Physical Science

Ch. 10: Waves

 A wave is a rhythmic disturbance which carries

energy through space or matter.
Many waves, but not all, require a medium to move
between points, these are called mechanical
waves.
A medium is a material through which a wave
transfers energy.

Which of the following would be

mechanical waves?
Light
Sound
Ultraviolet (U.V.) waves

Types of Waves
Based on the way they move, there
are 2 different types of waves:
1. Transverse Waves
2. Compressional Waves

Transverse Waves
In a transverse wave, the wave's medium
move perpendicular to the direction of the
wave. Ex. ocean waves, light waves
For example, as the wave moves left to right,
the medium moves up and down.

 Say you're waterskiing

down at the lake and
you wipe out. As you
float in the water and a
wave goes by, what
does your body do as
the wave passes?

Parts of a Transverse Wave

There are 4 main parts to a transverse wave:
Crest- the highest point on a transverse
wave

Trough- the lowest point on a transverse

wave

 Amplitude- the distance from either the

crest or trough to the resting point of the
wave

 Wavelength- distance from crest to crest

or trough to trough on a wave

Wave Frequency
Frequency is a property of a wave, not a
part of one.
Frequency is the number of waves which
pass a given point in 1 second.
Hertz (Hz) is the SI unit for frequency.
1 Hz = 1 wave passing a given point in
1 second

 So if youre sitting on a boat

dock, and 1 waves washes
up against the dock every
second, then the wave
frequency is 1 Hz.
What if 2 waves hit per
second?
What if 1 waves washes past
every 2 seconds?

 When you tune in to a radio station, the

numbers on the dial represent the frequency
that a particular station is sending their signal
out at.
FM MHz (megahertz), 98.9 = 98,900,000 Hz
AM KHz (kilohertz), 610 = 610,000 Hz

 Which band, AM or FM, usually has better

sound quality?
Why do you think this is so?

 The period of a wave is the amount of time it

takes one wavelength to pass a stationary
point. The wave below has a period of about
2 s.

Compressional Waves
A

compressional wave vibrates in the

direction that the wave is travelling. These
waves are also known as longitudinal waves.
Examples: slinky, sound waves

 The 2 main parts of a compressional wave are:

A. Compression- area of higher density
within the wave
B. Rarefaction- area of lower density
within the wave
pg. 296

Sound Waves
Sound

waves are a type of compressional

wave which require a medium to travel.
Sound waves travel at about 750 mi/hr.
This speed is effected slightly by the type
of medium, temperature of medium, and
elevation.

 When an object such as a jet travels at a

speed greater than 750 mi/hr it is said to
be supersonic.
What happens when an object travels at
supersonic speeds?

 The ThrustSSC (supersonic car) broke the

sound barrier on land, going 760 mi/hr on
October 15, 1997.

 The photo below shows the shock wave

produced when the car broke the sound
barrier.

 A shock wave is a rapid change in air pressure

caused by a strong disturbance. The shock wave
moves outward from the disturbance.
Large explosions and sonic booms can produce
strong shock waves.

 Think of a rock being thrown into a pond

and producing outward ripples. A strong
disturbance can produce the same type
of ripples, only in the air.

 A boat moving though water can produce

waves which are more bunched up in front of
the boat in the direction that it is moving. So
there are more waves per second
(frequency) out in front of the boat.

 Lets say that the boat travels fast enough

for the waves being produced to start to
overlap each other, so that a stationary
point (x) is hit by more than 1 wave at a
time.

 This would cause that point to experience

much more wave energy all at once.

 This is fairly easy for the boat to accomplish

since all it would have to do is move faster than
the waves, which travel relatively slowly.
However, the same thing can happen in the air
if the object (a jet) can travel faster than the
waves in the air (sound waves).

 When the tremendous amount of energy

required for this to occur produces waves,
and these waves start overlapping and
striking a point several at a time, then a sonic
boom is experienced.

