Wave Motion

How do waves transfer energy?

Longitudinal & Transverse Waves
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
A student is able to :
• Describe what is meant by wave
motion.
• Recognise that waves transfer energy
without transferring matter.
• Compare transverse and longitudinal
waves and give examples of each.

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 INTRODUCTION
• We always think of waves as sea waves.

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 There are many kinds of waves .
 All waves transmit energy.
 These waves include waves we cannot see
such as the sound waves created when we
speak.
 The study of waves is important in our daily
life. The music we hear, the colours of the
rainbow that we see and even the X-ray used
in hospitals are examples of waves that are
ery helpful to mankind.

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A stone is dropped into the water. What do
you see?
• Waves that move outward from the center
• The energy of the stone is converted to
waves

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• Energy transfer through sea waves
motion can be huge.
• For example during tsunami, the energy
carried by water waves from the sea can
cause great damage to the
surroundings. Most of the energy
comes from the winds blowing across
the surface of the sea.

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 Tsunami
Effect

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 What is waves?
Waves is a process of transferring
energy from one location to
another which is produced by an
oscillating or vibrating motion

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Vibrating system : produces waves

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Oscillating system produces waves

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 HOW DO WAVES
TRANSFER ENERGY?
 How do waves transfer energy?
• When a stone is dropped into a pond,
water waves is produced.
• The direction of propagation of the
left to ____.
water waves is from ______ right
• The cork represents the ______particles.
water
•

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• The cork does not move together with the
wave, instead it moves _____up and _________
down
about its initial position.
energy as they move along
• Waves transfer ________
the water particles. However, the waves do
water particles along with
not carry the _______
them.

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 How do waves transfer energy?

• This shows that wave transferring

energy without transferring matter.

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TYPES OF WAVES

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 2 types of waves
1. Transverse waves
2. Longitudinal waves

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 Transverse Waves
• A transverse wave is a wave in which the
vibration of particles in the medium is
perpendicular
____________ to the direction of
propagation of the wave.
Water wave, light wave
• Example: _____________,_____

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 Longitudinal Waves
• A longitudinal wave is a wave which the
vibration of particles in the medium is
Parallel to
______________ the direction of propagation
of the wave.

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• The slinky spring moves backwards and
forwards to produce a longitudinal wave.
• The particles of the medium (spring) move
parallel to the direction of the wave.
___________
The wave that travels along the spring
Compression and
consists of a series of ___________
rarefaction
____________.

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 Activity 1: To observe a longitudinal wave
and a transverse wave using a slinky spring.

• Hold one end of a slinky spring and give a

sharp push at the other end of the spring
backward and forward. Observe the
movement of the spring.
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– Sketch the longitudinal wave produce by
the slinky spring.

– Label the parts of compression and rarefaction

of the spring and the wavelength of the wave
produced.
– Show the direction of the vibration of the
coloured thread and the direction of propagation
of the wave (movementMOZAC of the spring.
– The coloured thread which
represents a particle of the medium
parallel to the propagation
vibrate _________
of the wave.
– The wave that travels along the
spring consists of a series of
Rare faction
compression and ____________
____________
wavelength is the distance
– The _____________
between two successive rare fraction
or two successive compression

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2. Use the same slinky spring move the other
end of the spring side ways. Observe the
movement of the spring.
• Sketch the transverse wave produced by the
slinky spring.

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• Label the wavelength of the wave produced.
• Show the direction of the vibration of the
coloured thread and the direction of
propagation of the wave (movement of the
spring.
• The vibration of the coloured thread is
perpendicular to the direction of the
_________
propagation of the wave.

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 Conclusion
• A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the
vibration of the medium is
parallel
_______________to the direction of the
propagation of wave.
• A transverse wave is produced when the
vibration of the medium is
perpendicular to the direction of the
________________
propagation of wave.

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Quiz 1

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Quiz 2

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 Summary 1
• Waves are produced by vibrating systems
• Waves transfer energy. Waves that travel
through a medium transfer energy without
transferring matter.
• In transverse waves, the direction of wave
propagation is perpendicular to the direction of
vibration of the particles. Example: water waves
• In longitudinal waves, the direction of wave
propagation is parallel to the direction of
vibration of the particles. Longitudinal waves
need a medium to propagate. This type of waves
cannot propagate through a vacuum. Example : a
sound wave
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