Read and Write

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 Read and Write

In this module, you will learn:

How waves are formed?

How do waves transfer energy?
What are the characteristics and properties of waves?
How reflection and refraction of waves occur?

If we throw a small stone into a pond, ripples which look like expanding rings, are formed on the surface of water.

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Lets consider an example of wave formation.

Here is a still pond with some leaves floating in it.
As it starts raining, you will see disturbances on the water surface.

You can see that ripples like expanding rings, are produced on the water surface. As the intensity of rain
increases, there will be more disturbances in the water, forming more ripples.

These water waves carry energy from the falling rain drops in all directions, without the actual movement of water
molecules from one place to another. The formation of ripples on the surface of water is an example of the
formation of waves.

When rain drops fall on water, the energy carried by the rain drops causes the water molecules to vibrate up and
down. Thus, disturbing the water molecules close to it. By gaining the energy from the rain drops, the water
molecules transfer some of the energy to the neighbouring water molecules, which also start vibrating and so on.
In this way all the water molecules on the surface of pond start vibrating and give rise to water waves. The
material in which the wave motion is produced is called the medium. In this example, water is the medium of the
wave motion.

Did you observe the movement of the leaves that were floating in the pond?

Q.1) Can you describe the movement of the leaves?

Choose the correct option.

Up and down

Left and right

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Reset

Q. 2) Where do you think leaves get energy from?

Write your answer in the blue area.

Answer

Reset

Having learnt about the wave formation, lets now look at the different types of waves. But before we start
discussing the types of waves, here is an exercise for you.
Here is a normal position of a stretched slinky fixed at one end.

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Q) Predict what will happen to the highlighted section when the free end is moved up and down
repeatedly.
Select your prediction.

It will vibrate from left to right.

It will vibrate up and down.

Click here to see the animation

Q) What happened when the free end was moved up and down repeatedly?
Select your observation.

It vibrated from left to right.

It vibrated up and down.

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Explanation

Reset

Lets consider another type of wave movement.

Q) Predict what will happen to the highlighted section when the free end is moved forward and backward
repeatedly.

Select your prediction.

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It vibrated forward and backward.

It will vibrate up and down.

Click here to see the animation

Q) What happened to the highlighted section when the free end is moved forward and backward
repeatedly?
Select your observation.

It vibrated forward and backward.

It vibrated up and down.

Explanation

Reset

And what you have just seen is an example of a longitudinal wave.

Now, we will look in to terms that are used to describe wave motion:
Here is an activity to test your knowledge.

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Q.1) Term describing the image at position 1

Choose the correct option.

Crest

Trough

Amplitude

Wavelength

Q. 2) Term describing the image at position 2

Choose the correct option.

Crest

Trough

Amplitude

Wavelength

Q. 3) Term describing the image at position 3

Choose the correct option.

Crest

Trough

Amplitude

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Wavelength

Q. 4) Term describing the image at position 4

Choose the correct option.

Crest

Trough

Amplitude

Wavelength

Reset
Click on the button to know more about it.
Crest

Trough

Amplitude

Wavelength

Frequency (f)

Period

Wavefront
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Reset

Q. 1) A vibration of frequency 8 Hz sends a wave of wavelength 0.8 metre down a rope. What is the speed
of the wave?
Solution: Speed = frequency wavelength
=f
= Hz m (enter the value of frequency and wavelength)

= ms-1 Calculate

Reset

Q. 2) A wave of wavelength 1.8 metre travels down a rope at a speed of 9 ms-1. What is the frequency of the
wave?
v
Solution: f

= ms-1/ m (enter the value of speed and wavelength)

= Hz Calculate

Reset

Hence the frequency of the wave is 5Hz.

Graphical Representation of Waves

Now, we will learn how to use graphs to represent waves.
A wave motion can be represented graphically using a:
Displacement-distance graph and
Displacement-time graph
Both longitudinal and transverse waves can be represented by a displacement-distance graph. What you see
here is a snapshot of a wave at any instant.

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The animation shows a transverse wave rope when a rope is moved up and down. The four points a, b, c and d
show how points vibrate as the rope moves up and down and the waves travel form left to right.

For a transverse wave you see that the graph looks very similar to the actual wave.
For a longitudinal wave the graph is not so easy to see. Let us look at the air molecules in their undisturbed
positions and compare them as a wave passes by sound. Before the wave arrived, the particles were equally
spaced.

Now, at the instant shown, the particles a and b are passing through the original undisturbed position.

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If you plot displacement on the y-axis and distance on the x-axis, you get a similar graph that you got before.

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In the animation sound waves produced in a hollow pipe of air by the vibrating diaphragm of a loudspeaker. When
the diaphragm moves outwards, layer of air pushed close together so that a compression of the air particle is
formed. This disturbance of air layers is then passed from one particle to particle, causing the compression to
move along the pipe. When the diaphragm moves inwards, the air layers are pulled apart, causing a rarefaction of
the air particles. When the diaphragm move outwards again, a second compression forces the previous
rarefaction away and as a result a series of compression also known as high pressure regions and rarefactions
also known as low pressure region move away from the diaphragm at the speed of sound. However, the air
particles themselves just vibrate back and forth about their original position.
The resultant pattern in the air is shown in the animation. We can use sine curve to represent the wave. There are
crests in the sinusoidal waves at the points where the sound wave has compressions, and troughs where the
sound wave has refractions.

From the graph we can see that

The distance between two consecutive compression or rarefaction is the wavelength of the sound wave.
The maximum pressure change gives the amplitude A of the sound wave.

