6.

1
WAVES
WAVEFRONTS
DESCRIBINGWAVES
 LEARNING OUTCOMES
 State what is meant by a wavefront
 State the direction of propagation of
waves in relation to wavefronts
 Define amplitude
 Define period
 Define frequency
 Define wavelength
 Define wave speed
 The phenomenon of
water waves can be
Ripple Tank
investigated using a
ripple tank.
 The water waves are
produced by a
__________
vibrator bar on the
water surface.

 The tank is leveled so

that the ________
depth of
water in the tank is
uniform to ensure water
waves propagate with
constant speed.
___________
Ripple tank
 When the motor  A round dipper
is switched on, fixed to the bar
plane waves are will produced
produced. circular waves.
 How the dark and bright bands are
formed on the screen?
 The water acts as a
lens
_______ to
produce a pattern
of ________
bright and
_________
dark regions
on a piece of white
paper placed
under the tank
when light passes
through it.
 Water waves have crests and
troughs.
 A crest is the highest
position of the wave acts as a
convex lens and will focus
________
the light rays. So bright
_______
region will produced.
 A trough is the lowest
concave
position acts as a __________
lens and will diverge the
light rays. So _________
dark
region will be produced.
Wavefronts
 What is meant by a wavefront?

 Lines joining all the points of the same

______
phase are called wavefront.
 2 Types of wavefront

Plane waves Circular Waves

The direction of propagation of waves
in relation to wavefronts

 The wavefronts of a transverse wave

and longitudinal wave are
perpendicular
_____________to the direction of
propagation of the waves.
Describing Waves
Amplitude
Period
Frequency
Wavelength
Wave speed
 Amplitude
 The maximum displacement from its
equilibrium position.
 SI unit: meter, m
 Amplitude
 A mass, m, is hung to a spring. The
spring is at rest or in the equilibrium
position at O
 The amplitude, a, is the distance from
the equilibrium position, O to the
maximum displacement X or Y
 The amplitude, a, is the distance from
the equilibrium position, O to the
maximum displacement X or Y.
 Period, T
 When the
pendulum
swings from A to
B and back to A,
the pendulum is
said to have
done one
complete
oscillation
 Period, T Frequency, f
 The time taken  The number of
for an oscillation waves produced
to complete one in one second.
cycle. SI unit is Hertz
 SI unit is second (Hz)
(s)
Frequency & period
Frequency & period
 What is the frequency of the swinging
plasticine ball?

 Period is the time required to complete

one oscillation
 Wavelength, λ

Wavelength, λ, is the distance between two

consecutive points which are in phase
SI unit: meter, m
 Wavelength, λ

For a transverse wave,

Wavelength, λ, is the distance between two
successive crest or trough.
 Wavelength, λ

 For a longitudinal wave, the wavelength, λ, is

the distance between two successive
compressions or rarefractions.
Speed, v Wave Speed, v

 The measurement of how fast a crest is

moving from a fixed point.
 SI unit is ms-1.
QUESTION 1
QUESTION 2
QUESTION 3
QUESTION 4