properties of waves assignment

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Waves and Wave Properties

Lesson Waves and Wave Properties

Grade Level: 8 (8-10)

(two 50-minute periods; can be over two days)

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Biology, Physical Science, Science and Technology

NGSS Performance Expectations:

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Curriculum in this Unit Units serve as guides to a particular content or subject area. Nested under units are lessons (in purple) and hands-on activities (in blue). Note that not all lessons and activities will exist under a unit, and instead may exist as "standalone" curriculum.

• The Three Color Mystery
• Light Properties
• Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum
• Developing & Presenting Design Solutions: Waves Go Public!

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Engineering connection, learning objectives, worksheets and attachments, more curriculum like this, introduction/motivation, lesson closure, vocabulary/definitions, user comments & tips.

Engineers apply their knowledge of waves to design an array of useful products and tools, many of which are evident in our everyday lives. For example: microwave ovens, x-ray machines, eyeglasses, tsunami prediction, radios and speakers. Engineers must understand all the properties of waves and how waves can differ from one another in order to design safe and effective products. To predict how tsunamis will travel after a ocean earthquake, engineers must understand wave properties and how they travel. Engineers also use their understanding of wave properties when designing electronics—to separate different types of waves so that radios tune in to the right stations, or so your cell phone only picks up the calls that you want. Before designing a solution to a challenge, engineers conduct research and gather information as a crucial part of the engineering design process. Through this legacy cycle lesson, students begin to gather the knowledge necessary to come up with a solution to the engineering challenge outlined in lesson 1 of this unit.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Explain that waves transfer energy, not matter.
• Distinguish between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
• Summarize the major properties and behavior of waves, including (but not limited to) wavelength, frequency, amplitude, speed, refraction, reflection and diffraction.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

Ngss: next generation science standards - science, common core state standards - math.

View aligned curriculum

Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback!

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association - Technology

State standards, south carolina - science.

(In advance, make copies of the All About Waves—Notes Outline and Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet , one each per student, and have graph paper available for students. Also [optional], prepare to show students the attached 16-slide Waves and Wave Properties Presentation to accompany the lesson introduction. The slides are "animated" so you can click to show the next item when ready.)

Returning to our three-color mystery, today we are going to develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts of waves. What we learn will move us one step closer to reaching our goal of creating a solution to our engineering challenge that I explained yesterday (lesson 1 of this unit).

Let's start with what we already know. Why are we able to see? (Because there is light.) What is light? (It is a wave.) So, what is a wave? Well, we will learn the answer to that question today!

I will pass out an outline that will help you keep track of the important concepts explained as we talk about waves and wave properties.

(At this point, hand out the notes outlines and present the lecture material provided in the Background section, in tandem with the slides.)

(Next, so students can apply what they just learned, divide the class into groups of two students each, and hand out copies of the worksheets and blank graph paper.)

Who has ever sunburned your skin? Who has used a microwave to make popcorn? Or had an x-ray taken? Or listened to the radio? What do these activities have in common? (Listen to student answers.) All of these require waves.

One difference between the waves that pop popcorn and the waves that tan your skin is wave frequency. As we have learned, the frequency of a wave is defined as the number of cycles that pass a single point in a given amount of time.

In the first part of the worksheet, label the parts of a wave using the definitions given. Then, draw four different waves given information about the waves' properties. Of these four waves, your challenge is to identify the ones with the highest and lowest frequencies.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

(The following lecture material aligns with the slides.)

A wave is a disturbance that carries energy from one place to another. Matter is NOT carried with the wave! A wave can move through matter (called a "medium"), but some waves do not need a medium to be able to move. If a wave needs a medium, we call it a mechanical wave. If a wave can travel without a medium, (for example, through space), we call it an electromagnetic wave.

