Characteristics of Waves

Table of Contents
What Are Waves?

Properties of Waves

Interactions of Waves

Seismic Waves
Characteristics of Waves

What are Waves?

• Remember back……

• A wave is a disturbance that transmits energy

through matter or space.
Characteristics of Waves

One Way to Classify Waves

Mechanical Waves Electromagnetic Waves
•Must have a medium •Do NOT need a medium
•Can travel at any •Travel at the speed of
speed light
• Ex: •Ex:
Characteristics of Waves - What Are Waves?

Mechanical Waves and Energy

Waves travel through water, but they
do not carry the water (or the duck)
with them.
Characteristics of Waves

Mechanical Waves
Examples Include:
Ocean waves,
medium = water
Sound waves,
medium = air
Seismic Waves
(Earthquake),
medium = earth
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Movement
A wave front is the front of a wave that is transferring energy.
In a single system all of the wave fronts have the same
amount of energy, but as the wave front spreads out, so
does the energy.
Characteristics of Waves - What Are Waves?

Transverse Waves
Waves that move the medium at right angles (perpendicular)
to the direction in which the waves travel are called
transverse waves.
Characteristics of Waves - What Are Waves?

Longitudinal Waves
Longitudinal waves move the medium parallel to the direction
in which the waves travel.
Characteristics of Waves - What Are Waves?

Longitudinal Waves
The compressions of a longitudinal wave correspond to the
crest of a transverse wave. The troughs correspond to
rarefactions.
Characteristics of Waves - What Are Waves?

Transverse vs. Longitudinal Waves

Click on the link to see how the differ waves travel or

propogate.

Another link with animation

Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Wave Properties
The basic properties of all waves are amplitude, wavelength,
frequency and speed.
Characteristics of Waves

Parts of a Wave

Wavelength (λ) is the total

length of 1 wave.
In transverse waves it’s typically
measured from crest to crest or
trough to trough.
In longitudinal waves it’s
measured from compression to
compression or rarefaction to
rarefaction.
The shorter the wavelength, the
more energy the wave is
carrying.
Characteristics of Waves

Parts of a Wave
Amplitude can be measured on a transverse wave. It height from the
resting point to the crest or the resting point to the trough.
The larger the amplitude, the more energy the wave is carrying.
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements

The frequency (f) of a wave is

the number of complete
waves that pass a given
point per second.
The SI unit for measuring
frequency is Hertz (Hz).
1 waves occurs every second=
1 Hz
2 waves occur every second=
2 Hz
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements
• Frequency and wavelength have an INVERSE relationship--as
one increases, the other decreases.

• Example: The higher the frequency the shorter the

wavelength and vice versa.
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements

Wave speed (v) is the speed at which a wave passes through a

medium and is measured using the following equation:

wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) x wavelength (m)

v=fxλ
Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Calculations
The speed of a wave on a rope is 50 cm/s and its wavelength is
10 cm. What is the wave’s frequency?

Read and Understand

What information have you been given?

Speed = 50 cm/s
Wavelength = 10 cm
Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Calculations
The speed of a wave on a rope is 50 cm/s and its wavelength is
10 cm. What is the wave’s frequency?

Plan and Solve

What quantity are you trying to calculate?
The frequency of a wave = __ Hz
What formula contains the given quantities and the unknown
quantity?
Frequency = Speed/Wavelength
Perform the calculation.
Frequency = Speed/Wavelength = 50 cm/s/10 cm
Frequency = 5/s = 5 Hz
Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Calculations
The speed of a wave on a rope is 50 cm/s and its wavelength is
10 cm. What is the wave’s frequency?

Look Back and Check

Does your answer make sense?

The wave speed is 50 cm per second. Because the distance from
crest to crest is 10 cm, five crests will pass a point every second.
Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Calculating Frequency
Practice Problem

A wave has a wavelength of 2 mm and a frequency of 3

Hz. At what speed does the wave travel?

(2 mm)(3 Hz) = 6 mm/s

Characteristics of Waves - Properties of Waves

Calculating Frequency
Practice Problem

The speed of a wave on a guitar string is 142 m/s and

the frequency is 110 Hz. What is the wavelength of the
wave?

