Waves

WAVEs

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Waves Intro

  • What do waves do?
  • What are the two types of waves?
  • Write definations for the two types of waves with image?
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Wave Intro

All travelling waves transfer energy through a medium without that medium travelling. Waves transfer Energy The energy is moved as an osillation. This leads to two types of waves:  -

  • longitudinal waves
  • transverse waves

Longitudinal Waves: -  A medium oscillates in the same direction as that of energy. 

(http://web.mac.com/bashthetrash/Instruments_Intro/How_Instruments_Work_-_In_Depth_files/compressionwaves.jpg)

Transverse Waves: - A medium oscillates at right angles to the direction of energy. 

(http://astro.uchicago.edu/cara/outreach/se/ysi/1999/transversewave.jpg)

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Wave Terms

Define: - 

  • Intensity
  • Amplitude
  • Wave length
  • Relationship between Intensity and amplitude?
  • Frequency
  • Period
  • Wavefront
  • Ray
  • Compression 
  • Rarefraction

With a diagram

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Wave Terms

Intensity: - the energy transferred per second per unit area.

Amplitude (A): - The size of the oscillation measured from the midpoint to the maximum oscillation.

Wavelength (λ): - the length of the wave measured from maximum to maximum, crest to crest, trough to trough, compression to compression, rarefraction to rarefraction.

Intensity α (Amplitude)2

Wavefront: - A wavefront is a line of crests

Ray:  - A ray is a narrow band of wavefronts

Compression: - In a longitudinal wave when the medium is squeezed together we call it compression.

Rarefraction: - In a longitudinal wave when the medium is spread out we call it rarefraction. 

Frequency (f) - the number of waves produced per second. Unit is Hz

Period (T): - the time taken to produce a single complete wave. Unit is second

(http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Waves/imgwav/sin.gif)

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