• Transverse waves : Waves in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave. Think about a "stadium wave:" the people are moving up and down, but the wave is going around the stadium. Parts of transverse waves:
• Crest: the highest point of the wave
• Trough: the lowest point of the wave
• Compressional (longitudinal) waves : Waves in which the medium moves back and forth in the same direction as the wave. Parts of compressional waves:
• Compression: where the particles are close together
• Rarefaction: where the particles are spread apart

Wave properties depend on what (type of energy) makes the wave. For example, you splashing in the ocean or an earthquakes creating a tsunami. Descriptive wave properties include:

• Wavelength : The distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave.
• Frequency: How many waves go past a point in one second. The unit of measurement is hertz (Hz). The higher the frequency, the more energy in the wave.
• If 10 waves go past in 1 second, it is 10 Hz
• If 1,000 waves go past in 1 second, it is 1,000Hz
• If 1,000,000 waves go past, it is 1,000,000 Hz
• Amplitude : How far the medium (crests and troughs, or compressions and rarefactions) moves from rest position (the place the medium is when not moving). The more energy a wave carries, the larger its amplitude.
• The energy of a wave can be expressed by the equation E = CA 2 , where E is energy, C is a constant dependent upon the medium, and A is the amplitude.
• Wave speed : Depends on the medium in which the wave is traveling. It varies in solids, liquids and gases. A mathematical way to calculate wave speed is: wave speed = wavelength (in m) x frequency (in Hz). Or, v = f x λ. So, if a wave has a wavelength of 2 m and a frequency of 500 Hz, what is its speed? (Answer: wave speed = 2 m x 500Hz = 1000 m/s)

Changing Wave Direction

• Reflection : When waves bounce off a surface. If the surface is flat, the angle at which the wave hits the surface will be the same as the angle that the wave leaves the surface. In other words, the angle in equals the angle out. This is the law of reflection . (For example, when a pool ball strikes the side of a pool table, the angle at which it hits the bumper is the same angle at which it bounces off the bumper.)
• Refraction : Waves can bend. This happens when a wave enters a new medium and its speed changes. The amount of bending depends on the medium it is entering . (optional: To explain this phenomenon in more detail, search the Internet to find an interactive tutorial that shows light being bent as it travels through a medium.)
• Diffraction : The bending of waves around an object. The amount of bending depends on the size of the obstacle and the size of the waves. (optional: To explain this phenomenon in more detail, search the Internet to find an interactive tutorial that shows the diffraction of monochromatic light through slits of varying widths.)
• Large obstacle, small wavelength = low diffraction (bending)
• Small obstacle, large wavelength = large diffraction (bending)

Now that you're all experts in understanding the different types of waves, how they move and change direction, and how to describe their characteristics, tell me, what are some of the ways that you see waves used in your everyday lives? (Listen to student ideas.) Those are great examples. What about microwave ovens, medical and dental x-ray machines, eyeglasses and speakers? These are common examples in which engineers apply their knowledge of waves to design all types of useful products and tools that are evident in our everyday lives. To design these products, engineers must be well versed in all the properties of waves and how waves can differ from one another. For example, the waves emitted from a microwave are very different than those emitted from an x-ray machine that creates images of bones or teeth. Engineers need a complete understanding of wave properties in order to design safe and effective products!

But that's not all—engineers work to protect people and predict how tsunamis will travel after an earthquake in the ocean by using wave properties. To successfully predict where a tsunami will travel, engineers must understand how waves move and the properties associated with waves.

Another example of engineers using wave properties is when electrical engineers separate different types of waves so that the radio you are using tunes in to the right station, or your cell phone only picks up the calls that you want. If it were not for these engineers, you would constantly be getting calls from people you did not know. To accomplish this they must have a clear understanding of wave properties and know how to separate different types of waves.

Before designing and creating a solution to a challenge, engineers conduct research and gather information, just like you did today. This step is a crucial part of the engineering design process.

amplitude: How far the medium (crests and troughs, or compressions and rarefactions) moves from rest position (the place the medium is when not moving).

compression: When the particles of a longitudinal wave are close together.

compressional (longitudinal) wave: A wave in which the medium moves back and forth in the same direction as the wave.

crest: The highest point on a transverse wave.

diffraction: The bending of waves around an object.

electromagnetic wave: A wave that does not require a medium to travel, for example, it can travel through a vacuum. Also called an EM wave.

energy: The capacity to do work.

frequency: How many waves go past a point in one second. Measured in hertz (Hz).

mechanical wave: A wave that requires a medium to travel.

rarefaction : When the particles of a longitudinal wave are far apart.

reflection: When a wave bounces off a surface.

refraction: When a wave bends.

transverse wave: A wave in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave.

trough: The lowest point on a transverse wave.

wave: A disturbance that carries energy from one place to another.

wavelength: Distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave.

