Ch.

18 - Waves & Sound

I. Characteristics of Waves
 Waves
 Transverse waves
 Longitudinal waves
 Measuring waves
 A. Waves

Waves
 rhythmic disturbances that carry energy through
matter or space
Medium
 material through which a wave transfers energy
 solid, liquid, gas, or combination
 electromagnetic waves don’t need a medium
(e.g. visible light)
 B. Waves & Energy

Waves Energy
 Carry energy  Waves carry energy
 Waves are caused by  Vibration is a transfer
vibrations of energy
 Can do work  As waves carry
 Move objects energy the particles in
the medium move
 the direction of the
motion determines the
type of wave
 C. Categories of Waves

Mechanical Waves Electromagnetic

 Must travel through a Waves
medium  Does not require a medium
 Cannot travel through a  Can be transferred through a
vacuum vacuum
 Examples: sound, ocean  Examples: light, UV rays,
waves Visible light
 D. Types of Waves

Two Types:

Longitudinal Transverse
 D. Transverse Waves

Transverse Waves
medium vibrates
perpendicular to the
direction of wave
motion
 Examples: water waves,
electromagnetic waves
 B. Transverse Waves

Wave Anatomy
corresponds to
crests the amount of
energy carried by
the wave
wavelength
amplitude

amplitude
nodes wavelength

troughs
 E. Longitudinal Waves

Longitudinal Waves (a.k.a. compressional

waves)
medium moves in the same direction as the
wave’s motion
Examples: sound waves, springs, slinky
 E. Longitudinal Waves

Wave Anatomy
compression wavelength

rarefaction wavelength
Amount of compression corresponds to amount of energy  AMPLITUDE
 F. Measuring Waves

Frequency ( f )
# of waves passing
a point in 1 second
SI unit: Hertz (Hz)
shorter wavelength 
higher frequency 
higher energy
1 second
 F. Measuring Waves
1
Frequency = period ( second
Cycle
)
or
period = the amount of time for one
cycle to do a complete motion
Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz).
1Hz = 1 wave per second
 F. Measuring Waves

Velocity ( v )
speed of a wave as it moves forward
depends on wave type and medium

v: velocity (m/s)

v=×f :
f:
wavelength (m)
frequency (Hz)
 F. Measuring Waves
Solid
 Molecules are close together
so waves travel very quickly.
Liquid
 Molecules are farther apart
but can slide past one
another so waves do not
travel as fast.

Gas
 Molecules are very far apart
so a molecule has to travel
far before it hits another
molecule, so waves travel
slowest in gases.
 F. Measuring Waves
 EX: Find the velocity of a wave in a wave pool if its
wavelength is 3.2 m and its frequency is 0.60 Hz.
GIVEN: WORK:
v=? v=×f
 = 3.2 m v = (3.2 m)(0.60 Hz)
f = 0.60 Hz v v = 1.92 m/s
 f
 F. Measuring Waves

 EX: An earthquake produces a wave that has a wavelength of

417 m and travels at 5000 m/s. What is its frequency?

GIVEN: WORK:
 = 417 m f=v÷
v = 5000 m/s f = (5000 m/s) ÷ (417 m)
f=? v f = 12 Hz
 f
 Ch. 17 – Waves

II. Wave Behavior

 Reflection
 Refraction
 Diffraction
 Interference
 Constructive Interference
 Destructive Interference
 Doppler effect
 A. Wave Interactions

Wave Interaction
When a wave meets an object or another
wave.
When a wave passes into another medium
Examples: reflection, diffraction, refraction,
interference, resonance
 A. Reflection
Normal
Reflection
incident beam reflected beam
when a wave
strikes an object
and bounces off
 A. Reflection

When a wave
bounces off a
surface that is
cannot pass through
 B. Refraction

Refraction SLOWER

bending of waves when passing

from one medium to another
caused by a change in speed
• slower (more dense)  light FASTER
bends toward the normal
• faster (less dense)  light
bends away from the normal
 B. Refraction

