed to more radiation, in urban centers or
rural areas?

The last property of radiation we shall explore is its dependence on angle of

incidence. As with distance, there is a change in the amount of radiation absorbed
as one changes the angle that the rays or waves make with the surface where the
energy is absorbed.

Exploratory Task
Determine the variation and dependence of the amount of light absorbed by a
surface on the angle the light makes with it.
Use a light sensor or a light meter downloaded to your phone as an App to
measure the light intensity on a chosen smooth surface. Make sure that the
distance from the light source to the sensor remains constant for all
measurements.

(continued)
178 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Fill in the data table below

Angle (°) Light Intensity (Lux)

• What will the graph of the relationship between Light Intensity and Angle
of incidence look like?
• Reflect on your observations

The next task is a logical extension of the previous activity, and it shows the
significance of the relationship between angle of incidence and amount of intensity
of light deposited on the surface found above. In addition, the task provides a sum-
mary of the effects of both distance from the source, and angle of incidence on the
surface, that determine how much light radiation is deposited on a surface.

What is the Cause of the Seasons on the Earth?

Among the most popular ideas investigated with students is their understanding
of the reason for the seasons.
Question: what causes the seasons on the Earth?
Answer:
Background
The orbit of the Earth around the sun is basically circular, despite a small
variation in distance between the closest point (perihelion), and the farthest
one (aphelion) on the orbit. If your answer above was that the distance
between the sun and the Earth is the reason for the seasons, this contradicts
the fact that a circle has a constant radius; therefore, the distance from the

(continued)
Radiation 179

center does not change. Also, consider that during January the Earth is closest
to the sun, and yet in the northern hemisphere we experience winter!
Correspondingly, during the summer the Earth is farthest from the sun, and
yet we experience summer in the northern hemisphere. By now, you begin to
sense that the answer does not depend on the distance, but on the angle that
the solar radiation makes with the Earth’s surface. This activity demonstrates
that property, and should convince those who think the distance is what makes
a difference.
Constructing a circular orbit on the floor and indicating four points where
a sphere that represents the Earth is placed, we can measure the amount of
light radiation that a source of light in the center representing the sun can
deposit on the surface of the Earth. The points are perihelion, aphelion, and
the two equinoxes (points where the light intensity is the same). But wait a
minute, how can we measure differences in light intensity if all these points
are at the same distance from the sun?
The answer is that the Earth spins on an axis that is tilted approximately 23.5°
to the normal to the plane where the sun and the planets move (the ecliptic).
Therefore, the sphere that represents the Earth must be placed at all four points
on the orbit, with its axis of rotation or spinning at a constant value.

The points 1 (Aphelion), 2 and 4 (Equinoxes), and 3 (Perihelion) are the

positions where the sphere representing the Earth is placed, with the axis of
rotation making a 23.5° angle with the vertical (dashed line). The placement
of the light sensor (or an App such as Lux Camera for the iPhone) shown
below is at a point on the Earth that corresponds to this angle.

(continued)
180 9  Wave Propagation and Intensity Variations

Light Intensity Point 1 Point 2 Point 3 Point 4

(Lux) (Aphelion) (Equinox) (Perihelion) (Equinox)

Fill in the Table below for the values of light intensity

What point shows the maximum intensity?

9.2  General Properties of Wave Spreading

As we have seen with light and sound, the decrease in intensity as a function of the
distance from the source of the waves follows a specific formula, that of an inverse-­
square dependence on the distance. This property can now be explained in general
terms for all wave phenomena, as well as for all energy dispersion.
As Fig. 9.4 shows the energy intensity will be deposited on an area section A at
the surface of a sphere surrounding the source. As the distance beyond increases in
terms of R the radius of the sphere, the intensity progressively decreases. The
change is such that at the shown distances 2R, 3R, and 4R, the area sections where
the intensity is deposited will be 4A, 9A, and 16A, respectively. This clearly shows
that as the distance increases, the intensity decreases as a function of the distance
squared.
General Properties of Wave Spreading 181

Fig. 9.4  The figure shows the spreading of the area where the energy falls as the distance from the
source of the energy increases. If the origin is a point source (S) and the intensity of the energy is
I, then at the surface of the sphere the energy intensity will be I/4π R2 where R is the radius of the
sphere. On the surface of the sphere this energy will be deposited on area A. As the distance beyond
the sphere increases, the intensity decreases as a function of the distance squared
Chapter 10
Waves and Sensory Perception

We have explored several properties of waves up to this point, particularly those of

light and sound while emphasizing the physical characteristics displayed by such
wave phenomena. In this chapter we shall deal with some of the physiological, and
perhaps even psychological aspects of our daily exposure to waves; after all,
throughout history humanity has attempted to understand waves by beginning at our
level of perception, and then extrapolating to areas beyond our direct experience
with the confidence gained from familiar situations.
One of the features of our observations of natural phenomena is what we con-
sider to be symmetry. The symmetry of an object or a physical system is a property
that remains unchanged under certain transformations or changes upon observation.
It is a physical or mathematical feature of the system (observed or intrinsic) that is
“preserved” under some change. There is some fascinating pre-historical evidence
of the role of symmetry in the evolution of the human species.
Similarly to what other species do in dealing with tasks, humans have relied on
the use of the hands for the production of tools, and as tools themselves. We can take
as a starting point in our discussion of symmetry a pre-historic example.
Archaeologists have determined that before a certain time period, which can only be
ascertained based on radioactive dating to be roughly between 1.4 and 1.9 million
years ago [1], there seemed to be no significant preference for the use of either hand.
We can use handedness by humans as a factor that relates to symmetry, in the sense
that preferences for either right- or left-hand use show a departure from ambidexter-
ity, or the existence of a 50-50 tendency in the use of the hands.

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 183

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_10
184 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Exploratory Task
Ideally a person should be ambidextrous, or able to accomplish tasks skill-
fully with both hands. However, in the case of writing we all show a tendency
to prefer one hand over the other, although some can probably write equally
well with either hand.
Determine your skill in completing a tracing task; use the time it takes to
completely draw inside various shapes without touching the figure. If you
touch it, record the time taken from the start, and then repeat the task.
Procedure
Use the following setup to draw a path inside each shape, first with your
preferred hand, and then with the other. Begin at S and move clockwise until
you return to the starting position. While you draw, someone else will record
the time it takes you to complete the task. Repeat by moving counterclock-
wise and determine if there is a difference.
Two different sheets of paper should be used (one for each direction), so as
to avoid being influenced by previously erased attempts.

(continued)
10 Waves and Sensory Perception 185

Fill in the table below

Triangle Circle Square Triangle Circle Square

Trial (right hand) (right hand) (right hand) (left hand) (left hand) (left hand)
Clockwise direction
1
2
3
Av.
Counterclockwise direction
1
2
3
Av.

Discuss the results in terms of the time difference in completing the tasks.
Is there symmetry (similar times for task completion) between
(A) The left and the right hand?
(B) The clockwise and the counterclockwise direction?
Is there a pattern for the times taken, as you repeat the tasks?
Extension
As an application to writing, perform a similar task available online at:
http://legacy.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/LeonardoRighttoLeft.html
186 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Application to Sound

The concept of symmetry can also be applied to our perception of sound in various
ways; a particularly simple task is to determine whether your hearing is symmetric
in the sense of detecting frequencies by each ear.
To determine if both ears are equally sensitive to frequency, a task can be under-
taken where you can test each ear for the maximum audible frequency that can be
heard. The task can be done by going online (http://onlinetonegenerator.com/).
When at the website choose “hearing test” and generate the signal while cover-
ing one ear (or putting cotton inside it). Determine the maximum value of frequency
that is audible with each ear; fill in the table below (Table 10.1).
• Are the mean values equivalent?
• Discuss any differences noticed.
The concept of symmetry can be traced back to Greek origins, expressed as their
perception of proportion in many aspects of life. Symmetry evolved from an aes-
thetic concept to one heavily tied to functionality, as expressed by Roman architec-
ture and engineering. During the Renaissance it became predominantly used in the
visual arts.
The most commonly found use of symmetry is in the use of left and right as part
of the perception of geometric symmetry. There are other types of symmetry that we
can explore:
1. Translational symmetry. It is used when one moves an object a distance without
a change in orientation.
2. Rotational symmetry. It consists of turning an object through an angle around an
axis as a reference.
3. Reflection symmetry. It is based on specular or regular reflection at a surface,
obeying the laws of reflection that we have explored before.
4. Inversion symmetry. It is based on the motion of a point on a system of coordi-
nates, such as the Cartesian one (x, y, and z axes). A point can be moved from +
to − on the coordinates, with respect to the origin, or another point.