Note Taking : During the lecture, have students complete the All About Waves—Notes Outline and refer to it for visuals that supplement the lecture material. Then, with the notes turned over on their desks, ask students various questions that were covered in the lecture material. Evaluate students' answers to gauge their mastery of the subject.

Worksheet : After the lecture, have students complete the Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet to see how well they apply what they learned.

Trade-n-Test : To conclude, have each student make up their own wave properties (that is, trough and crest height and wavelength) and write it down. Then have students trade the "invented properties" papers with other students and draw the new waves based on the given properties.

Students learn the basic properties of light — the concepts of light absorption, transmission, reflection and refraction, as well as the behavior of light during interference. Lecture information briefly addresses the electromagnetic spectrum and then provides more in-depth information on visible li...

Students learn about the science and math that explain light behavior, which engineers have exploited to create sunglasses. They examine tinted and polarized lenses, learn about light polarization, transmission, reflection, intensity, attenuation, and how different mediums reduce the intensities of ...

Students learn about the basic properties of light and how light interacts with objects. They are introduced to the additive and subtractive color systems, and the phenomena of refraction. Students further explore the differences between the additive and subtractive color systems via predictions, ob...

Students learn about glaucoma—its causes, how it affects individuals and how biomedical engineers can identify factors that trigger or cause this eye disease, specifically the increase of pressure in the eye. Students sketch their own designs for a pressure-measuring eye device, prepare them to cond...

Davidson, Michael W. Diffraction of Light, Physics of Light and Color, Optical Microscopy Primer. Last modified June 15, 2006. Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Optical Microscopy, Molecular Expressions. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/diffraction/basicdiffraction/index.html

Davidson, Michael W. Particle and Wave Refraction, Physics of Light and Color, Optical Microscopy Primer. Last modified June 15, 2006. Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Optical Microscopy, Molecular Expressions. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/particleorwave/refraction/index.html

Lewis, Susan K. Anatomy of a Tsunami. Posted March 29, 2005. Nova beta, PBS Online by WGBH. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tsunami/anatomy.html

Sound & Light: Chapter 1, Section 2 Properties of Waves. Quia, IXL Learning. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://www.quia.com/rr/221617.html

Other Related Information

Browse the NGSS Engineering-aligned Physics Curriculum hub for additional Physics and Physical Science curriculum featuring Engineering.

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

This lesson was developed through Clemson University's "Engineering Fibers and Films Experience – EFF-X" Research Experience for Teachers program, funded by National Science Foundation grant no. EEC-0602040. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: December 4, 2023

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Topic 1 - Complete Toolkit

• Describe the nature of a wave as a disturbance that moves through a medium, transporting energy without transporting matter.
• Distinguish local particle vibrations from overall wave motion and relate these distinctions to types of waves such as longitudinal, transverse and surface waves.
• Demonstrate understanding of wave properties such as wavelength, amplitude, frequency, period, and speed and mathematically relate these properties to one another.
• Apply the relationship among wave speed, frequency, and wavelength to solve problems.
• Build understanding of the relationship between energy and amplitude.

Readings from The Physics Classroom Tutorial

• The Physics Classroom Tutorial, Waves Chapter, Lesson 1 http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/Lesson-1/Waves-and-Wavelike-Motion  
• The Physics Classroom Tutorial, Waves Chapter, Lesson 2 http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/Lesson-2/The-Anatomy-of-a-Wave

Interactive Simulations

Video and Animations

Labs and Investigations

• The Physics Classroom, The Laboratory, A Wiggle in Time Students observe and describe the motion of a mass on the end of a spring. Using a motion detector, they describe the motion with words, with graphs, and in mathematical terms.  
• The Physics Classroom, The Laboratory, A Wiggle in Time and Space Students explore the connection between a mass vibrating on a spring and a collection of particles vibrating back and forth about a fixed position along the medium as a wave passes through the medium.  
• The Physics Classroom, The Laboratory, Wave Motion Students observe simulations and observe the difference between longitudinal, transverse and surface waves.  
• The Physics Classroom, The Laboratory, Speed of a Wave Students investigate the variables that do and do not affect the speed of a wave.

