Wave Properties

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Wave Properties Interactions
NCES 6.P.1
Kim Lachler Updated 2015
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Wave Properties

• There are 4 properties of wave
• Amplitude
• Wavelength
• Frequency
• Wave speed

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Wave Properties

• Amplitude
• The maximum distance that the particles of a wave
  vibrate from the rest position.
• An other words from the rest position to the
  crest or from the rest position to the trough.

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Wave Properties

• Amplitude
• Shows the amount of energy there is in a wave.
• The bigger the amplitude the more energy there is.

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Wave Properties

• Wavelength
• The distance from any point on a wave to an
  identical point on the next wave.
• Generally measured from crest to crest on a
  transverse wave and from compression to
  compression on a longitudinal wave.

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Wave Properties

• Wavelength
• The shorter the wavelength the more energy there
  is.

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Wave Properties

• Frequency
• The number of waves produced in a given amount of
  time
• Measured in Hertz (Hz)
• 1Hz1/s
• (1 wave per second)

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Wave Properties

• Frequency
• The higher the frequency the more energy

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Wave Properties

• Wave Speed
• The speed at which a wave travels
• V ? x f
• v wave speed
• ? wavelength
• f frequency
• The wavelength and frequency of a wave in a
  certain medium depends on the wave speed not the
  other way around
• http//micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/wavebasics
  /index.html

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Wave Interactions

• There are 4 types of wave interactions
• Reflection
• Refraction
• Diffraction
• Interference

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Wave Interactions

• Reflection
• The bouncing back of a wave when it hits a
  surface.
• NOTE When waves hits a substance some of it is
  transmitted and some of it is reflected.
• Transmitted means to pass through
• This is why we can see objects and hear echoes.

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Wave Interactions

• Refraction
• The bending of waves as they pass through
  different mediums that cause the speed of the
  wave to change.
• Prism

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Wave Interactions

• Diffraction
• Change of direction of a wave when it hits an
  obstacle or edge.
• Sound diffracts well around corners
• Light does not diffract as much because their
  wavelengths are shorter

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Wave Interactions

• Interference
• When 2 or more waves combine
• Two objects cant occupy the same space at the
  same time, but waves can.
• There are 4 types of interference
• Constructive interference
• Destructive interference
• Standing waves
• Resonance

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Interference

• Constructive interference
• When the crest and trough of different waves
  match
• They combine to make a wave with larger amplitude

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Interference

• Destructive interference
• When the crest of one wave meets the trough of
  another
• The results are a smaller amplitude or no
  amplitude

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Interference

• Standing waves
• When waves combined they look like they are
  standing still, but are not.
• It is a combination of constructive and
  destructive interference

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Interference

• Resonance
• When 2 objects naturally vibrate at the same
  frequency.
• The sound produced by one object causes the other
  to vibrate.
• Body of a guitar resonates when the strings are
  strummed

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Bibliography

• Holt, Rinehart, Winston, North Carolina Holt
  Science Technology, Holt, Rinehart, Winston,
  Orlando, 2005
• Google Images, http//www.google.com/imghp,
  accessed 1/12/11