The bending of a
wave as it enters a
new medium at an
angle.
 B. Refraction

Refraction depends on…

speed of light in
the medium
wavelength of
the light - shorter
wavelengths (blue)
bend more
 B. Refraction

Example:

View explanation.
 C. Diffraction

The bending of a
wave as it moves
around an obstacle or
passes through a
narrow opening.
 C. Diffraction

Diffraction
bending of waves
around a barrier
longer wavelengths
(red) bend more -
opposite of refraction
 D. Interference

The interaction of
two or more waves
that combine in a
region of overlap
 D. Interference

Two types of Interference

constructive  brighter light
destructive  dimmer light
 E/F. Constructive &
Destructive Interference
 Both are caused by two or more waves
interacting, but…
 Constructive interference combines the
energies of the two waves into a greater
amplitude
 Destructive interference reduces the
energies of the two waves into a smaller
amplitude.
G. Doppler Effect

A change in wave
frequency caused
by movement of
sound source,
motion of the
listener, or both.
Ch. 18 - Waves & Sound

III. The Nature of Sound

 Speed of Sound
 Human hearing
 Doppler effect
 Seeing with sound
 A. Speed of Sound

344 m/s in air at 20°C

Depends on:
Type of medium
• travels better through solids than through
liquids
• can’t travel through a vacuum
Temperature of medium
• travels faster at higher temperatures
 B. Human Hearing

sound wave

vibrates ear drum

amplified by bones

converted to nerve
impulses in cochlea
 B. Human Hearing

Pitch
highness or ultrasonic waves
lowness of a
sound
depends on
frequency of
sound wave subsonic waves

human range:
20 - 20,000 Hz
 B. Human Hearing

Intensity
volume of sound
depends on energy (amplitude) of sound
wave
measured in decibels (dB)
B. Human Hearing

DECIBEL SCALE

120
110
100
80
70

40

18
10
0
 C. Doppler Effect

Doppler Effect
change in wave frequency
caused by a moving wave
source
moving toward you - pitch
sounds higher
moving away from you -
pitch sounds lower
 C. Doppler Effect

Stationary source Moving source Supersonic source

waves combine to
same frequency in lower higher produce a shock wave
all directions frequency frequency called a sonic boom
 D. Seeing with Sound

Ultrasonic waves - above 20,000 Hz

Medical Imaging SONAR

“Sound Navigation Ranging”
IV. Electromagnetic Radiation
(p.528-535)
 EM Radiation
 EM Spectrum
 Types of EM Radiation
 A. Electromagnetic Radiation

Electromagnetic Radiation
transverse waves produced by the motion
of electrically charged particles
does not require a medium
speed in a vacuum = 300,000 km/s
electric and magnetic components
are perpendicular
B. Electromagnetic Spectrum

The full range of light

 B. Electromagnetic (EM) Spectrum

long  short 

low f high f

low high
energy energy
 C. Types of EM Radiation

Rabbits Meet In Very Unusual Xciting Gardens

 C. Types of EM Radiation

Radio waves
Lowest energy EM radiation
FM - frequency modulation
AM - amplitude modulation
Microwaves
penetrate food and vibrate
water & fat molecules to
produce thermal energy
 C. Types of EM Radiation

Infrared Radiation (IR)

slightly lower energy than
visible light
can raise the thermal energy
of objects
thermogram - image made by
detecting IR radiation
 C. Types of EM Radiation

Visible Light
small part of
the spectrum
we can see
ROY G. BIV -
colors in order
R O Y G. B I V
of increasing
energy
red orange yellow green blue indigo violet
 C. Types of EM Radiation

Ultraviolet Radiation (UV)

slightly higher energy than visible light
Types:
• UVA - tanning, wrinkles
• UVB - sunburn, cancer
• UVC - most harmful,
sterilization
 C. Types of EM Radiation