Demonstration Ideas

• Waves With Trolleys Highly visual demo uses dynamics trolleys, springs, and spring holders to model transverse and longitudinal waves. Easy set-up, yet allows exploration of complex concepts such as how a dispersive system differs from a continuous wave medium like a rope or slinky.  Developed by Practical Physics.  
• Wave Motion Machine An oldie but goodie….this 28-minute historic film features physicist John Shive demonstrating his torsional “wave machine” at Bell labs. Watch wave reflection from fixed and free ends, wave superposition, standing waves, and wave impedance. If time is limited, start the video at 6 minutes and watch to 11 minutes. Students can see the real-life wave motion and compare it to the simulations.  

Minds on Physics Internet Modules

• Waves module, Assignment WM1 – Nature and Categories of Waves  
• Waves module, Assignment WM2 – Wave Characteristics  
• Waves module, Assignment WM3 – Speed of a Wave

Conceptual Building Exercises:

• The Physics Classroom, Curriculum Corner, Wave Basics, Waves  
• The Physics Classroom, Curriculum Corner, Wave Basics, Describing Waves  
• The Physics Classroom, Curriculum Corner, Wave Basics, Wave Speed

Problem-Solving Exercises:

• The Physics Classroom, The Calculator Pad, Wave Basics, Problems #1-17

Science Reasoning Activities:

• The Physics Classroom, Science Reasoning Center, Waves: Mass on a Spring

Common Misconceptions

• What Moves? It is common for students to believe that waves involve the transport of matter from the source to a distant location. Emphasize that waves do not transport matter. What one sees as a wave moves through a Slinky TM  or water is the movement of a pattern of crests and troughs (or compressions and rarefactions); this results in the movement of energy without any movement of matter. Particles within the medium (i.e., matter) simple vibrate back-and-forth about a fixed position.  
• Confusion of Frequency and Speed Students often confuse the concepts of wave frequency and wave speed. Wave speed refers to how fast a wave moves and is related to the distance traveled by a point on a wave per unit of time. Speed is much different than frequency. Frequency describes how often particles of the medium undergo vibrations about their fixed position. A medium in which particles vibrate frequently about a fixed position is not necessarily a fast wave. Be cautious of your own use of the terms frequency and speed and monitor the language of students and gently correct those who describe frequent vibrations as fast.

Elsewhere on the Web:

• High School-PS4.A.i   The wavelength and frequency of a wave are related to one another by the speed of travel of the wave, which depends on the type of wave and the medium through which it is passing.
• High School-PS4.A.iii   Waves can add or cancel one another as they cross, depending on their relative phase (i.e., relative position of peaks and troughs of the waves), but they emerge unaffected by each other.
• Middle School-PS4.A.i   A simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.
• Middle School PS4-1   Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.
• Middle School PS4-2   Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
• High School PS4-1   Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media.
• Develop and/or use multiple types of models to provide mechanistic accounts and/or predict phenomena, and move flexibly between model types based on merits and limitations.
• Develop and/or use a model (including mathematical and computational) to generate data to support explanations, predict phenomena, analyze systems, and/or solve problems.
• Plan and conduct an investigation individually and collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, and in the design: decide on types, how much, and accuracy of data needed to produce reliable measurements and consider limitations on the precision of the data (e.g., number of trials, cost, risk, time), and refine the design accordingly.
• Compare and contrast various types of data sets (e.g., self-generated, archival) to examine consistency of measurements and observations.
• Create and/or revise a computational model or simulation of a phenomenon, designed device, process, or system.
• Apply techniques of algebra and functions to represent and solve scientific and engineering problems.
• Construct and revise an explanation based on valid and reliable evidence obtained from a variety of sources (including students’ own investigations, models, theories, simulations, peer review) and the assumption that theories and laws that describe the natural world operate today as they did in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
• Critically read scientific literature adapted for classroom use to determine the central ideas or conclusions and/or to obtain scientific and/or technical information to summarize complex evidence, concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
• Compare, integrate and evaluate sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a scientific question or solve a problem. 
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively
• Model with mathematics
• N-Q.1 Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas.
• A-SSE.2  Use the structure of an expression to identify ways to rewrite it. 
• A-REI.10   Understand that the graph of an equation in two variables is the set of all its solutions plotted in the coordinate plane, often forming a curve. 
• F-IF.5   Relate the domain of a function to its graph and, where applicable, to the quantitative relationship it describes. 
• F-IF.6   Calculate and interpret the average rate of change of a function (presented symbolically or as a table) over a specified interval. Estimate the rate of change from a graph.
• F-IF.9 Compare properties of two functions each represented in a different way (algebraically, graphically, numerically in tables, or by verbal descriptions). 
• F-TF.5   Choose trigonometric functions to model periodic phenomena with specified amplitude, frequency, and midline.
• F-TF.7   Use inverse functions to solve trigonometric equations that arise in modeling contexts, evaluate the solutions using technology, and interpret them in terms of a context. 
• RST.11-12.2  Determine the central ideas of conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts, processes, or information presented in a text by paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
• RST.11-12.4  Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 11-12 texts and topics.
• RST.11.12.7  Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., quantitative data, video, multimedia) in order to address a question or problem.
• RST.11-12.9  Synthesize information from a range of sources (e.g., texts, experiments, simulations) into a coherent understanding of a process, phenomenon, or concept, resolving conflicting information when possible.
• RST.9-12.10  By the end of Grade 10, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
• A wave disturbance travels approximately at a constant speed through a uniform material (medium). The speed of the wave depends on the nature of the material (e.g., the wave travels faster through a solid than through a gas). As the frequency (f) of a wave through a material increases, the wavelength of the wave decreases.
• For a given material (medium), the amount of energy transfer during mechanical wave interaction during a defined time interval depends on the frequency and amplitude of the vibrating energy source.
• There are two primary types of waves: transverse waves (e.g. ropes) and compression (longitudinal) waves (e.g., slinky, sound waves). Some waves, such as seismic waves, have both components.
• A mechanical wave requires a material (solid, liquid, or gas) in which to travel and is characterized by three variables: frequency, wavelength, and amplitude.