Table 10.1 Values of Trial Left ear Right ear

maximum audible frequency
1
for each ear
2
3
Mean
Reflection Symmetry 187

Translational Symmetry

Translational symmetry results in a pattern with periodicity (it repeats in the same
interval of time). Figure 10.1 provides examples of this type of symmetry.

Rotational Symmetry

A figure has a rotational symmetry if the following conditions are met:

(a) There is a point in it that the figure can be turned around a certain number of
degrees and still look the same.
(b) The figure appears to be unchanged even after it is rotated.
(c) Its image, after a rotation of less than 360°, appears exactly the same as that of
the original figure.
Figure 10.2 provides several examples of rotational symmetry.

Reflection Symmetry

Reflection symmetry is a type in which one half of the object is the mirror image of
the other. A figure may have both horizontal and vertical lines of reflection.
Figure 10.3 shows examples of reflection symmetry.

Fig. 10.1 Three examples of translational symmetry are shown. In (a) a brick façade shows a
repetitive pattern with one preferred direction. In (b) a checker or chessboard shows no preferred
direction for the pattern. In (c) the pattern is more complex, and there are other types of symmetry
present, but one can choose a pattern among those that will exhibit translational symmetry
188 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Fig. 10.2 Four examples of rotational symmetry are shown. In each case you can pick a point and
see that the three conditions stated above are met. The exception of course is for the darts in (a)

Fig. 10.3 Examples of reflection symmetry; if it weren’t for the difference in shading between the
two halves in (a) the figure would be completely symmetric upon reflection along the dashed line.
The figure shows vertical reflection symmetry, but not horizontal. If we were to draw a horizontal
line cutting the figure in half, there would be no symmetry. In (b) there is vertical as well as hori-
zontal reflection symmetry for the figure, but not for the number. In part (c) there is both horizontal
and vertical symmetry, no matter how we orient the figure

Inversion Symmetry

Inversion symmetry is in a sense a generalized view of rotation, being more accu-

rate than reflection. It can be more challenging to determine due to the larger num-
ber of dimensions involved. In two dimensions, a point reflection is the same as a
rotation of 180°. In three dimensions, a point reflection can be described as a
180-degree rotation combined with reflection across a plane perpendicular to the
axis of rotation.
Inversion Symmetry 189

The difficulty one may experience in seeing the symmetry in Fig. 10.4 is due to
the fact that a three dimensional effect is being shown on a two dimensional plane.
The following figure is an attempt to explain this by taking a point on a coordinate,
and then doing each part of the inversion symmetry separately.

Exploratory Task
The concept of reflection symmetry can be applied to other situations besides look-
ing at figures. We can use an extension of the previous task where the skill in com-
pleting the figures was explored, to one where a mirror image of the figure can be
used to determine how one’s skill in completing the task is affected by reflection.
The following figures show the arrangement of the experimental setup.
The first figure shows the arrangement using one of the shapes (the trian-
gle); the idea is to use the image of the shape by blocking the drawing of the
shape itself. In this example a wooden block is used, but any object that prop-
erly blocks the drawn shape will suffice.

(continued)
190 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

The figure with the hand shows the proper view. Make sure that only the
reflection of the figure is visible to you, then repeat the tasks previously
described. It is expected that the tasks will be more challenging and the times
taken to complete the tasks will be much longer. One should only use the
dominant hand (the one that you prefer to write with) to determine the number
of trials needed to successfully complete the task (remember, to go around
without touching the shape).
Fill in the table that follows (the number of rows may need to be modified,
depending on how many trials it takes to successfully complete the tasks).

Clockwise Counterclockwise
Trial Triangle Circle Square Trial Triangle Circle Square
1 1
2 2
3 3
Av. Av.

• Is there symmetry between clockwise and counterclockwise directions?

• Plot the time taken to successfully complete each figure, as a function of
the number of trials needed.
• Are there patterns to the graphs of the data taken to complete the tasks?
We are only exploring the symmetry upon reflection of the direction
(clockwise vs counterclockwise) in this task. Further explorations are possible
but should be left as extensions or additional projects to explore symmetry.

Fig. 10.4 An example of inversion symmetry, showing that the molecule appears reflected and
inverted at the same time, with respect to the point O. Notice that a simple flipping of the figure
alone (the top part of the figure appearing upside down) would not constitute inversion symmetry,
since the orientation alone would have changed, and there is no reflection yet
Symmetry in Physics 191

Figure 10.5 shows in detail the process; the shape represents the entire molecule.
In part (a) the reflection is shown with respect to the vertical axis, and in part (b) the
inversion is shown with respect to the horizontal axis.

Symmetry in Physics

There are a number of important applications of symmetry in physics, chemistry,

and biology. One of the most interesting is a property called chirality.

Fig. 10.5 This figure is a detailed explanation of the inversion shown in Fig. 10.4. The shape
represents the entire molecule; in part (a) the reflection with respect to the vertical axis is shown,
whereas in part (b) the flipping is shown with respect to the horizontal axis. The result of both
operations is inversion

Experimental Task

(continued)
192 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Letters and words can have or lack symmetry; in the enclosed figures,
reflection symmetry is exhibited by some letters but not by others. We can
clearly see on the figure that X has reflection symmetry but R does not. On the
other figure we can see why the word AMBULANCE needs to be written
backwards in front of emergency vehicles, so that drivers can see them on
their mirrors.

Identify the letters in the figure above that possess the following types of
symmetry:
• Rotational symmetry ____
• Horizontal reflection symmetry ____
• Vertical reflection symmetry ____
Symmetry in Physics 193

Chirality: The symmetry of an object determines whether or not it has chirality.

A figure or an object is said to be chiral (to have chirality) if it is not identical to its
mirror image or, to put it more precisely, if it cannot be mapped to its mirror image
by rotations and translations alone. For example, a right shoe is different from a left
shoe, and clockwise is different from counterclockwise.
A molecule is achiral (not chiral) when a combination of a rotation and a reflec-
tion in a plane, perpendicular to the axis of rotation, results in the same molecule. It
may lack some forms of symmetry, but it could have others (such as rotational).
Figure 10.6 shows some examples, although we shall not deal with chirality in this
text, other than to introduce it as an example of symmetry (or lack thereof) in nature.
Symmetry has been linked to conservation laws through a fairly recent formula-
tion called Noether’s theorem, which states that any differentiable symmetry of the
action of a physical system has a corresponding conservation law. Translational
symmetry = conservation of linear momentum and energy, and rotational symmetry
through a fixed angle = conservation of angular momentum.
Geometrical symmetry has been observed for a long time, in terms of the shape
of objects. A polygon (a shape with flat or straight sides) has three or more sides.
Polygons can be regular (all sides are equal), or irregular (unequal sides). Figure 10.7
shows regular and irregular polygons.
There is an interesting application of symmetrical polygons with a long history.
Since the time of the Pythagoreans it has been known that the only regular polygons
that can cover a surface without leaving any gaps are: the equilateral triangle, the
square, and the regular or equilateral hexagon.
Figure 10.8 shows how the three regular polygons, the equilateral triangle, the
square, and the regular hexagon can be used to fill out a space without leaving any
gaps in between. The construction of tiles, textiles, and pottery designs show the
effective use of such property. Of course, the use by bees of the last pattern in build-
ing a honeycomb is intriguing in itself.
Combining other regular polygons and filling in the spaces between them leads
to interesting patterns such as tiles. Combining pentagons and hexagons can form a
slightly imperfect sphere, although these cannot cover a flat surface. A great exam-
ple is that of a soccer ball, as shown in Fig. 10.9.

