5 Wave Properties

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 Wave Properties
The ripple tank
Transparent plastic tray with a
light source above it,
The wave pattern is projected
onto a screen,
Waves projected as alternating
bright and dark lines.
overhead
projector ripple
tank

3
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Water waves act like lenses.

crest convergesdiverges
light light trough

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 The bright and dark lines are wavefronts.
___________ is a line joining all the wave particles which
have the same phase.
________ is line showing the direction of propagation of
the waves
Ray is always at right angle the wavefront.

_________
wavefront

_________
wavefront
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Waves properties
1. Reflection
Reflection follows laws of reflection
________________________________________________
reflected
wavefront
s
r
r
i i

incident normal
wavefronts

The ___________, _____________ and _________ of the

water waves remain unchanged after reflection.

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 Circular wavefront
The reflection of circular waves also obeys the laws of
reflection.

The reflected pulses are:

• also circular
• appear to come from an image
point S’ behind the barrier.
similar to that formed by a plane
mirror.

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Example 1
Sketch the reflected wave in each diagram.

(a) (c)

(b) (d)

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 2. Refraction
• Refraction is
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
• The_____________ of the wave remains the same in both
media.
• ⇒ change in ________________

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Refraction at straight boundary

______________
______________

direction of travel

glass block

__________________
__________________

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 if waves incident at an angle...

r λ
λ'
λ λ'
i

bends towards normal

deep shallow
water bends away from normal water
The _______________, _____________ and the
__________________________ of the water waves
changes after refraction.
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Example 2
Draw the reflected wave patterns in and behind the glass
blocks.

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 Refractive index
Suppose wave speed is v1 in medium 1 and v2 in medium 2.
Refractive index from medium 1 to 2
v1
n1→2 = = _____
v2

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Example 3
A set of straight water waves
travels from region X to region Y.
λ in region X = 4 cm
λ in region Y = 5 cm
(a) Which region is deeper?
(b) Refractive index from region X to region Y = ?

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 Example 4
The figure shows a train of straight waves traveling from
deep water to shallow water. The straight bar is vibrating at a
frequency of 5 Hz.

direction of travel
vibrating straight bar of the wave

10 cm 5 cm

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(a) When the waves enter the shallow water, describe what happens to
the wavelength and the frequency of the waves.
(b) (i) Find the speed of the waves in deep water.
(ii) Find the speed of the waves in shallow water.
(c) If the waves enter the shallow water at an angle, what would happen
to the direction of travel of waves?

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 1. In a ripple tank experiment, a train of straight water waves
travels from region P to region Q along the normal. State
how the frequency and the speed of the waves change
when they travel from region P to region Q.

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2. In a ripple tank experiment, a train of straight water

waves travels from a shallow region to a deep region.
(a) Name the phenomenon observed when the waves travel
across the boundary between the shallow region and the
deep region.

(b) Sketch the wave pattern formed in the deep region.

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 shallow convex region

__________________________
__________________________

shallow concave region

__________________________
__________________________

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3. Diffraction
Diffraction is the bending of waves around obstacles.

A. Diffraction around an edge

Straight waves bend around the
edge and spread into the region
behind it.

____________
____________ all remain
____________ unchanged

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 When the wavelength of the wave is increased,
______________________________________________

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B. Diffraction by an obstacle

______________________________________________

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 C. Diffraction through a gap

Waves through a narrow gap _______________________.

Waves through a wide gap _________________________.

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Factors affecting the degree of diffraction

(1) ____________________________________________
(2) ____________________________________________

1.When a is much larger than λ,

_________________________
_________________________

2. When size of gap a

decreases,
__________________________
__________________________

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 3. When a = λ,
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________

4. Further decrease a,
________________________
________________________
________________________
________________________

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Example 5

(a) Sketch the wave pattern if...

(i)gap width (ii)gap width

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 (b) Sketch the wave pattern if...

(i) λ (ii) λ

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3. A train of straight water waves travels towards a barrier

with an opening in a ripple tank.
(a) Sketch the wave pattern on the other side of the barrier.
(b) How would the degree of diffraction changes if the
opening of the barrier becomes narrower?