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1: Basic Properties

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• Page ID 34187

• Kyle Forinash and Wolfgang Christian

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The fundamental properties of waves, such as frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and motion direction, are quite different from those of rigid objects studied in mechanics. These tutorials explore the basics of wave motion.

• 1.1: Sine Wave
• 1.2: Speed of a Wave
• 1.3: Transverse Waves
• 1.4: Simple Harmonic Motion
• 1.5: Simple Harmonic Motion and Resonance
• 1.6: Longitudinal Waves
• 1.7: Water Waves
• 1.8: Two-Dimensional Waves

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• Resource Library
• Sound and Waves
• Wave Frequency
• Wave Length

Education Standards

Wyoming science content and performance standards.

Learning Domain: Waves and their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Standard: Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves, which includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.

Standard: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.

Standard: Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals.

Next Generation Science Standards

Science Domain: Physical Sciences

Topic: Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation

Standard: Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on describing waves with both qualitative and quantitative thinking.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include electromagnetic waves and is limited to standard repeating waves.]

Standard: Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on both light and mechanical waves. Examples of models could include drawings, simulations, and written descriptions.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to qualitative applications pertaining to light and mechanical waves.]

Standard: Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on a basic understanding that waves can be used for communication purposes. Examples could include using fiber optic cable to transmit light pulses, radio wave pulses in wifi devices, and conversion of stored binary patterns to make sound or text on a computer screen.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include binary counting. Assessment does not include the specific mechanism of any given device.]

Bill Nye: Wave Video Google Form

Https://www.physicsclassroom.com/physics-interactives/waves-and-sound/simple-wave-simulator/simple-wave-simulator-interactive, properties of waves presentation, properties of waves: quiz, simple wave simulator interactive, tic tac toe, waves with gizmo (part b), waves with gizmo (warm up and part a), types and properties of waves.

In this hands on, exploratory lesson of waves, students will learn about longitudinal and transverse waves. Through mathematical reasoning, students will describe relationships between aspects of waves and a wave’s relative amount of energy. Students will use questioning skills to push the lesson along and facilitate engagement and discovery. The use of hands on models will help the students to discover relationships and characteristics of waves and go on to create their own models. 

Students will be able to...

• identify sound waves as longitudinal waves that travel through a medium
• recognize the dB levels of everyday sounds
• understand energy causes the vibrations that allow the sound waves to travel.