Fig. 10.6 Two examples of objects exhibiting chirality; the first one is exhibited by nature itself,
the growth of a sea shelf, while the second (the spring) is human-made
194 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Fig. 10.7 The figure shows both types of polygons. In part (a) the isosceles triangle, pentagon,
and hexagon included are considered regular since their sides are all equal. In part (b) the right
triangle, unequal pentagon, and star are considered irregular

Fig. 10.8 Part (a) shows the first six polygons. Part (b) shows that the only ones that can fill a
space without leaving any gaps are the equilateral triangle, the square, and the regular hexagon

The design of soccer balls has evolved from its very primitive stages to the mod-
ern aerodynamic examples seen today. Interestingly enough, there are some charac-
teristics of the motion of these balls through the air that have raised engineering
questions, since some irregularities have been observed in their trajectories. It may
be interesting to speculate to what extent the basic shape has an impact on this, as
shown in Fig. 10.9.
Another area where interesting applications of perceptual features leading to odd
observations occur is in the case of illusions. An illusion can be defined as a discrep-
ancy between long-term memory and real-time data as the brain interacts with the
environment. Illusions can be classified into three major categories:
Symmetry in Physics 195

1. Physical illusions, which are the result of purely external physical processes.
2. Physiological illusions, which involve our sensory apparatus as it processes
external information.
3. Psychological or cognitive illusions, which are the result of the internal process-
ing mechanisms within the brain.
Generally speaking, any representation of an object that exists in three dimen-
sions onto a two dimensional surface is in a sense an illusion. Figure 10.10 shows
some examples of visual illusions.
Figure 10.11 shows a particular type of illusion. When the collection of irregu-
lar but identical shapes is arranged on the left, the pattern can be interpreted as
either a white grid made by irregular lines against a black background, or a col-
lection of identical “black squares.” The pattern is the same on the right, but

Fig. 10.9 A soccer ball does not have a perfectly round shape since it is made of both regular and
irregular polygons, added together in the way it is manufactured. Notice that there is a five sided
(pentagon) and a six-sided (hexagon) put together, so the result is that the sphere obtained by doing
this is not perfectly round

Fig. 10.10 Some examples of visual illusions. In reality, the lines in part (a) are all parallel, but
the perception is that they are slanted due to the other shapes in the figure. In parts (b) and (c) the
concentric circles by definition do not intersect, but the perception is that they spiral inwardly in
both cases, regardless of the background
196 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Exploratory Task
Describe your observations of the following figure.

instead the separations between the black squares or the lines of the white grid
are straight. In the latter case one sees an additional feature of the pattern, dots
in between.
Another interesting illusion is that resulting from using an object called the
Necker cube. We can see the illusion emerge by beginning with a two dimensional
object, a regular hexagon. Figure 10.12 illustrates the process in detail.
As Fig. 10.12 shows, if one begins with a regular hexagon and then adds a corner
the resulting shape is a cube, whose depth can be perceived but not clearly deter-
mined. Adding a second corner completes the illusion, which is called the Necker
cube. The illusion consists of the change in orientation of the cube where the front
face repeatedly seems to come in and out of the field of view.
Symmetry in Physics 197

Fig. 10.11 The situation described in the second picture is commonly referred to as the Hermann
grid. It is the result of an illusion that arises from a transformation in the shape of the lines

Fig. 10.12 The Necker cube can be generated with a regular hexagon (a) and then adding a corner
(b); the result (c) is a cube whose depth can be sensed but not clearly determined. The beginning
of the illusion depends on whether the corner is said to be either convex or concave (pointing in or
out of the plane). Adding a second corner gives rise to the full illusion in (d), which is that the
orientation of the cube alternates
198 10 Waves and Sensory Perception

Exploratory Task
The “default” view in the stack of cubes is that the point O is at the origin of
the coordinates, and the axes appear as coming out of the plane. Determine
how long you can keep viewing the figure showing the stack of cubes so that
the point O represents the bottom of the stack, and the axes appear to go into
the plane.

Reference

1. McManus, I. C. (2002). Right Hand, Left Hand: The Origins of Asymmetry in Brains, Bodies,
Atoms and Cultures. London, UK/Cambridge, MA: Weidenfeld and Nicolson/Harvard
University Press
Chapter 11
Forensic Applications

In this chapter, we shall explore a number of ways in which the properties exhibited
by light and sound can be used in forensic investigations. We begin by recalling the
various features that waves display, such as reflection, refraction, diffraction,
polarization, and intensity variations.
This may require going back to previous chapters to review some of these ideas;
in any case, the objective of the chapter is to provide a context for these tasks, so that
they are more meaningful in their representation of actual criminal investigations.
The tasks are not arranged in any particular sequence or order, except categorizing
them as applications of either the properties of light or those of sound, which
incidentally are the same, but they require the use of different equipment.

Applications to Sound

(I)
Use of a motion detector to determine the location and the shape of
objects
Context
Imagine that a crime has been committed where the authorities suspect a safe
taken from a mansion that could not be opened had to be buried by the thieves.
You are given several locations to search for it, and you wish to determine where
to excavate. Since you need to take into consideration the time and effort
involved in the excavation, you want to have a good idea of where the safe
would most likely be, by investigating the sites with ultrasound reflection.
The following activity illustrates how sound is used to detect objects either
underground or underwater, by bouncing sound waves off the objects.

(continued)

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 199

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_11
200 11  Forensic Applications

The Motion Detector used in this experiment emits short bursts of ultrasonic
sound waves; these waves fill a cone-shaped area off the axis of the centerline
of the beam. The Motion Detector allows one to measure how long it takes for
the ultrasonic waves to travel a distance to an object and then back to the
detector. Using this time and the speed of sound in air, the distance to the
nearest object is determined. By reporting the distance to the closest object
that produces a sufficiently strong echo, the motion detector can pick up
objects in the cone of ultrasound. It is therefore extremely important to avoid
placing any other objects near the cone of sound, so that the signals don’t
confound the data.

The motion detector sends out an ultrasound cone of approximately 20°.

The size of the area (the base of the cone) depends on the distance from the
detector multiplied by this angle. Since the motion detector acts as a transducer
(a device that both emits and receives energy) by functioning as a microphone
and as a loudspeaker, there is a minimum distance from the detector that the
investigated object should be placed.
The manufacturer of the detector states that this distance should be
approximately 40 cm, to account for the existence of a “blind spot” where the
signal emitted by the transducer operating as a loudspeaker stops, and the
signal obtained by it operating as a microphone begins.
Sound can be used as a probe to measure the size and shape of objects in
the atmosphere (in air) and in other substances such as water. The use of
sound in water is generally called “sonar.” The fact that when a wave meets a
boundary between two materials part of the wave is reflected and part is trans-
mitted, allows for the use of sound in diagnostic applications as seen in a
previous chapter, as well as in other areas of research. Among the many uses
of sound by scientists, archeologists, marine geologists, and oceanographers,
employ it to investigate objects underwater. A signal is sent out and bounces

(continued)
Applications to Sound 201

back from a submerged surface. Scientists use the speed of sound in water and
the time it takes for the signal to bounce back to calculate the depth of the
object. A particular advantage in this case is the fact that the speed of sound
in water is almost five times greater than in air.
In this activity we’ll use the reflection of sound with a motion detector to
determine the size (volume) of an object; the measurements can then be
compared with the actual dimensions of the object to test the accuracy of
the method.

A motion detector is placed on a table facing down so that the ultrasound cone
goes over the object (a wooden block) on the floor. One should begin collecting
data before encountering the object and continue after having passed it.
The motion detector needs to be moved at a constant speed across the table
(along the dashed black line) so that the span occupied by the object on the
floor is covered in the amount of time chosen to collect the data.
The graphs obtained may look different, depending on how the reflected
signal is interpreted by the motion detector. Either display will yield the
particular distance from the flat lines (before and after bouncing off the
object). In both cases one needs to subtract the depth or height of the signal
from the flat line(s) that represent the floor, or reference level.