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 4. In a ripple tank experiment, a train of straight water waves
travels from a deep region to a shallow region. Sketch
the wave pattern formed in the shallow region.

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Superposition of two waves

When two pulses meet, they add together to form
a resultant pulse.
Displacement of any sum of displacements of
point on the resultant = individual pulses at that
pulse point

principle of superposition

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 reinforce

2 waves in phase
When two waves which are in phase reinforce each other to
form a wave of greater amplitude, this is called
______________________________.

2 waves out of phase

cancel

When two waves which are exactly out of phase cancel

each other, this is called __________________________.

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4. Interference
Interference pattern produced in ripple tank

dippers attached to
the same vibrating
bar

•When 2 waves of the same frequency same amplitude and

wavelength λ cross the same region, interference occurs.

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 Coherent sources
• Interference pattern can be produced only when
coherent sources are used.

the dippers act as

2 identical sources

• Coherent Sources have a _______________________,

which means they must have the same frequency.

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Coherent sources can be produced by using 2 vibrators

and double slit.

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 Analyzing the interference pattern
trough
crest X Y

P Q
S1 S2
At point P

bigger crest
crest from S1 crest from S2

constructive interference occurs

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At point X
crest from S1 trough from S2 cancel
out each
other

destructive interference occurs

Constructive interference occurs at a point where the path
difference from the two sources is equal to zero or a whole number of
wavelengths, i.e. 0, λ, 2λ, 3λ and so on, i.e. two sources are in phase.

Destructive interference occurs at a point where the path difference

from the two sources is equal to , , and so on, i.e. two
sources are in anti-phase.

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 X Y

P Q
S1 S2

At point P,
path difference = ____ ___________________

At point X,
___________________
path difference = ____
At point Q,
path difference = ____ ___________________

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X Y

P Q

S S
1 2

Antinodal lines are lines joining places where

constructive interference occurs.

Nodal lines are lines joining places where destructive

interference occurs.

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 The above interference pattern is not stationary.
The wavefronts travel outwards continuously, but
the locations of nodal and antinodal lines stay the
same.

s-t graph of a particle s-t graph of a particle

on the antinodal line: on the nodal line:

vibrates with a larger amplitude remains stationary

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Factors affecting the interference pattern

1.source separation increases

number of nodal and antinodal lines ____________.

separation of nodal and antinodal lines __________,

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 2. Wavelength decreases

number of nodal and antinodal lines ____________.

separation of nodal and antinodal lines __________,

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Example 6
Two sets of identical circular waves are produced by two vibrating
sources. The figure below shows the wave pattern at a certain instant.

A B
D
C

S1 S2

(a) (i) At which of the 4 points A, B, C and D, does constructive

interference occur?
(ii) At which of the 4 points A, B, C and D, does destructive
interference occur?
(b) Sketch 3 antinodal lines in the wave pattern.
(c) What will happen to the antinodal lines if the two sources are
brought closer together?

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 Example 7
A train of straight waves is generated in a ripple tank using a
vibrating source of frequency 20 Hz. The waves pass
through a barrier with two openings as shown.
(a) Find the wavelength and the speed of the waves.
(b) Find the path difference at points X and Y. Hence,
state the kind of interference occurring at X and Y.
(c) (i) Which kind of interference will occur at X if
the frequency of the waves is doubled?
(ii) Which kind of interference will occur at X if some
water is removed from the ripple tank such that
the wave speed is decreased by 1/3 ?

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6 cm

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 5. A train of straight water waves travels towards two slits S1
and S2 in a ripple tank as shown. M is the midpoint
between the slits.
It is known that S1P=32cm, S2P=38cm, S1Q=33cm and
S2Q=42cm. Find the path difference at
(a) Point O,
(b) Point P, and
(c) Point Q
From S1 and S2, in terms of the wavelength λ. Hence state
the types of interference occurring at the three points.

