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Oscillation
Important Terms
1. Amplitude is the maximum displacement of an
object from its equilibrium position.
2. Frequency, f is the number of complete
vibrations that take place in one second.
3. Period is defined as the time required for one
complete oscillation or vibration.

f = frequency T = Period

Displacement-Time Graph

Damping, Force Oscillation and Resonance
1. Damping is the decrease of the amplitude of
an oscillating system due to losing energy to the
surrounding
2. A force oscillation is an oscillation with the
help of external force or forces
3. Resonance is a phenomenon where an
oscillating object oscillates with very high
amplitude when the frequency of the external
force exerted on the system equal to the natural
frequency of the system.
Graph of Damping


Examples of Resonance
1. Opera singer breaks a wine glass with her
voice due to the effect of resonance.
2. Tacoma Narrow Bridge in USA collapsed
in 1940 due to the effect of resonance.
3. A moving bus produces excessive noise at
certain speed when the frequency of the
engine equal to the natural frequency of the
bus.
Applications of Resonance
1. Tuning radio/television to your
favorite channels.
2. Tuning piano
3. Musical instruments such as trumpet
Bartons Pendulum

Observation
1. When pendulum X oscillates, the other pendulums are forced to
oscillate.
2. Pendulum D will oscillates with the largest amplitude.
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Understanding Waves





Classification of Waves

























1. Waves transfer energy without transferring physical matter.
2. A wavefront is a line or a surface that connects points that are
moving at the same phase and has the same distance from the
source of the waves.
3. Characteristics of wavefront:
a. wavefronts are always perpendicular to the direction of wave
propagation. (As shown in the diagram below)
b. all the points on a wavefront have same distance from the source of the
wave.
4. The wavelength () is defined as the distance between two
successive particles which are at the same phase (exactly the same
point in their paths and are moving in the same direction.).
Waves
Transverse Wave Longitudinal Wave
A transverse wave is a wave where the
particles of the medium vibrate in a
direction that is perpendicular to the
direction of the wave motion.

Example:
Light wave, ripple, radio wave
A longitudinal wave is a wave where the
particles of the medium vibrate in a
direction that is parallel to the direction of
the wave motion.

Example:
Sound Wave
Displacement Distance Graph
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Ripple Tank

























Explain how the dark and light bands are formed on the screen.
The dark and light bands formed on the screen owing to the
refraction of light.

As shown in figure above, when the light from the light house
passes through the area around the peak of a wave, the light will
be converged and form a bright band on the screen.
Conversely, when the light from the light house passes through
the area around the trough of a wave, the light will be diverged
and form a dark band on the screen.
What is the function of the sponge
beach?

The function of the sponge beach is to
prevent reflection of the waves.
What is the function of the dipper?

To produce waves of different shape
Straight parallel waves may be produced
by a horizontal wooden bar.
Circular waves may be produced by a
vertical ball-ended rod.
What is the function of the
Eccentric/Motor?

The function of the eccentric /motor is to
produce a reciprocating motion.
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Phenomena of Waves





Reflection
1. Reflection occurs when an incident
wave hits a reflector and reflected
back.
2. The direction of propagation of the
wave changed when it is reflected.
3. The wavelength, frequency and speed
of wave remain unchanged.
4. The amplitude of the wave may or
may not change depend on the
material of the reflector and the shape
of the wavefront.
Reflection of Light Wave

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Phenomena of Waves
Reflection of Sound Waves
The experiment conclude that the angle of
incident (i) = the angle of reflection (r)


Refraction
Speed of Water Waves
1. When straight waves pass from deep to shallow
water, their
a. wave-length becomes shorter
b. speed decreases
2. frequency remain unchanged



3 Cases of Refraction of
Water Waves

Direction Parallel to normal
No refraction
Deep to Shallow Region
Wavelength decreases
Refracted closer to normal
Shallow to Deep Region
Wavelength Increases
Refracted further away from
normal

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Phenomena of Waves
Diffraction
Diffraction is the spreading of a wave when it travels through an opening
or a small obstacle.
Characteristics of Diffracted Wave
1. Wavelength does not change.
2. Frequency does not change.
3. Speed of diffracted does not change.
4. The amplitude of the wave decreases after diffraction.
Factors Affecting the Magnitude of Diffraction
1. Magnitude of diffraction depends on
a) The wavelength
The longer the wavelength, the greater the effect of diffraction
b) The size of the opening
The smaller the size of the opening, the greater the effect of diffraction

Diffraction of Light Wave

1. Conditions for diffraction to take place are:
(a) Light source must be monochromatic. That is,
the light must possess only one wavelength.
(b) Slit size must be small enough as compare with
the wavelength of light.
Factors affecting the pattern of diffraction
1. The factors that will affect the distance between the
bright bands are
a. Size of the slit
The smaller the size of the slit, the greater the effect of
diffraction.
b. Colour of the light
The longer the wavelength, the greater the effect of
diffraction.
(Red light has longer wavelength while purple light has
shortest wavelength.)
c. Distance of the screen from the slit
The further the screen from the slit, the further the distance
between bright bands formed on the screen.


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Interference
Principle of Superposition
The principle of superposition states that where two or more waves meet, the
total displacement at any point is the vector sum of the displacements that
each individual wave would cause at that point.

Interference
Interference is a phenomenon of wave caused by the superposition of 2 or more
coherent waves.

Constructive Interference and Anti-node
1. In the interference of 2 waves, there are places where the 2 waves
are always in phase (same phase) and the superposition of the
waves produces oscillation with maximum amplitude. This is
called the constructive interference.
2. A place where constructive interference occurs is called the
anti-node.

Destructive Interference and Node
1. In the interference of 2 waves, there are also places where the 2
waves are always anti-phase (phase difference = 180
o
) and the
superposition of the waves produces oscillation with minimum
amplitude. This is called the destructive interference.
2. A place where destructive interference occurs is called the node.
Coherent Wave
Two wave sources which are coherent
have same frequency or have constant
phase difference.
The anti-nodal line joins all anti-node points. The
nodal line joins all node points.
Formula for Interference

= Wavelength
a = Distance between the two wave sources
x = Distance between two successive anti-node
lines or node lines
D = Distance from the wave sources to the plane
where x is measured.
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Interference
Youngs Double Slits Experiment

1. When monochromatic light passes through the
Young's double-slit, diffraction of light occurs
and two coherent sources (same amplitude,
frequency and phase) are produced.
2. The two coherent sources will overlap and
superpose to produce the effects of constructive
and destructive interference.
3. Constructive interference generates bright
fringes while destructive interference produces
dark fringes.
4. The distance between fringes increase as
light with longer wavelength is used
the 2 slits is closer
the distance between the double slit and the
translucent screen is increased.

Sound wave is a series of compression
and rarefaction of layers of air molecules
repeatedly through space.

Applications of Sound Wave
1. Sonar
2. Disintegration of kidney stone
3. Cleaning
4. Ultrasound Scanning
Loudness and Pitch
1. Loudness of a sound depends on the amplitude of the sound wave.
2. The greater the amplitude of a sound wave, the louder the sound is.
3. The pitch of sound is determined by its frequency. The higher the
frequency, the higher the pitch.
Sound Wave
Note
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Electromagnetic Wave
Electromagnetic waves have certain fundamental properties in common.
1. They are neutral
2. They are transverse waves
3. Can travel in Vacuum
4. Same speed in vacuum
5. Can be polarised
Electromagnetic Waves Spectrum