(continued)
202 11  Forensic Applications

0.96

0.94
Position (m)

0.92

0.90

0.88

0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

Bouncing Back
-0.4

-0.5
Position (m)

-0.6

-0.7

0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

To determine the volume of a cube, each dimension is measured by placing

the cube on each one of its three sides, and then collecting the data that
represent the particular dimension (length, width, and height).
Note: To find the length, width, and height of each object subtract the
distance to the object from the distance to the floor.

Object I

Distance to the floor

Trial Length Width Height
(1)
(2)
(3)
Average

Object II
Trial Length Width Height
(1)
(2)

(continued)
Applications to Sound 203

Trial Length Width Height

(3)
Average
Use the average values to fill in the following table:
Measurement Length Width Height Volume %error
Object (I) with sound
Object (I) actual size
Object (II) with sound
Object (II) actual size

éë MeasuredVolume ( actual )　 EstimatedVolume ( sound ) ùû

%error = ´100
MeasuredVolume ( actual )

Reflections
1. Which was your best result in parts (I) and (II) of the experiment? Why do
you think it was better than your other result?
2. In part (II) what object gave the best result in terms of the lowest % error?
3. What are the main sources of error?
(II)
Use of a motion detector to determine the distance from objects and to
describe their motion.
Motion detectors are commonly used in a variety of security systems. One
of the most effective methods of describing an object’s motion is from graphs
of position, velocity, and acceleration vs. time. From such a graphical repre-
sentation, it is possible to determine in what direction an object is going, how
fast it is moving, how far it traveled, and whether it is speeding up or slowing
down. In this experiment, you will use a Motion Detector to determine this
information by plotting a real time graph of your motion as you move across
the classroom. Let’s consider the following scenario.
Context [1]
(Copyright 2016 by AACE and the Education & Information Technology
Digital Library (EdITLib), www.editlib.org, included here by permission)
Suppose an intruder accesses a secured area and your job is to investigate
the evidence provided by two motion detectors that monitored the room in
question. There are two entrances that are located perpendicular (at right
angles) to each other and that are monitored by the detectors. The following
figure illustrates the situation.

(continued)
204 11  Forensic Applications

An intruder setting. There are two entrances E1 and E2, and the room is
monitored by two motion detectors M1 and M2
(a) Using the graph below determine which motion detector captured the
motion of the intruder, the detector facing the entrance used, or the one
perpendicular to it?
5

3
Position (m)

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

Answer:

(b) How did the intruder move, as shown by the graph of the recorded motion?
Procedure:
The Motion Detector measures the time it takes for a high frequency sound
pulse to travel from the detector to an object and back. Using this round-trip
time and the speed of sound, you can determine the position to the object.

(continued)
Applications to Sound 205

Describe the following graph, and then match it with your own motion
(I)

2
Position (m)

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

Description:

Motion Detector Interface

(continued)
206 11  Forensic Applications

Open Logger Pro and go to File, then Open, and then choose Physics with
Vernier: 01b Graph Matching (Draw your best motion in the figure below).

2
Position (m)

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

(II) Now that you have experienced the effect of your own motion, describe
once again the intruder case graph.
Description:
Open Logger Pro and go to File, then Open, and then choose Physics with
Vernier: 01c Graph Matching (Draw your best motion in the figure below).

3
Position (m)

0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Time (s)

(continued)
Applications to Sound 207

Conclusions and Reflections: What have you learned as a result of the

tasks where you relate your own motion to its description?
(III)
Use of a microphone to determine the frequency of sounds and other
related properties
Context
Suppose a situation involving another safe, where the thieves actually suc-
ceeded in opening it at the site of the robbery. The safe has a computer lock
similar to a telephone keypad. Each time a number on the pad is pushed, a
specific tone is produced. Apparently someone other than the owner of the
safe had access to the combination. At this time, the main suspect is the butler,
and investigators found sophisticated sound-recording equipment in his apart-
ment. Upon searching his computer hard drive, they discovered files contain-
ing waveform patterns. The investigators believe that the butler recorded the
sounds made by the safe’s keypad and used them to determine the combina-
tion of the lock.
The waveforms found in the suspect’s computer are included. In each case
the wave frequency can be obtained to compare it with the pitch of the sounds
produced by the safe as the respective sequence of numbers that opens it.
Each waveform is plotted for 3/100 s (0.03 s), and we need to determine the
number of cycles (waves) in this amount of time. Dividing 0.03 s by the num-
ber of cycles gives the period (T), and then f = 1/T gives the frequency in Hertz.
The first three waveforms (a, b, c) are shown with the cycles identified as the
pattern that is repeated by the uneven signals. The remaining ones are straight-
forward in their appearance so the number of cycles can be easily counted.
As an example, the first one (a) is
0.03 s/3 cycles, and so T = 0.01  s, and f = 1/0.01  s = 100  Hertz (Hz)

(continued)
208 11  Forensic Applications

(continued)
Applications to Sound 209

(continued)
210 11  Forensic Applications

Waveform T (s) F (Hz)

(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)

The investigators determined that the safe could be opened by the sequence formed
by the following notes: C5, C4, and C6. Does this pattern appear in the suspect’s
waveforms?

Applications to Light

(I) Human Reaction Time (Visual)

Dropping a ruler to determine human reaction time
Human reaction time is how long it takes the eyes to tell the brain that the
ruler is falling and how long it takes the brain to tell the fingers to catch it. We
can use the distance the ruler falls before one catches it to figure out reaction
time. We use a kinematic equation (a solution to Newton’s second law of
motion) to find the height

d = d0 + V0 t + 1 / 2 gt 2 (11.1)

In this formula, d equals the distance the ruler falls, d0 is an initial height, V0
is the initial velocity of the ruler, g equals the local gravitational acceleration
(9.8 m/s2), and t is the time the ruler falls.

(continued)
Applications to Light 211

Since the ruler is initially dropped from rest (V0 = 0, and d0 = 0 for simplicity),
Eq. (11.1) reduces to

d = ½ gt 2 (11.2)

Solving for t =  2d / g
Collect data for several trials of dropping the ruler and determining the
distance it falls, and then use the average distance to find the reaction time
from the equation.
How does the answer compare to the average human reaction time of
250 ms?
(II)
Context
Another piece of evidence against the butler is being used; it consists of a
record of light intensity during the time the safe was opened. The detector
records the light as a variable pattern (a sine curve) during the entire monitor-
ing process. The butler in his defense submits data from his cell phone that he
claims was accidentally left on a table in a room with fluorescent lights with
his light sensor app running, and the time during which the signal was
recorded shows it as a constant signal. He argues that he could not have been
at the room where the signal was captured as a variable pattern. Is he telling
the truth?
The variable pattern of fluorescent lights can be determined by using a
light sensor whose sensitivity is comparable to that of the human eye. It is
generally known that the eye will perceive continuous or fluid motion if the
frequency with which static frames (such as in cartoons and films) exceeds a
range of values. However, it is agreed that most people will not see any flick-
ering past 100 Hz or frames per second. Since the human eye cannot distin-
guish between flashes that occur more than about 50 times a second, the light
appears to be on all the time.
Investigating fluorescent lights’ flickering effect and vision
We make use of a reverse procedure to the one where the eye begins to see
a flickering effect of light and then gradually sees the light as a continuous
pattern. We shall use a light sensor to determine the emergence of a variable
pattern of light intensity from a fluorescent light source, as we change the
sampling rate of the sensor, beginning with values where the light is recorded
as a constant value. The collection rate of the sensor is changed and light is
collected, until a variable pattern appears, and then with it we determine the
frequency of the oscillations that give rise to the illusion that the light is
continuous.
In this part you will point the light sensor at a single fluorescent light and
record its intensity for a very short period of time. The resulting plot of inten-
sity versus time is interesting because it shows that fluorescent lights do not

(continued)
212 11  Forensic Applications

stay on continuously but rather flicker off and on very rapidly. Since the human
eye cannot distinguish between flashes that occur more than about 50 times a
second, the light appears to be on all the time. The data you collect will be
used to determine the period and frequency at which the light flickers.
We use a light sensor connected to an interface and a computer running a
program such as Vernier’s Logger Pro.
1. When the sensor is connected to the interface and that to a computer a
default screen appears with a graph, a table, and a reading box.
2. From the Data Collection icon

choose duration 0.05 s, and sampling rate 20 samples per second.