 Just like the boat produces continual waves,

so does the jet. So as long as it stays above
750 mi/hr, a continual sonic boom will be
produced following along slightly behind the
jet.

 If you are on the ground as the jet goes

over, you will here only a single boom
though, as the shock wave moves past
you following the jet.

 How far away can a sonic boom be felt or

heard?
What happens as the jet drops back below
750 mi/hr?

 Wave speed is the rate at which a wave is

traveling, and is measured in m/s.
The formula for wave speed is:

frequency (Hz) x wavelength (m)

 If a sound wave (335 m/s) has a frequency

of 67 Hz, what is its wavelength?

Velocity = Frequency x Wavelength

so
Wavelength = Velocity / Frequency
= 335 m/s / 67 Hz
=5m

Reflection and Refraction

Reflection is where a wave strikes an object and
bounces off.
When a wave strikes a flat reflective surface it will
reflect back at the same angle that it struck the
surface at. This is called

The Law of Reflection

The law of reflection states that the angle
of incidence is equal to the angle of
reflection on a flat reflective surface.

Examples of the Law of

Reflection:

 How is the Law of Reflection used in laser

security systems?

 In addition to reflection a wave can

experience refraction.
Refraction is the bending of a wave as it
enters a different medium, due to a
change in speed.

 Because of light refraction, a person bow

fishing would not aim directly at the fish.
Where should they aim? Hmmmm..

Diffraction
Diffraction is the bending of a wave, around a
barrier.
Ex.: Light in the storage room partially illuminating the
classroom.

 Sometimes 2 or more waves may come in

contact with each other and overlap to form a
new wave. This is called interference
As these waves overlap, they can either
multiply and enhance each other, or cancel
each other out.

 Constructive interference occurs when the

crests and troughs coincide and produce a
larger amplitude (greater overall combined energy)

 Examples of constructive interference:

2 people trampolining at the same time
2 or more people singing together (in sync)

 Destructive interference occurs when the

crests of one wave coincide with the troughs
of another, creating a smaller amplitude.

 Examples:
- excessive echoing in a stadium or arena,
which distorts the P.A. system
- 2 or more people singing together (out of
sync)

 Singers doing the National Anthem will often

wear earplugs because the strong echo
coming back through the stadium can
interrupt their timing of the song.

 Many locations, such as auditoriums and

modern stadiums are specifically designed
to produce constructive interference.

 Waves created through and along the

crust of the earth by shifting or breaking
tectonic plates are called seismic waves.

 These waves are comprised of

both transverse and
compressional waves, and can
create very damaging
earthquakes.

 The San Andreas Fault

line in California and the
New Madrid Fault in SE
Missouri are 2 locations
where plates come
together, and are
therefore more likely to
slide or break.

 Underwater earthquakes can often

produce tsunamis, giant ocean waves.

 When Doug was driving

from Kansas City to
Denver, he crossed over
from the central time zone
to the mountain time
zone. When he arrived
he went to change the
time on his cell phone,
but found that it had
already changed. How
did that happen?

 As Carl was driving

through the Ozarks, he
found that he could not
tune into a radio station
and maintain a signal,
even for stations nearby.
Why was this?

The South American

archer fish shoots a
stream of water
which knocks
unsuspecting prey
down into the water
where they are
eaten. Would the
fish in the picture
need to aim higher
or lower than where
it perceives the bug
to be?

 A .50 caliber sniper rifle fires a projectile at

1,002 m/s. If the rifle is fired at a target and
the bullet takes 2 seconds to reach the
target, how long after the bullet strikes will it
take before the crack of the gun is heard?
(speed of sound = 334 m/s)

 Because sound travels at 750 mi/hr, you can

calculate that it will travel about 1 mile in 5
seconds.
1 hr. = 3,600 seconds,
so 750/3,600 = .2 mi/second
So in 5 seconds (5 x .2) sound will travel 1 mile.

 An F-22 Raptor passing overhead breaks

the sound barrier, producing a sonic boom.
If you hear the boom 1 minute after the jet
passed by, how high was the jet flying?