Lesson Overview/Objectives

Bill Nye Wave Video and worksheet

Your assignment for today is to watch the Bill Nye Video on waves and then to answer the corresponding questions. Please complete the video quiz attached for a formative grade.

The basic properties (parts) of a wave include: frequency, amplitude, wavelength and speed.

• Frequency is a measure of how many waves pass a point in a certain amount of time.
• The higher the frequency, the closer the waves are together and the greater the energy carried by the waves will be.
• Amplitude is a measure of the distance between a line through the middle of a wave and a crest or trough.
• The greater the force that produces a wave, the greater the amplitude of the wave and the greater the energy carried by the wave.
• The highest point of a transverse wave is the crest and the lowest point is called a trough.​
• In a transverse wave the higher the wave, the higher the amplitude.
• Sounds with greater amplitude will be louder; light with greater amplitude will be brighter.  
• Wavelength is a measure of the distance from the crest on one wave to the crest on the very next wave.
• Shorter wavelengths are influenced by the frequency.
• A higher frequency causes a shorter wavelength and greater energy.
• Speed is a measure of the distance a wave travels in an amount of time.
• The speed of a wave is determined by the type of wave and the nature of the medium.
• As a wave enters a different medium, the wave’s speed changes. Waves travel at different speeds in different media.

Calculating Waves, Frequencies, and Speeds

Assessment: TIC TAC TOE

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High School Physics : Properties of Waves

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for high school physics, all high school physics resources, example questions, example question #1 : properties of waves.

After exercising, Jane takes her pulse. She realizes that her heart is beating rapidly, approximately four beats every second. What is the period of her elevated heart rate?

When you see a relationship like "times every second" or "once per hour," these are hints you are looking at a frequency. Frequency is, effectively, how often something happens. If it happens four times per second, then we know how often it happens. The units "per second" are equivalent to Hertz.

Example Question #51 : Waves

We are given the velocity and the wavelength. Using these values, we can solve for the frequency.

A wave with a constant velocity doubles its frequency. What happens to its wavelength?

There is insufficient information to solve.

The new wavelength will also double.

The new wavelength will be 12  the old wavelength.

The wavelengths will be the same.

The relationship between velocity, frequency, and wavelength is:

Notice that the f's cancel out:

Divide both sides by two:

Example Question #53 : Waves

We need to know the period in order to solve

We need to know the frequency in order to solve

They have the same wavelength

The relationship between frequency and wavelength determines the velocity:

The frequency is the inverse of the period. We can substitute this into the equation above.

In the question, both of the notes are played at the same time in the same location, so they both should have the same velocity. We can set the equation for each tone equal to each other.

We can cancel the period from each side of the equation, leaving the relationship between the two wavelengths.

The wavelength of the first wave is equal to half the wavelength of the second. This means that the wavelength for the tone with a longer period will have a longer wavelength as well.

Example Question #54 : Waves

Plug in our given value:

Example Question #55 : Waves

What is the wavelength of the wave above?

What is the amplitude of the wave above?

It decreases

It stays the same

It increases

The speed of the wave along the Slinky depends on the mass of the Slinky itself and the tension caused by stretching it. Since both of these things have not changed, the wave speed remains constant.

The wave speed is equal to the wavelength multiplied by the frequency.

Since she is moving her hand faster, the frequency has increased. Since the velocity has not changed, an increase in the frequency would decrease the wavelength

Example Question #2 : Properties Of Waves

Resonance in a system, such as a string fixed at both ends, occurs when

It is oscillating in simple harmonic motion

Its frequency is greater than the frequency of the external source

Its frequency is the same as the frequency of the external source

Its frequency is less than the frequency of the external source

The frequency at which standing waves are produced is known as the resonant frequencies. When two objects are brought near each other, and they both make standing waves at the same frequency, there is resonance in the system. For example, if you have two tuning forks of the same note, you can tap one and bring it close (but not touch) the other. Then if you silence the first tuning fork and listen, you will hear the second fork ringing as well because it vibrates at the same frequency.

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A wave is a disturbance in a medium that carries energy without a net movement of particles. It may take the form of elastic deformation, a variation of pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature.

Introduction of Waves

• Transfers energy.
• Usually involves a periodic, repetitive movement.
• Does not result in a net movement of the medium or particles in the medium (mechanical wave).