3 . Hold the light sensor near a fluorescent light.

4. Collect data of light intensity versus time for the light source.
5. Fill in the table below for each of the values of the sampling rate and the
sensor reading.

Trial Sampling rate Light intensity (Lux)

1 20
2 60
3 100
4 200
5 400
6 800
7 1000

(continued)
Reference 213

6. For what sampling rate did the light intensity begin to look like a broken
line?
7. For the last sampling rate value, extend the range of the vertical axis so
that the amplitude of the signal is clearly visible, and from the taskbar
menu choose:
Analyze, then Curve Fit, then Sine
8. From the wave pattern determine the period from the wave form as before,
and then the frequency
Frequency (f) =
Reflections

Reference

1. Espinoza, F. “Graphical Representations and the Perception of Motion: Integrating Isomorphism

Through Kinesthesia into Physics Instruction”. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and
Science Teaching (2015). Volume 34, Issue 2, (pp. 133-154).
Chapter 12
Technological Applications

Applications to Light

One of the traditional challenges in representing reality that humans have encoun-
tered is in the reproduction of objects that exist in three dimensions onto a two
dimensional surface. Distortions are inevitable, and the attempts have always been
to faithfully copy the main features of objects. Since the time of the early Egyptian
civilizations, human figures appeared facing sideways on the depictions of daily
activity, as well as ritualistic representations.
The difficulty experienced by those individuals attempting to copy a real scene
onto a flat surface was eventually resolved during the renaissance. The invention of
perspective painting enabled artists to copy reality to a previously unprecedented
degree of accuracy. This involved a clever trick of geometrical representation.
Imagine the tricks that can be employed in deliberately including features in
drawings that defy logic, in the sense that they appear to display features that we
would never experience in the world of three dimensions that is our everyday physi-
cal setting. Figure 12.1 shows two examples of impossible objects that appear pos-
sible as represented initially; however, upon further inspection one can see that they
are impossible, given our reference of everyday experience.
The interesting aspect of Fig. 12.1 is that despite being impossible to construct in
reality, they appear as they do by a trick that enables the representation to go from
two to three dimensions. There are other ways to accomplish a representation in
three dimensions from a figure that is constructed in two dimensions. Figure 12.2
illustrates two ways in which this can be done.
Another way to determine depth is to use the method of parallax, where a shift in
the angle of view between two objects that are closer to the observer is larger than
the shift between them if they are farther away. This is illustrated in Fig. 12.3.
The solution to the problem of representing objects in three dimensions on a two
dimensional surface that ancient artists had faced was to come from an idea devel-
oped by the Arabs and introduced to European artists in the art of painting.
Figures 12.4 and 12.5 demonstrate its use, which is based on a perspective based on

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 215

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1_12
216 12  Technological Applications

Fig. 12.1  Two examples

of impossible figures are
shown. In both cases,
initially they appear
correctly represented, until
further inspection reveals
that they cannot possibly
be built/constructed to look
as they appear

Fig. 12.2  The figure shows two ways to create the illusion of depth, or to convey a three dimen-
sional view from a two dimensional representation. In (a) two objects of different size are placed
next to each other, the lower one seems farther away than the top one. In (b) two objects of identi-
cal size are placed next to each other, but one overlaps the other, thus making the partially blocked
object to seem farther away
Applications to Light 217

Fig. 12.3  The phenomenon of parallax consists of the perception of the distance D that an object
is from the observer, as depending on the angle θ that is formed by the separation d between the
two chess pieces shown. In (a) the separation d is different; the shorter d is, the farther away they
seem from the observer. In (b) as the separation d between the two pieces changes, the angle θ also
changes, and so based on that observation the two objects can be determined to be farther (larger
D) or closer (smaller D) to the observer

what the eye sees by projecting the reflected rays of light from objects onto the eye
as a cone with its base representing the size of the object.
Figure 12.4 illustrates the concept of centric rays that was invented by the Arab
thinker Al Hazen [1]. He envisioned rays coming from objects and converging onto
the eye as being of two types: (1) those that came in at an angle, or obliquely and
not entering the eye since they bounced off the sides of the visual cone repeatedly,
and (2) those called centric by virtue of entering the cone straight or along the center
and successfully converging on the eye.
This idea proved to be enormously important in allowing artists during the
renaissance to create the illusion of depth in paintings, as demonstrated in Fig. 12.5.
Figure  12.5 shows how one can project a flat surface using another one but
slightly distorted, to create a sense of depth. Part (b) shows how one can extend the
projection to a point, which enables the creation of a multitude of such points to
reproduce an entire image. The advantage is that the image now appears to have
218 12  Technological Applications

Fig. 12.4  The diagram shows the basic idea behind the visual cone. The eye is imagined to per-
ceive the size of objects as a cone surrounding them, where the base would change in size depend-
ing on their distance from the eye. The dashed lines represent the rays that enter the base of the
cone but strike the sides of the cone and bounce off without reaching the eye. The solid lines rep-
resent the centric rays, which successfully reach the eye

F O’
E
B2 B1

E’ F’

C D

C’ D’

A’ B’
A B

(a) (b)
Fig. 12.5  The square face ABCD can be projected by the use of the distorted CDEF. This creates
the illusion of depth on the plane of the paper or surface on which it is drawn

depth, beginning with an object in two dimensions that has none. This process
constitutes the basis of perspective geometry.
The creation of images in three dimensions from those on a surface using proper-
ties of waves is based on reflection and the interference of transverse waves. The
technique is generally known as interferometry, and it can be used with a variety of
light sources. In the production of holograms a laser beam is sent from a source and
encounters a beam splitter (e.g., a half mirror) that sends it in two different ­directions.
Applications to Light 219

Fig. 12.6  The arrangement shows how a hologram is produced. The light beam is depicted both
as a ray and as a wave; the beam sent from the laser is split by (S) into the object beam (OB) and
the reference beam (RB). Each beam reflects twice from mirrors in this case; RB then strikes a
photographic film (F), while OB bounces off the object and then strikes the film. These last two
beams are shown highlighted in the diagram, as they converge to produce the three dimensional
image of the object on the film

These new beams reflect from mirrors, one beam is made to bounce off the object
to be projected onto a photographic film, and converge on the film along with the
other beam. The arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 12.6.
An interferometer is a device that enables a very accurate determination of distance,
and it has a wide variety of applications. Figure 12.7 shows a schematic where a
laser beam is made to split, the two beams then reflect from two mirrors, and then
recombine to converge on a detector.
The function of the interferometer needs to be explained in detail, since it is the
phase difference between interfering waves that is the central feature in its widespread
utility and popularity as a device to measure distances very accurately.
The discussion about how waves combine in Chap. 6 in terms of constructive
and destructive interference can also be carried out in terms of another property of
waves called their phase. This property was deliberately left out of those listed in
Chap. 2, and it can be appropriately introduced now.
We can refer to Fig. 1.4a to illustrate mathematically what Hooke’s law enables
us to do. When describing the behavior of a spring with a mass attached at its end,
and then set in motion, the force described by Hooke’s Law is the net or total force
acting on the spring. When we apply Newton’s Second Law (F = ma, along the x
direction), the sum of the forces is expressed as

S Fx = -kx = ma x. (12.1)

where Fx is the force, k is the spring constant, x is the amount the spring is stretched
or compressed, m is the mass attached to the spring, and ax is the acceleration along
the x-axis.
220 12  Technological Applications

Fig. 12.7  An interferometer consists of a laser beam split into two beams; each beam reflects off
a mirror, these are then recombined at the splitter again and converge on a detector. The phase dif-
ference between the reflected beams gives a measure of the distance d that either mirror has shifted
in its position. All beams are depicted as both rays and waves, along with their directions. The
splitter serves both functions, to refract and split the original beam, and then to recombine the
reflected beams

Rearranging Eq. (12.1) we get

ma x + kx = 0 (12.2)