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6. In a ripple tank experiment, two sets of identical circular water waves

are produced by two dippers S1 and S2 vibrating in phase. The figure
below shows the positions of the crests and the troughs at a certain
instant.
(a) State the types of interference occurring at P, Q and R
(i) at the instant shown, and
(ii) Just after half a period of the waves.
(b) If the two dippers were vibrating in antiphase, state the types of
interference occurring at P, Q and R
(i) at the instant shown, and
(ii) Just after half a period of the waves.

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 7. In a ripple tank experiment, two sets of identical circular
water waves are produced by two dippers S1 and S2
vibrating in phase at a frequency f.
State and explain the types of interference occurring at A
in the following cases:
(a) Increasing the frequency of the dippers to 2f,
(b) Decreasing the frequency of the dippers to f/5,
(c) How would the separation between the antinodal lines
change when S1 and S2 are brought farther apart?

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8. In a ripple tank experiment, a train of straight water

waves passes through a barrier with two openings as
shown.
(a) Sketch, on the diagram, three antinodal lines and two
nodal lines.

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 (b) The figure below shows the displacement-time graph of
particle P.
(i) It is known that the waves are travelling at speed of
10cms-1. Find the wavelength of the waves.
(ii) Sketch a displacement-time graph of particle Q.
(iii) What is the amplitude of waves emitted by the source?

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reflection Properties
unique to
waves

diffraction
interference

refraction

____________ is often regarded as a criterion for waves.

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 The waves we have studied so far propagate with a definite wave
speed.
travelling waves (progressive waves)
However, there are waves which appear to be stationary.

Chladni’s Plate

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Stationary waves
Stationary waves in a long spring
a Reflection and phase change
When a crest arrives at a fixed end,
• reflected as a trough travelling back in the
opposite direction
• phase change of 180° or π

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 When a crest arrives at a free end,

free end free end

• reflected back as a crest
• no phase change
• Reflected wave: same v, same f and same λ, but
in opposite direction.

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A stationary wave / standing wave is formed by the

superposition of two progressive waves with the same
___________ and __________ travelling at the same
___________ in ____________________.

λ/2

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 Characteristics of stationary waves
a. Localization of energy
b. Different amplitudes at different positions
c. Nodes and antinodes
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

equilibrium
position

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d. Phase relationships of neighboring points

•_____________________________________________
•_____________________________________________
•_____________________________________________

equilibrium
position

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5 Wave phenomena
 Comparing travelling waves and stationary waves:

Travelling wave Stationary wave

1. moves forwards does not move from one place to
another.

2. Particles vibrate with the same Particles vibrate with different

amplitude. amplitudes.

3. Neighboring particles always • same loop in phase

vibrate out of phase. • in two adjacent loops in
antiphase
4. Different particles reach max. All particles reach their max.
displacements at different times. displacements at the same time.

5. Energy is transmitted from one Energy is localized.

place to another.

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Example 8

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 Example 9

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 Stationary wave pattern on a string
v v
λ1 = 2L f1 = =
λ1 2L

λ2 = L

2L
λ3 =
3

2L
λn =
n

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• The two ends of the string are ________ positions.

• Stationary waves can only be produced at certain
frequencies. At other frequencies, the string vibrates in
an irregular way. No stationary wave is produced.
• There is a number of resonant frequencies in a vibrating
string. All the possible frequencies are whole number
multiples of f1(fundamental frequency), the frequency
when there is only 1 loop in the string.
• Frequency of a stationary wave depends on the length of
string L and the wave speed on the string v.

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 Example 10
The lowest resonant frequency for a guitar string of length 0.75 m is
400 Hz. Calculate the speed of a transverse wave on the string.

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Stationary waves in air

Stationary waves in air obtained by:

superposition of
waves

d = x2 − x1
= Distance between 2 successive antinodes sound wave from

=λ
loudspeaker is
2 reflected
fλ = f (2d )
Speed of sound in air v ==_______________

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 Example 11
S1 and S2 are two loudspeakers which emit sound waves of frequency
1100 Hz continuously. M is a small microphone which is moved along
the line joining S1 and S2 with a speed of 30 m s–1.

(a) The sound received by M rises and falls periodically. Explain why.
(b) If the speed of sound is 330 m s–1, calculate the frequency of the
rise and fall in the sound received by M.

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