Ultraviolet Radiation (UV)

Ozone layer depletion = UV exposure!
 C. Types of EM Radiation

X rays
higher energy than UV
can penetrate soft tissue,
but not bones
C. Types of EM Radiation

Gamma rays
highest energy on
the EM spectrum
emitted by
radioactive atoms
used to kill
cancerous cells Radiation treatment using
radioactive cobalt-60.
Ch. 19 - Light

II. Light and Color

(p.528-535)
 Light and Matter
 Seeing Colors
 Mixing Colors
 A. Light and Matter

Opaque
absorbs or reflects all light
Transparent
allows light to pass through completely
Translucent
allows some light to pass through
 B. Seeing Colors

White light
contains all visible colors - ROY G. BIV
In white light, an object…
reflects the color you see
absorbs all other colors

REFLECTS ABSORBS
ALL COLORS ALL COLORS
 B. Seeing Colors

Stimulates red & green cones

The retina contains…
Rods - dim light, black & white
Cones - color
• red - absorb red & yellow
• green - absorb yellow & green
• blue - absorb blue & violet
Stimulates all cones
 B. Seeing Colors

Color Blindness
one or more sets of
cones does not
function properly

Test for red-green color blindness.

 C. Mixing Colors

Primary
light colors
red, green, blue
additive colors
combine to form white light
EX: computer RGBs
View Java Applet on primary light colors.
 C. Mixing Colors

Filter
transparent material
that absorbs all light
colors except the
filter color

View Java Applet on filters.

 C. Mixing Colors

Pigment
colored material that absorbs
and reflects different colors
Primary pigment colors
cyan, magenta, yellow
subtractive colors
combine to form black
EX: color ink cartridges
 C. Mixing Colors

Light Pigment

When mixing pigments, the color of the mixture is

the color of light that both pigments reflect.
 Negative Afterimage - One set of cones gets tired, and the
remaining cones produce an image in the complimentary color.
 Ch. 19 - Light

III. Wave Properties of Light

(p.546-550)
 Reflection
 Refraction
 Diffraction
 Interference
 A. Wave Interactions

Wave Interaction
When a wave meets an object or another
wave.
When a wave passes into another medium
Examples: reflection, diffraction, refraction,
interference, resonance
 A. Reflection
Normal
Reflection
incident beam reflected beam
when a wave
strikes an object
and bounces off
 B. Refraction

Refraction SLOWER

bending of waves when passing

from one medium to another
caused by a change in speed
• slower (more dense)  light FASTER
bends toward the normal
• faster (less dense)  light
bends away from the normal
 B. Refraction

Refraction depends on…

speed of light in
the medium
wavelength of
the light - shorter
wavelengths (blue)
bend more
 B. Refraction

Example:

View explanation.
 C. Diffraction

Diffraction
bending of waves
around a barrier
longer wavelengths
(red) bend more -
opposite of refraction
 D. Interference

Interference
constructive  brighter light
destructive  dimmer light
 E. Cool Applications!

Fiber Optics
Total Internal Reflection
• when all light is reflected back
into the denser medium
 E. Cool Applications!

The “Broken Pencil”

refraction

View animation and explanation of the “Broken Pencil.”

 E. Cool Applications!

Rainbows
refraction-reflection-refraction
 E. Cool Applications!

Diffraction Gratings
glass or plastic made up
of many tiny parallel slits
may also be reflective
spectroscopes, reflective
rainbow stickers, CD
surfaces
 E. Cool Applications!

Thin Films - Bubbles & Oil Slicks

interference results from double reflection
 E. Cool Applications!

Blue Sky & Red Sunsets

• Molecules in atmosphere
scatter light rays.
NOON
• Shorter wavelengths (blue, violet) • less atmosphere
are scattered more easily. • less scattering
• blue sky, yellow sun

SUNSET
• more atmosphere
• more scattering
• orange-red sky & sun