Equation (12.2) is known as a differential equation, whose solutions are algebraic
equations. In this case the acceleration ax is the second derivative of x with respect
to time. You can understand this relationship by extrapolating from the solution to
an algebraic equation (which is a numerical one). In other words, a numerical
answer is a solution to an algebraic equation, whereas an algebraic equation is a
solution to a differential equation.
The sine and cosine functions are commonly used as solutions to Eq. (12.2) that
represent the sinusoidal pattern described by the motion of the spring. These can be
expressed as either
Applications to Light 221

Fig. 12.8  The diagram shows that the trigonometric functions sine and cosine have a constant
phase difference of 90° or π/2. If t = 0 (at the origin), sine begins with zero amplitude, but cosine is
at its maximum. The phase difference of 45° corresponds to 1/8 of a wavelength, 90° to ¼ of a
wavelength, and so on. The shaded region represents a complete cycle for the cosine function, but
not for the sine, since it lags by that constant phase difference

x ( t ) = A cos( 2p f t + F ) or x ( t ) = Asin ( 2p f t + F ) (12.3)

where A is the amplitude, f is the frequency, 2π expresses the fact that both functions
sine and cosine repeat themselves after a complete cycle, and Φ is the phase.
The solution that we wish to use is x(t) = A cos (2πf t + Φ) since it satisfies the
following conditions:
When t = 0, the spring is stretched to the maximum value of x (A the amplitude),
and its velocity is 0.
These two trigonometric functions have a constant phase difference of 90°, as
illustrated in Fig. 12.8.

Exploratory Tasks
(I) Can you keep track of the values for the cosine function, given those for
the sine function? Use Fig. 12.8 to fill in the table

Position Sine Cosine

1 45
2 90
3 180
4 270
5 360

(continued)
222 12  Technological Applications

(II) Following the time evolution of sine and cosine functions

Use the online simulation “Fourier: Making Waves” available at https://
phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/legacy/fourier
Make sure the default frame looks like the following figure

Minimize the Harmonics graph so that the simulation looks like this

Press the Play button and observe how the sine curve moves to the right;
then change the Graph control function to cosine (cos) and repeat. What do
you notice on the vertical axis with each function as they begin to move?
Applications to Light 223

In addition, sine and cosine functions have an additive property that enables us
to obtain more complex patterns that in turn represent many properties of waves,
including constructive and destructive interference.
A particularly important technique for studying properties of waves is known as
Fourier synthesis (when waves are added to construct a complex pattern), or as
Fourier analysis (when a complex wave is decomposed into its corresponding
parts). In both cases we can see that using just sine and cosine functions results into
an immense variety of wave applications.

Exploratory Task
Using the same PhEt simulation as in the previous task, choose “Square” from
the preset functions button. The screen will now look like the following
figure, and the additional information is included to show how the individual
sine waves combine to produce the complex pattern that is a square wave.
The top graph shows the amplitudes of each of the harmonics (recall that
these are multiples of the fundamental frequency), in this case multiples/frac-
tions of A1 the amplitude of the fundamental. The middle graph shows how
the harmonics add up as waves, and the bottom graph shows the net or total
result (the Sum of all these waves).

Click the Sound button and analyze the patterns in the Harmonics and the
Sum graphs; Move the rider on the Harmonics bar from 11 to 10 and listen to
the tone.

(continued)
224 12  Technological Applications

(1) What happens to the tone as the number of harmonics is reduced from
11 to 1?
(2) What happens to the patterns of both the Sum and the Harmonics graphs
as the rider is moved from 11 to 1?

Figure 12.9 shows the result of two waves in phase; the resulting or total
amplitude will be greater than that of either wave alone.
Interferometers will use the shift in the patterns that results when waves
interfere, depending on whether or not there is a phase difference between them.
As we saw in Chap. 7, the interference of waves results in alternating bright and dark
regions on a screen. Figure 12.10 illustrates the pattern produced by the interference
between two waves.
When the beam that has been split and later reconstructed from the reflected
beams is analyzed in the detector, the pattern of fringes produced is compared to the
original one, which has been represented by Fig. 12.10. Several likely outcomes are
illustrated in Fig. 12.11.
The figure shows the details of what different outcomes would look like. In the
top diagram of Part (a) the corresponding incident and reflected waves are in phase,
or they differ by a whole wavelength; in this case the lack of a shift in the fringe
pattern is used as evidence that the mirror has not moved. The middle and bottom
diagrams in both parts (a) and (b) illustrate that shifts in the fringe patterns are an
indication that the mirror has moved.
There have been several historically important experiments where the results of
a lack of a shift in the fringe pattern (the Michelson Morley experiment), or the
evident shift (the recent evidence used by the LIGO scientific collaboration), have
led to very important discoveries. In the case of the Michelson Morley experiment,
the constancy of the speed of light was experimentally established, in addition to the
refutation of the idea of the existence of the ether (a medium for electromagnetic
waves to propagate through).

Fig. 12.9  Illustrating the additive property of waves. The waves shown have different amplitudes,
but since they are in phase they reinforce one another, resulting in a combined wave with amplitude
that is greater than the individual ones
Applications to Light 225

Fig. 12.10  The illustration

is meant to represent the
regions of constructive
(dark bands) and
destructive (light bands)
interference produced by
two waves

Fig. 12.11  The diagrams are meant to illustrate three outcomes. Part (a) shows the patterns pro-
duced by a mirror where the incident and reflected waves are either in phase or out of phase by
different amounts. Part (b) shows the accompanying interference patterns. If they are in phase the
mirror will not have moved; however, if they are out of phase the mirror must have shifted either
by an amount d1 or d2

The very recent announcement of the discovery of gravitational waves [2] also
rests upon evidence provided by the observation of a shift in the fringe pattern of
signals. In this case, test masses were used instead of mirrors to determine the gravi-
tational force between them. The advanced LIGO detector made use of a modified
Michelson interferometer.
226 12  Technological Applications

Exploratory Task
Use Fig. 12.11 to answer the following:
If the wavelength of a laser beam is 632.8 nm, remember that
1  nm = 1.0 × 10−9 m, and the fringe shift on the right is determined to be in the
middle and bottom parts ¼ λ and ½ λ, respectively, what are the correspond-
ing distances that the mirror will have shifted?

Applications to Sound

One of the interesting applications to sound has its basis on the phenomenon of
acoustic levitation, which is the use of sound to balance the pull of gravity on a
mass, or its weight. This has been accomplished by creating a focus point in space
using standing waves. Recall that a standing wave results whenever a single wave
interacts with itself, or two or more waves interact with each other. The result is a
set of alternating regions of maximum and minimum constructive interference.
In our discussion of standing waves produced by air vibrations there were alter-
native descriptions of the nodes and antinodes that constitute the maxima and
­minima, depending on whether we used the air displacements or the pressure
variations.
If we look at Fig. 5.3b in detail we can point out the specific ways in which the
air displacements and pressure variations are related.
Figure 12.6 is just Fig. 5.3b reused to illustrate the relationship between air dis-
placements and pressure variations.
As Fig. 12.6 illustrates, the antinodes at the end of the air vibrations inside a tube
that is open at both ends represent regions where the air is displaced the maximum.
At this point we need to remember that what causes the air vibrations in the first
place is the exertion of a force that is transmitted to the air as pressure. Consequently,
if we use pressure variations instead, the antinodes correspond to regions of minimum
air pressure, that is, atmospheric pressure.
At the same time, everywhere inside the tube, the nodes represent regions of mini-
mum air displacement or maximum air pressure.
This is what has been used to develop acoustic levitation applications. A source
of sound such as a loudspeaker creates a sound that is reflected off a smooth surface
across from it, or two loudspeakers create sounds opposite each other. In the first
instance, the reflection of the sound creates a standing wave in the space between
the loudspeaker and the reflecting surface, whereas in the second case the standing
wave is produced by the interactions between the two oppositely sent sounds.
By locating the regions of maximum air pressure in between, and furthermore by
finding a focus, or point where the energy transmitted is the greatest, small objects
can be placed there and made to levitate. That is the basic idea behind acoustic
levitation, as has been recently demonstrated in a number of ways.
References 227

Conceptual Task
View the video on acoustic levitation at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odJxJRAxdFU
After finishing the video answer the following:
• Why do you suppose they use four speakers instead of two, which could
also create a focus in two dimensions?
• Where are the objects suspended in the standing wave produced by the
four speakers?
• How many different materials did you observe being levitated?
Discuss three different ways that you can imagine acoustic levitation being
used for.

