Understanding Waves: Types, Properties, and Differences, Lecture notes of Physics

Download Understanding Waves: Types, Properties, and Differences and more Lecture notes Physics in PDF only on Docsity! Waves 1) Wave- a disturbance that transfers energy from place to place. 2) Energy – ability to do work 3) Medium – The material through which a mechanical wave travels. Examples: gas, liquid, solid 4) Mechanical Waves – waves that require a medium through which to travel. 5) Electromagnetic waves (ex.- light) Do not need a medium to travel. They can travel in a vacuum! What causes Waves? Mechanical waves are produced when a source of energy causes a medium to vibrate. Mechanical Waves 2) Longitudinal Waves – move the medium parallel to the direction in which the waves travel. Example: Slinky Parts of Longitudinal Waves Compressions – parts of the coil that are close together. Rarefactions- parts of the coil that are spread out. Longitudinal Wave Wavelength | Amplitude | ATCT CUT —— L—! LA resting position Compression Rarefaction Compression Displacement — -¢.) _—> of air Demo (24 sec.) molecules Properties of Waves Amplitude – is the maximum distance that the particles of the medium carrying the wave move away from their rest position. The more energy the higher the amplitude. The higher the amplitude the shorter the wavelength. Transverse Waves- Maximum distance the medium moves up (crest) or down(trough) from its resting position. Longitudinal Waves – The measure of how compressed particles of the wave become when the wave passes through Mathematical Formulas Speed – is how far the wave travels in a given length of time, or its distance divided by the time it took to travel that distance. speed = wavelength x frequency