Waves and wave

motion

HC

The Professional Development Service for Teachers is funded by the Department of

Education and Science under the National Development Plan
Can you think of some
examples of waves?
 Waves
•Sound
•Light
•Water
•Radio
•Seismic.
 What is the function of a wave?

 A wave is a means of
transferring energy from one
place to another
 TYPES OF WAVES

 Waves are classified into different types according

to their natures :

WAVES

Mechanical waves Electromagnetic waves

Transverse waves Longitudinal waves Transverse waves

 Wave Types

Mechanical Electromagnetic
e.g. Water waves, waves on a e.g. Radio, X-Rays, Light
rope, sound

Must have a substance to Does not need a substance to

travel through travel through but can travel
through various substances

Cannot travel in a vacuum Can travel in a vacuum

Vibrations passed on from Travel at very fast speed in a

molecule to molecule vacuum: 3 × 108 m/s
 Travelling Waves

 Waves that travel from

one place to another
 e.g. Waves on rope
 e.g Waves on water
 e.g. compression
waves on spring
Compression and Rarefraction
Longitudinal wave
Types Of Waves
 TRANSVERSE
A wave where the direction of the vibration
is perpendicular to
the direction in which the wave travels

LONGITUDINAL

A wave where the direction of the vibration

is parallel to the
Direction in which the wave travels.
 Transverse Waves

Transverse waves
 A transverse wave is a one in which the
direction of vibration is perpendicular to the
direction of propagation.

Examples
 Light waves.
 Radio waves.
 Waves on a rope.
 Water waves
 Longitudinal Waves

Longitudinal Waves
 A longitudinal wave is one in which the
direction of vibration is parallel to the
direction of propagation.
Examples
 Sound waves in a solid, liquid or gas.
 Compression waves on a spring.
 Seismic waves.
 Wave..........

 The wavelength of a wave is the

distance from one point on the wave to
the corresponding point on the next
cycle.


 The frequency of a wave is a measure
of the number of oscillations (vibrations)
of the wave per second.

 The periodic time of a wave (T) is the

time taken for one complete cycle.
 Symbols and units

Variable Symbol Unit Symbol

for Unit

Frequency f Hertz Hz

Wavelength  metre m
(“lamda”)
Velocity v metre/second m/s
(or c for light)

Time T second s
The relationship between
frequency, velocity and
wavelength

c =f
or
v =f
 Properties of waves

 1. Reflection:
Reflection is the bouncing of a wave off
an object.
 Properties of waves

 2 Refraction is the bending of a wave

as it travels from one medium to
another. Note that when a wave travels
from one medium to another its
frequency does not change.
 Properties of waves

 3. Diffraction is the spreading of waves

around a slit or an obstacle.
 This effect is only significantly noticeable
if the slit width is approximately the same
size as the wavelength of the waves.
Properties of waves

 4 Interference occurs when waves

from two sources meet to produce
a wave of different amplitude.
 Interference of Waves
When two or more waves propagating in the same medium
meet at the same point, interference is said to occur.
A stable interference pattern can be observed when two water
waves of same frequency meet one another in a ripple tank.

= +
 Two types of interference

Constructive Interference Destructive Interference

 Constructive Interference

 Constructive Interference occurs when

waves from two coherent sources meet to
produce a wave of greater amplitude.
 (Constructive interference occurs when the
crests of one wave are over the crests of
another wave).
 Destructive Interference

 Destructive Interference occurs when

waves from two coherent sources meet to
produce a wave of lower amplitude.
 (Destructive interference occurs when the crests of one
wave are over the troughs of the second wave.
This will happen if one wave is half a wavelength out of
phase with respect to the other).
5. Polarisation

Only TRANSVERSE waves can

be polarised.

To polarise a wave means to

make it vibrate in one plane only
–horizontally plane polarised
or
–vertically plane polarised
Polarised sunglasses
The frequency of a wave is a measure of the
number of oscillations (vibrations) of the
wave per second.

Another way of defining

frequency of a wave is to say it is
the number of waves that pass a
fixed point per second.
T = 1/f
 The relationship between
periodic time and frequency

T = 1/f
or
f = 1/T
Standing waves

A standing wave/stationary wave is the

result of two waves of the same
wavelength, frequency, and amplitude
travelling in opposite directions
through the same medium.
From the diagram we can see that:
1. The distance between two
consecutives nodes is /2
2. The distance between two
consecutive antinodes is /2
3. The distance between an anti-
node and the next node is /4
 The Doppler Effect
• The Doppler effect is the
apparent change in frequency of
a wave due to the motion of the
source or the observer.
• The observed frequency is
higher when the source and
observer are getting closer.
• The observed frequency is
lower when the source and
observer are getting farther
away.
 • The distance between
successive crests is the
Consider a source S constant and so the
emitting a wave with number of crests passing
crests 1, 2, 3 as a point in one second is
shown. the frequency of the
wave.
• These waves will pass an
observer in equal intervals
of time.
• This means that the
wavelength, and the
frequency, will be
constant.
In this case the source is moving to the
right while emitting the waves.

The result is that:

• Ahead of the moving source
the crests are closer together
than crests from the stationary
source would be. This means
that the wavelength is smaller
and the frequency is greater.
• Behind the moving source, the
crests are further apart than
crests from the stationery
source would be. This means
the wavelength is greater and
so the frequency is less.
 fc
f
cu
Formula:
f’ = apparent frequency
f = actual frequency
c = speed of the wave
u = speed of the moving source
 Example of the Doppler Effect

The noise from a racing car as it approaches

and then moves away from an observer is
an example of the Doppler effect.

This is NOT an APPLICATION of the Doppler

effect.
 Applications of the Doppler Effect

• Police speed traps

• Measuring the red shift of galaxies

in astronomy
Doppler shift gives radial velocity

True Velocity

Radial Velocity
Tangential
Velocity

Radar