Quantitative Tasks
1. What is the range of the size of the objects levitated in the video (in mm)?
2. Where are the objects located in a standing wave in two dimensions?
3. Draw your answer to question 3
4. If we use the size of the largest object levitated, according to your diagram
is this distance the wavelength?
5. If we take the speed of sound to be 340 m/s and the frequency of 40 kHz
they used, what is the wavelength?
6. How does the wavelength from question 5 compare to the size of the larg-
est object levitated?
7. Explain your result in question 6.

References

1. Espinoza F. (2012). The Nature of Science. Rowman & Littefield publishers.

2. Abbott et al., (2016). Observation of Gravitational Waves from a Binary Black Hole Merger.
Physical Review Letters, 116 (1-16).
Index

A Component, 27, 28, 30, 32, 33, 41, 42, 46,

Absorption, 59, 74, 139–142, 175, 177 141, 149, 173
Abstraction, 7 Compressional, 32
Accuracy, 7, 8, 10, 19, 21, 23, 24, 156, Congestion, 32
201, 215 Constructs, 6, 68, 72, 81, 84, 96, 104, 106,
Al Hazen, 217 119–121, 123, 133, 134, 155, 156, 179,
Ambidexterity, 183 193, 215, 216, 219, 223, 225, 226
Amplitude, 1, 18, 28, 34–36, 38, 39, 45–49, Cycles, 1, 3, 6, 33, 34, 51, 207, 221
76, 104–106, 108–110, 114, 123, 149,
162, 213, 221, 223, 224
Anagrams, 9 D
Analyzer, 146, 147 Damping, 49
Anatomical, 3, 149 Density, 6, 29, 41
Applications, 1, 3, 6, 12, 42–55, 59, 67, 68, Didactic, 1, 7
72–74, 80, 81, 83, 86–101, 111–114, Diffraction, 117, 119–130, 132–134, 144, 199
116, 117, 121, 125, 132–135, 138, 149, Discrepancy, 14, 194
157–158, 185–187, 191, 193, 194, Dispersion, 180
199–204, 206, 207, 210–213, 215–217, Displacement, 8–12, 30, 33, 34, 39, 47, 104,
219, 221, 223–226 111, 112, 226
Astronomers, 14, 158 Distance, 2, 3, 7, 9, 14–17, 30, 34, 40, 56, 57,
61, 63, 64, 69–72, 83, 88, 89, 93, 100,
111, 119, 120, 125–127, 129, 130, 142,
B 143, 145, 149, 154, 155, 159, 164, 167,
Basilar, 158–160 168, 170–173, 177–181, 186, 200–203,
Biorhythms, 6 210, 211, 217–220, 226, 227
Birefringent, 141 Disturbance, 6, 8, 9, 27, 28, 30, 31
Broadcasting, 8 Doppler effect, 149–152, 154, 155, 158
Duration, 5, 14, 165, 212

C
Charge, 6, 167, 173, 174 E
Chirality, 191, 193 Earth, 12, 14, 15, 141, 143, 178, 179
Circular, 19, 30, 33, 96, 99, 119–121, 123, Earthquake, 6, 31, 32, 48, 159, 160
155, 156, 178, 179 Echo, 15, 17, 73, 100, 151, 200
Circumference, 19, 20, 155 Eclipse, 14, 45
Collision, 2, 103, 174 Elastic, 9, 15

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2017 229

F. Espinoza, Wave Motion as Inquiry, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-45758-1
230 Index

Electromagnetic, 31, 32, 34, 42, 43, 117, Horizon, 26, 141–143
126, 138, 139, 141–144, 146, 158, Hue, 24
173–176, 224 Hydrogen, 157
Electron, 6, 141, 173, 174
Elongation, 9–11
Emission, 99, 152, 157, 175 I
Energy, 1, 30, 31, 34, 43–46, 49, 101, 103, Illusions, 67, 194–197, 211, 216–218
104, 111, 158–161, 163, 164, 167, Infrared, 43–45, 50
172–175, 177, 180, 181, 193, 200, 226 Inquiry, 1, 2, 7, 134
Entanglement, 2 Instantaneous, 2, 3, 14, 149
Equation, 9, 18, 34, 68–71, 76, 77, 83, 85, 99, Intensity, 43, 46, 73, 74, 106, 111, 115, 121,
100, 113, 121, 124, 125, 130, 150, 151, 123–128, 133, 145–148, 157, 158,
155, 156, 171, 210, 211 160–165, 167, 168, 170–181, 199,
Equilibrium, 1, 8–10, 33, 34, 37, 46, 104, 211–213
111, 174 Interactions, 1, 12, 13, 59, 103, 104, 108, 109,
Event, 1, 2, 8, 48, 159 141, 144, 167, 168, 175, 226
Expansion, 30, 32, 45, 47, 112 Interface, 17, 51, 53, 78–80, 146, 156, 205, 212
Experimental, 2, 6, 7, 16–24, 36, 50, 64, 65, 71, Interfere, 29, 104, 120, 123, 126, 224
72, 74, 88, 93–97, 128, 130, 132, 133, Interference, 29, 103–106, 109–116, 118–121,
143, 146, 154–156, 168, 189, 191, 224 123, 124, 126–128, 218, 219, 223–226
Exponential, 159 Interferometry, 218
Exposure, 1, 128, 165, 173, 176, 177, 183 Inverse, 7, 34, 50, 112, 160, 167, 168, 172,
Extension, 2, 10, 178, 185, 189, 190 173, 177, 180
Inversion, 98, 99, 186, 188–191
Ionizing, 173–176
F
Field, 2, 13, 32, 72, 106, 126, 139, 141,
142, 196 J
Fletcher, 161 Journalism, 8
Force, 7–12, 27, 39, 49, 109, 167, 168, 171, Jupiter, 14
172, 219, 225, 226
Forensic, 149, 199–204, 206, 207, 210–213
Fourier, 114, 222, 223 K
Frequency, 3, 34, 38–42, 48–55, 76, 100, Kinesthetic, 2
101, 106–108, 110–116, 132–134,
141, 149–152, 155, 156, 158–162,
167, 175, 176, 186, 204, 207, L
211–213, 221, 223, 227 Laser, 80, 86, 96, 122, 123, 128–130, 144,
Frictionless, 8 145, 218–220, 226
Fundamental, 6, 8, 104, 105, 110–114, 116, Learning, 1, 7, 109, 152
162, 223 Length, 1, 3, 5, 13, 14, 17–19, 27, 31, 33, 35,
36, 41, 49, 52, 53, 55, 63, 69, 71, 72,
82, 85, 88, 111, 113, 116, 119–121,
G 156, 158–160, 162, 202, 203
Galileo, 9, 14 Light, 1, 14, 27, 61, 76, 106, 117, 138, 157,
Gaseous, 13 168, 183, 199, 210–213, 217
Gravity, 9, 171, 226 Lightning, 56, 57
LIGO, 224
Liquid, 13, 103, 145
H Logarithmic, 160–162
Harmonics, 12, 35, 36, 104, 105, 111–113, Longitudinal, 32–34, 45–47, 112, 138
222–224 Loudness, 73, 134, 161–163, 167, 168, 172
Hooke, 8, 9 Loudspeaker, 15, 16, 32, 48, 132, 133, 200, 226
Hooke’s Law, 8–10, 12, 29, 219 Lux, 168, 179, 212
Index 231