(142 m/s)/(110 Hz) = 1.3 m

Characteristics of Waves

STOP HERE 
Lets do the Wave!
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements

A wave along a guitar string has a frequency of

440 Hz and a wavelength of 1.5 m. What is the
speed of the wave?

v= v=f*λ
? m/s v v = 440 Hz x 1.5 m
v = 660 m/s
f=
f*λ
440 Hz
λ =
1.5 m
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements

The speed of sound in air is about 340 m/s. What

is the wavelength of sound waves produced by
guitar strings vibrating at a frequency of 440 Hz?

v= λ= v/f
340 m/s λ = 340 m/s / 440 Hz
v
λ = 0.77 m
f=
f*λ
440 Hz
λ =
?m
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Measurements

The speed of light is 3 x 108 m/s. What is the

frequency of microwaves with a wavelength of
0.01 m?
v=
f=v/λ
3 x 10 m/s
8

v f = 300,000,000 m/s / 0.01 m

300,000,000 m/s f = 30,000,000,000 Hz
f= f*λ
? Hz
λ =
0.01 m
Characteristics of Waves

End of Section:
Properties of
Waves
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Reflection
When an object or wave hits a surface through which it
cannot pass, it bounces back.
Characteristics of Waves

Reflection
Reflection is when waves, whether physical or
electromagnetic, bounce from a surface back toward the
source. A mirror reflects the image of the observer.

NORMAL
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Refraction
When a wave enters a new medium at an angle, one side of
the wave changes speed before the other side, causing the
wave to bend.
Characteristics of Waves

Refraction
Refraction is when waves, whether physical or electromagnetic, are
deflected when the waves go through a substance. The wave
generally changes the angle of its general direction.
Characteristics of Waves

Refraction
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Diffraction
When a wave moves around a barrier or through an opening
in a barrier, it bends and spreads out.
Characteristics of Waves

Diffraction
Diffraction is when a wave goes through a small hole and has a flared
out geometric shadow of the slit.
• a characteristic of waves of all types
• We can hear around a corner because of the diffraction of sound
waves. For instance, if a wall is next to you when you yell, the sound
will parallel the wall. The wall may stop, but the voice doesn't; sound
will almost turn the corner of the wall.
Characteristics of Waves

http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/schools/teacher/lesson3/
flash/whiteboardcomplete.swf
Characteristics of Waves

Wave Behavior

Interference occurs when

the combination of two
or more waves exist in
the same place at the
same time.
Constructive interference =
bigger wave.
Destructive interference =
smaller wave.
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Interference
The interference that occurs when
waves combine to make a wave with
larger amplitude
a smaller amplitudeisiscalled
called
constructiveinterference.
destructive interference.

Link to animation of interference and

standing waves.

Another cool animation!

Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Wave Interference Activity

Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and

access Active Art about wave interference.
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Standing Waves
If the incoming wave and a reflected wave have just the right
frequency, they produce a combined wave that appears to be
standing still.
ex: Jump rope

Link to standing wave animation- watch for >1 min

Characteristics of Waves

Standing Waves
Nodes: Point of zero amplitude
Nodes are always spaced evenly throughout the standing
wave.
Antinodes: point of maximum amplitude (MAX energy)
Characteristics of Waves

Resonance
• Most objects have a natural frequency of vibration
• If a nearby object vibrates at the same frequency this can cause resonance.
•Examples: instruments

Show water glass demonstration

Characteristics of Waves

Doppler Effect

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OnBYrbCjY
Characteristics of Waves - Interactions of Waves

Asking Questions
Before you read, preview the red headings. In a graphic organizer
like the one below, ask a what, how, when, or where question for
each heading. As you read, write answers to your questions.
Question Answer
How are waves reflected? Waves are reflected when they hit a
surface through which they cannot
pass and bounce back.
What is refraction? The bending of waves due to a
change in speed

When does diffraction occur? When a wave moves around a

barrier or through an opening in a
barrier
What is a standing wave? A wave that appears to stand in one
place even though it is really two
waves interfering
Characteristics of Waves

End of Section:
Interactions of
Waves
Characteristics of Waves

Graphic Organizer

Waves

can be can be

Transverse Longitudinal

contain contain contain contain

Crests Troughs Compressions Rarefactions

Characteristics of Waves

End of Section:
Graphic Organizer