What are waves?

Waves are moving energy. Light energy moving from the computer screen to your eye moves as light waves. Sound energy moving from a radio to your ear moves as sound waves. Waves can move along ropes, strings or across the surface of water. Some waves can even travel through space. When waves move along, they make the surface or object move in regular patterns often called wave disturbances. The important thing to notice is that no 'matter' is moved with the wave. Water waves, which move the water particles up and down on the spot don't actually move any water along with the wave. nly the energy travels along.

Transverse and longitudinal waves

All waves can be put into two groups:

Transverse waves Longitudinal waves !n transverse waves the particles vibrate at right angles to the movement of energy. "#amples are light waves, water waves and all electromagnetic waves. !n longitudinal waves the particles vibrate in the same direction as the movement of energy. "#amples are sound waves and seismic waves.

Wave words
To compare waves we need to be able describe their characteristics, these include:

$mplitude Wavelength Time period

%re&uency The amplitude of a wave is the height of the wave from the middle to a peak or trough. This is often called themaximum displacement of the wave. 'The displacement of a particle is the distance a particle moves from thecentre.( Watch out. )any students make the mistake of measuring from a peak to a trough that gives double the correct answer. The wavelength is the length of one complete wave. !t can be measured, on a distance graph, from any point to the ne#t similar point on the wave. Remember one complete wave includes a peak and a trough. The time period of a wave is the time it takes or one complete wave. The re!uenc" of a wave is the number o waves that travels past a point in one second. %re&uency is measured in *ert+ '*+(. , *+ - , wave per second. There is a simple relationship between fre&uency and time period. The lower the fre&uency is the longer the time period will be. #rag and drop the re!uencies and time periods into the correct boxes:

The wave e!uation

There is a simple relationship between speed, fre&uency and wavelength. Speed - %re&uency # Wavelength This can be put into an e!uation triangle: $ou must use the correct units or each value

Speed is in m.s 'not km.s( Wavelength is in m 'not km( %re&uency is in *+. Worked examples:

The speed of sound in air is //0 m.s. $ note played on an instrument has a fre&uency of ,,0 *+. What is the wavelength of the note1

Wavelength - Speed . fre&uency

- //0.,,0

-/m

&

The fre&uency of a water wave is 2 *+ and it has a wavelength of 0.02 m. What is the speed of the wave1

Speed - %re&uency # wavelength

- 2 # 0.02

- 0.03 m.s