If you plot a displacement-time graph for a single particle you can see a graph like the one shown here:

Plotting of a Transverse Wave

Use a rope to form a transverse wave.

If you plot displacement of the rope along its length at a certain instant of time, you obtain displacement-distance
graph as shown. Points of the rope above the rest position are positive displacement and any points of the rope
below the rest position are negative displacements.

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Following figure shows the progression of a rope wave over one second. You can see the movement of green
T T 3T
particle at t = 0, , , andT .
4 2 4

If you freeze the wave motion at various points in time, you can see the up and down movement of points on a
transverse rope wave.
When you trace the movement of the green particle over a period, you can obtain the displacement-time graph of
particle as shown in the figure.

At t = 0

At t = T/4

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At t = T/2

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At T= 3T/4

At t = T

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The figure here shows the displacement position and displacement-time graph of a wave travelling along the
length of a rope. Here is an activity for you to determine
The amplitude, A,
The wavelength,
The period, T,
The frequency, f, and
The speed, v, of the wave.

Solution:
The amplitude, A, = m Check

Reset

Instruction texts: Enter the value of amplitude.

The wavelength, = /
= m Calculate

Reset

Enter the value of wavelength from displacement-position graph.

The period, T, = /

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Calculate
=
Reset

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The frequency, f, = T
= 1/ Enter the value of Time period.

= Hz Calculate

Reset

The speed, v, of the wave = f Enter the value of frequency and wavelength.
= Hz m

= ms-1 Calculate

Reset

Question 2) This figure shows the shape of a wave travelling to the right with a velocity of 2.0 metre per
second at a certain instant of time.

(a) What is the frequency of the wave?

(b) Sketch the profile of the wave after 0.0125 s and state whether the two particles P and Q move up or
down.

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Solution a): Given v = 2.0 ms-1

From the graph, d = 30 cm
= 3 where is the wavelength
Hence, 10 cm = 0.10 m

Using v = f where f = frequency of the wave

v = Hz Calculate
f= = /

Hence, frequency of the wave is 20 Hz

Reset
Solution b):
1
Time Period T = = 0.05 s
f
0.0125
In the next 0.0125 s, the wave would travel = 0.25 of the wavelength to the right. The new Profile in the
0.05
next 0.0125 s is shown in the figure.

P & Q is moving down and R is moving up.

Now, here is a cross word puzzle for you to complete.

Click here to do a cross word puzzel
Wave production and the Ripple Tank

Here comes something interesting for you. Do you know that you can generate water waves in a laboratory?
Yes, you can generate water waves in the laboratory by using a ripple tank.
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What is a ripple tank?

Click here to see the animation of ripple tank.

A ripple tank has a shallow glass-bottomed tray, a light source (such as a lamp) directly above the tray, one
straight dipper, one spherical dipper and a white screen beneath the tray.

You can set up two types of water waves in a ripple tank: plane and circular. A spherical dipper can produce a
circular wave in a ripple tank.
Plane waves can be produced by placing the straight dipper in the water and vibrating it. Similarly, you can
produce circular waves by placing the spherical dipper in the water and vibrating it.

Lets see what happens when you generate plane waves in the ripple tank.
You can view these waves as bright and dark lines on the white screen below the tray. The bright and dark lines
correspond to the crests and troughs of the plane waves respectively. The crests act as converging lenses that
focus light, producing the bright lines. The troughs act as diverging lenses that scatter light, producing the dark
lines.

Reflection of waves:

Q.) What is meant by reflection of waves?

Choose the correct option.

Return of waves from surfaces on which they are incident

Crossing of waves from surfaces on which they are incident

Stopping of waves from surfaces on which they are incident

Disappearing of waves from surfaces on which they are incident

.
Explanation

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Reset

In the animation, straight water waves are falling on a glass sheet placed in a ripple tank at an angle of 600, i.e. the
angle in between the direction of travel of the waves and the normal to the strip is 600. The angle between the
wave front and the strip i.e., the angle of reflection r is 600. This shows that the angles of incidence and reflection
are always equal.

Here is an applet to explore the law of reflection.

Click here to see the applet

Having learnt the reflection of waves, now lets understand Refraction of waves.

When a wave moves from one medium to another, it will either speed up or slow down. For example, a wave
travelling along a rope will speed up, if the rope becomes thinner and alternatively sound wave travelling from cold
air to hot air will speed up. When a wave slows down, the wavelength gets crowded.

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Refraction can also be demonstrated using a ripple tank.

For this you have to create a region of shallow water in the tank.
This can be done by reducing the depth of the tank by placing a glass or plastic plate in the tray.

Click here to see the animation

After doing so, you will find that the wavelength of the plane waves shorten as they travel from deep to shallow
water.
i.e. <
where wavelength in deep water
wavelength in shallow water

However, the frequency remains unchanged as it is determined by the dipper.

Using the equation,

v=f
i.e., v2 < v1

where v2 = speed of the waves in shallow water and

v1 = speed of the waves in deep water.

If you place the glass or plastic sheet at an angle to the incoming plane waves, the waves will refract. You learnt
earlier that a difference in depth of water causes a change in the speed of the waves. Similarly, when waves enter
a region of shallow water at an angle, they refract.

Key Ideas:
Plane waves can be generated in the laboratory by using a straight dipper in a ripple tank.
A straight barrier standing upright in the water causes the incoming incident waves to be reflected.

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The wavelength of plane waves in the ripple tank shortens on passing from deep to shallow water.
The speed of plane waves in shallow water is slower than that in deeper water.
A glass or plastic sheet placed at an angle in the water causes the incoming incident waves to refract.

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