There are some basic descriptors of a wave. Wavelength is the distance between two successive identical parts of the wave. Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the neutral position. This represents the energy of the wave. Greater amplitude carries greater energy. Displacement is the position of a particular point in the medium as it moves as the wave passes. Maximum displacement is the amplitude of the wave

Frequency (ƒ) is the number of repetitions per second in Hz, Period (T) is the time for one wavelength to pass a point.

The velocity (v) of the wave is the speed at which a specific part of the wave passes a point. The speed of a light wave is c.

Types of Waves:

The types of waves are given below.

Transverse Waves

Waves in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave.

Examples of transverse waves:

• Water waves (ripples of gravity waves, not sound through water)
• Light waves
• S-wave earthquake waves
• Stringed instruments
• Torsion wave

The high point of a transverse wave is a crest. The low part is a trough.

Longitudinal Wave:

A longitudinal wave has the movement of the particles in the medium in the same dimension as the direction of movement of the wave.

Examples of longitudinal waves:

• Sound waves
• P-type earthquake waves
• Compression wave

Parts of longitudinal waves :

Compression: where the particles are close together.

Rarefaction: where the particles are spread apart.

Now that we know the types of waves, let’s see the below video to understand how exactly the particles move in these wave types:

Mechanical waves:

A wave which needs a medium in order to propagate itself. Sound waves, waves in a slinky, and water waves are all examples of this.

Matter Waves:

Any moving object can be described as a wave When a stone is dropped into a pond, the water is disturbed from its equilibrium positions as the wave passes; it returns to its equilibrium position after the wave has passed.

Electromagnetic Waves:

These waves are disturbance that does not need any object medium for propagation and can easily travel through the vacuum. They are produced due to various magnetic and electric fields. The periodic changes that take place in magnetic and electric fields and therefore known as electromagnetic waves.

Read More: Electromagnetic Waves

Wave Speed Formula

It is the total distance covered by the wave in a given time period. The formula for wave speed is given as,

Wave Speed = Distance Covered/Time taken

Properties of Waves

The prime properties of waves are as follows:

Amplitude – Wave is an energy transport phenomenon. Amplitude is the height of the wave, usually measured in metres. It is directly related to the amount of energy carried by a wave.

Wavelength – The distance between identical points in the adjacent cycles of crests of a wave is called a wavelength. It is also measured in metres.

Period – The period of a wave is the time for a particle on a medium to make one complete vibrational cycle. As the period is time, hence is measured in units of time such as seconds or minutes.

Frequency – Frequency of a wave is the number of waves passing a point in a certain time. The unit of frequency is hertz (Hz) which is equal to one wave per second.

The period is the reciprocal of the frequency and vice versa.

\(\begin{array}{l}Period = \frac{1}{Frequency}\end{array} \)

\(\begin{array}{l}Frequency= \frac{1}{Period}\end{array} \)

Speed – The speed of an object means how fast an object moves and is usually expressed as the distance travelled per time of travel. The speed of a wave refers to the distance travelled by a given point on the wave (crest) in a given interval of time. That is –

\(\begin{array}{l}Speed= \frac{Distance}{Time}\end{array} \)

Speed of a wave is thus measured in metre/second i.e. m/s.

Watch the video and study Heat, Waves * Optics JEE PY Questions

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Thanks for the note

Is this an important chapter for neet 2021

Nice notes 👌👌👌👌

what is a wave transmitted by?

A wave is defined as a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point in a medium and that may take the form of elastic deformation or of a variation of pressure, electric or magnetic intensity, electric potential, or temperature.

Supper notes I need full notes of waves Class 11

It was so helpful!!

Thanks for write up

Nice teaching

I really appreciate the teaching

Please, explain chapter simple harmonic motion and wave motion 🙏

You might find the below articles helpful:

• https://byjus.com/jee/simple-harmonic-motion-shm/
• https://byjus.com/jee/wave-motion/

Thanks for write up it was very helpfull

Please could you explain about “transverse wave propagation along stretched string?”

A detailed explanation regarding transverse wave propagation along a stretched string is given on the following page, please check: https://byjus.com/physics/transverse-waves/

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Properties of Waves - Lab Guide

• PropertiesofWaves-StudentActivity.pdf - 46 kB
• Wave Properties Lab Guide - Answers.pdf - 120 kB

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