M Oscillations, 6, 8, 12, 32, 35, 40, 46, 48, 49,

Magnitude, 9, 125, 158, 160 109, 110, 126, 138, 139, 142, 211
Mass, 8, 10–12, 30, 35, 36, 41, 55, 110, 149, Oscillatory, 46, 141
158, 167, 168, 171, 172, 219, 225, 226
Material, 1, 2, 6–8, 13, 29–31, 41, 42, 61,
74–76, 80, 84, 103, 121, 139–141, P
144–146, 149, 173, 200, 227 Parallax, 215, 217
Mathematical, 3, 12, 25, 112, 183, 219 Particles, 1, 4, 6, 30, 32, 33, 42, 103, 141, 142,
Matter, 3, 4, 6, 13, 14, 30, 144, 165, 167, 172, 144, 145, 172–174
174, 175, 188 Pendulum, 8, 17, 35, 36, 48
Maximum, 5, 34, 45, 47, 49, 73, 104, 109, Perception, 2, 3, 6, 12, 50, 103, 158, 173,
111, 112, 115, 119–131, 139, 145, 148, 183–187, 189, 190, 192–196, 198, 217
162, 180, 186, 221, 226 Period, 8, 34–36, 48–51, 53, 149, 155, 156,
Measurements, 2, 4, 8, 10, 14, 15, 17, 19, 165, 183, 207, 211–213
21–23, 28, 40, 55, 74, 133, 134, 165, Periodic, 8, 12, 109, 187
167, 177, 201, 203 Phases, 13, 108, 121, 219–221, 224, 225
Mechanical, 31, 32, 34, 104 Phenomena, 1–4, 6–10, 12–25, 48, 50, 103,
Medium, 6, 8, 11, 15, 29, 31, 41, 47, 76, 77, 106, 109, 111, 180, 183
79, 80, 100, 101, 117, 162, 224 Phone, 3, 26, 36, 117, 133, 165, 167, 168,
Membrane, 158–160 175–177, 211
Microphone, 17, 18, 51, 53, 54, 133, 156, Photons, 142, 173
200, 207 Photosynthesis, 6
Microscopic, 4, 13, 103 Physics, 1, 2, 9, 15, 17, 25, 103, 128,
Minimum, 5, 46, 121, 125, 126, 139, 148, 191–198, 206
200, 226 Pitch, 1, 51–54, 132, 207
Misconception, 7, 67 Polarization, 137–148, 199
Model, 12, 13, 59, 128, 134, 173–175 Polarizer, 146, 147
Molecules, 13, 139, 141, 142, 174, 175, 190, Polaroid, 146, 147
191, 193 Position, 1, 8–10, 18, 29, 30, 33, 35–37, 46,
Momentum, 103, 193 60, 65, 72, 79, 84, 89, 104, 105, 109,
Monochromatic, 123, 128 121, 130, 139, 167, 168, 179, 184, 203,
Moon, 12, 14, 26 204, 220, 221
Motion, 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 12, 25, 28, 30, 32–36, 39, Precision, 7, 8, 10, 19, 21, 23, 24
41, 42, 45–49, 109, 110, 112, 141, 149, Prediction, 4, 6, 10, 12, 25, 26, 52, 67, 109,
151, 155, 186, 194, 199–201, 203–207, 110, 145, 158, 168–170
210, 211, 220 Pressure, 1, 18, 25, 47, 50, 106, 112, 133,
Movements, 3, 8, 27, 28, 35, 46–48, 161, 226
158, 160 Processes, 1, 2, 8, 19, 115, 191, 195, 196, 218
Munson, 161 Propagation, 6, 13, 28, 31, 32, 59, 133, 139,
Musical, 159 167, 168, 170–181
Proportion, 8, 144, 160, 186
Pulse, 15, 17, 27–31, 42, 50, 59, 100, 101,
N 103, 151, 204
Nature, 2, 7, 9, 19, 126, 128, 134, 144,
146, 193
Navigation, 6, 134 Q
Necker cube, 196, 197 Qualitative, 7
Newton’s third law, 9 Quantitative, 2, 3, 7, 8, 64, 68, 111, 150, 227
Noise, 16, 73, 164, 165

R
O Radar, 158
Observable, 2, 6 Radiation, 26, 43–45, 141, 167, 172–180
Orbit, 14, 174, 178, 179 Radio, 31, 42, 158, 175, 176
232 Index

Radius, 68–70, 155, 156, 178, 180, 181 T

Rarefaction, 47 Target, 7
Ratio, 6, 14, 76, 113, 147 Temperature, 13, 15–18, 21–23, 41, 43–45,
Reflection, 1, 12, 19, 21, 23, 59–74, 79–81, 98–100, 133
93–97, 100, 105, 123, 124, 128, 129, 132, Tension, 28, 40, 41, 49, 112
139, 140, 145, 156, 157, 171, 186–193, Textbooks, 7, 161
199, 201, 203, 207, 213, 218, 226 Theory, 1, 7, 97, 158–163
Refraction, 75–88, 92–101, 117, 139–141, 199 Thermometer, 43
Relationship, 1, 3, 7–10, 13, 14, 19, 50, 52, 53, Thunder, 56
93, 107, 111, 121, 124, 125, 131, 147, Timer, 16, 28, 40
150, 158–160, 162, 168, 169, 171, 178, Tones, 112, 113, 133, 158, 161, 167,
220, 226 207, 223
Representation, 7, 8, 13, 25, 33, 45–47, 60, 61, Transducer, 100, 200
77, 82, 106, 112, 126, 133, 161, 162, Transmission, 2, 100, 140, 146
195, 199, 203, 215, 216 Transmitted, 1, 30, 31, 76, 96, 100, 101, 119,
Resonance, 49, 109–111, 115, 162 138–140, 146, 147, 200, 226
Resonant, 49, 141, 162 Transverse, 32–34, 46, 47, 112, 138, 139,
Retention, 2, 7 146, 218
Richter, 159 Trends, 3, 5
Roemer, 14 Tsunami, 6
Rotation, 144, 146, 147, 156, 179, 187, 188, 193 Tuning fork, 45, 46

S U
Scalar, 16 Ultrasound, 100, 101, 199–201
Scattering, 139, 141–142, 144, 145 Ultraviolet, 43–45, 50, 175
Scientific, 2, 8, 19, 42, 55, 224 Undisturbed, 8
Seismic, 48, 159, 160
Sensation, 1, 3
Signals, 1, 3, 14, 17, 18, 53, 100, 117, 125, V
149, 155, 158, 167, 177, 186, 200, 201, Vector, 9, 16
207, 211, 213, 225 Vernier, 17, 156, 206, 212
Simple harmonic motion, 8, 12, 35, 36 Vibration, 6, 8, 17, 45, 46, 48, 49, 51–54, 104,
Simulation, 2, 10, 12, 15, 16, 25, 27, 35, 36, 109–113, 146, 226
40, 49, 105, 106, 109, 110, 114, 115, Vision, 1, 3, 86, 87, 93, 115, 211
118, 124, 137, 152, 175, 222, 223 Volume, 6, 74, 161, 163, 201–203
Smell, 6
Solid, 13, 32, 63, 70, 83, 139, 174, 218
Sonar, 200 W
Sound, 1, 25, 73, 98, 103, 117, 138, 149, 167, Water, 13, 30, 31, 33, 52–54, 60, 75, 79, 80,
183, 223 93, 95–98, 101, 105, 106, 118, 144,
Space, 2, 6, 13, 30–32, 73, 104, 123, 165, 172, 145, 200, 201
193, 194, 226 Wave, 1, 25, 59, 76, 103, 117,
Spectrum, 42–45, 50, 114, 123, 128, 130–132, 137, 218
142–144, 157, 158, 175, 176 Waveform, 207, 210
Speed, 2, 27, 76, 116, 132, 140, 149, 172, 224 Wavelength, 34, 36, 40–45, 47, 48, 50, 76,
Spring, 8–13, 39, 109, 110, 193, 219, 221 101, 111, 113–117, 119, 121–123,
Stimuli, 2 125, 126, 128, 130–134, 141–144,
Sun, 14, 15, 43–45, 61, 98, 99, 141–143, 178, 179 149, 150, 157, 158, 162, 175, 221,
Superposition, 29, 103–106 224, 226, 227
Surface, 8, 30, 33, 59–63, 68, 71–74, 77, 81, Work, 1, 8, 19, 23, 57, 156, 161
84, 89, 96–100, 105, 119, 128, 130,
140, 168, 177–181, 186, 193, 195, 201,
215, 217, 218, 226 X
Symmetry, 1, 67, 183, 185–198 X-rays, 31, 43