29/3/2018

BASICS PHYSICS II
(SFU 1023)

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS
UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS.

Chapter 5

WAVES

Wave Motion
• A wave is a moving disturbance that transports
energy from one place to another without
transporting matter
• Questions about waves
• What is being disturbed?
• How is it disturbed?
• The motion associated with a wave disturbance
often has a repeating form, so wave motion has
much in common with simple harmonic motion

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Waves, String Example

• One example of a wave is a disturbance on a string

• Shaking the free end creates a disturbance that moves
horizontally along the string
• A single shake creates a wave pulse
• If the end of the string is shaken up and down in simple
harmonic motion, a periodic wave is produced

Waves, String Example cont.

• The disturbances are examples of waves
• Portions of the string are moving so there is kinetic
energy associated with the wave
• There is elastic potential energy in the string as it
stretches
• The wave carries this energy as it travels

The wave does not carry matter as it travels

Pieces of the string do not move from one
end of the string to the other.

Analysis of The Wave Pulse

• A single pulse propagates to
the right
• The graph (part D in the
figure shown) shows the
displacement of point D on
the string
• It is perpendicular to the
direction of propagation
• The wave transports energy
without transporting matter

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Wave Terminology
• The “ thing ” being disturbed by the wave is its
medium.
• When the medium is a material substance, the wave
is a mechanical wave.
In transverse waves the motion of the medium is
perpendicular to the direction of the propagation of the
wave. The string was an example.

In longitudinal waves the motion of the medium is

parallel to the direction of the propagation of the wave.

Example: Longitudinal Wave

• The spring is shaken
back and forth in the
horizontal direction
• At some places the coils
are compressed
• At other places the coils
are stretched
• This motion produces a
longitudinal wave

Describing Periodic Waves

• Assume a person is
shaking the string so that
the end is undergoing
simple harmonic motion
• The crest is the maximum
positive y displacement
• The trough is the
maximum negative y
displacement

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Periodic vs. Nonperiodic Waves

• Nonperiodic waves
• The wave disturbance is limited to a small region of
space
• Periodic waves
• The wave extends over a very wide region of space
• The displacement of the medium varies in a repeating
and often sinusoidal pattern
• A periodic wave involves repeating motion as a
function of both space and time

The Equation of a Wave

• Assume the displacement generating the wave in the
string vibrates as a simple harmonic oscillator with
• yend = A sin (2 π ƒ t)

• The string’s displacement is given by

æ 2p x ö
y = A sin ç 2 p ƒt -
è l ÷ø
• λ is the symbol for wavelength
• This is a mathematical description of a periodic wave
• It shows the transverse displacement y of a point on
the string as it varies with time and location

More Wave Terminology

• Periodic waves have a frequency
• The frequency is related to the “repeat time”
• The period is the time that a point takes to go from a
crest to the next crest in its motion
• Then ƒ = 1 / T

• Periodic waves have an amplitude

• Wave crests have y = + A
• Wave troughs have y = - A

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Wavelength
• The wavelength is the
“repeat distance” of the
wave
• Start at a given value of y
• Advance x by a distance
equal to the wavelength
and y will be at the same
value again

Periodic Wave, Summary

• Periodic waves have both a repeat time and a repeat
distance
• A periodic wave is a combination of two simple
harmonic motions
• One is a function of time
• The other is a function of space

Speed of a Wave
• The mathematical description of a wave contains
frequency, wavelength and amplitude
• The speed of a wave is
Dx l
v= = = ƒl
Dt T
• This is based on the definitions of period and
wavelength

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Direction of a Wave
• To determine the direction of the wave, you can focus on
the motion of a crest

• As x becomes larger, the wave has moved to the right

and the wave velocity is positive and its equation is
æ 2p x ö
y = A sin ç 2 p ƒt -
è l ÷ø

• The equation of a wave moving to the left and having a

negative velocity is
æ 2p x ö
y = A sin ç 2 p ƒt +
è l ÷ø

Direction of a Wave

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Interpreting the Equation of a Periodic

Wave
Displacement of the
medium as a Frequency
function of location

2p x ö
(x) and time (t)
æ
y = A sin ç 2 p ƒt -
è l ÷ø
Amplitude
Wavelength

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Waves on a String
• Waves on a string are mechanical waves
• The medium that is disturbed is the string
• For a transverse wave on a string, the speed of the
wave depends on the tension in the string and the
string’s mass per unit length
• Mass / length = μ
• Tension will be denoted as FT to keep the tension
separate from the period
• The speed of the wave is

FT
v=
m

Waves on a String, cont.

• The speed of the wave is independent of the
frequency of the wave
• The frequency will be determined by how rapidly the
end of the string is shaken

• The speed of transverse waves on a string is the

same for both periodic and nonperiodic waves

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Sound Waves
• Sound is a mechanical
wave that can travel
through almost any
material
• Travels in solids,
liquids, and gases
• Assume a speaker is
used to generate the
waves

Sound Waves, cont.

• The speaker moves back and forth in the horizontal
direction.
• As it moves, it collides with nearby air molecules
• The x component of the velocity of the air molecules
is affected by the speaker.
• The displacement of the air molecules associated
with the sound wave is also along the x direction.
• The result is a longitudinal wave.

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Speed of Sound Waves

• The speed of sound depends on the properties of
the medium
• At room temperature, the speed of sound in air is
approximately 343 m/s
• The speed is independent of the frequency
• The speed applies to both periodic and nonperiodic
waves
• Sound waves in a liquid or solid are also longitudinal
• The speed of sound is generally smallest for gases
and highest for solids

Waves in a Solid
• Solids can support both
longitudinal and
transverse waves
• The longitudinal waves
are considered sound
waves
• The speed of the sound
depends on the solid’s
elastic properties

Speed of Sound in a Solid

• For a thin bar of material, the speed of sound is
given by
Y
v=
r
• The speed of a transverse wave is more complicated
and depends on the shear modulus and other elastic
constants
• In general, the speed of the transverse wave is
slower than the speed of longitudinal waves

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Transverse Waves
• Transverse waves can travel through solids
• They cannot travel through liquids or gases
• The displacements in transverse waves involve a
shearing motion
• Liquids and gases flow and there is no restoring force
to produce the oscillations necessary for a transverse
wave

Superposition
• Waves generally propagate independently of one
another
• A wave can travel through a particular region of
space without affecting the motion of another wave
traveling though the same region
• This is due to the Principle of Superposition
• When two (or more) waves are present, the
displacement of the medium is equal to the sum of the
displacements of the individual waves
• The presence of one wave does not affect the
frequency, amplitude, or velocity of the other wave

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Constructive Interference

• Two wave pulses are

traveling toward each other
• They have equal and
positive amplitudes
• At C, the two waves
completely overlap and the
amplitude is twice the
amplitude of the individual
waves
• The emerging pulses are
unchanged
• This is an example of
constructive interference

Speed of Waves, Summary

• The speed of a wave depends on the properties of
the medium through which it travels
• The speed varies widely
• From slow waves on a string
• To very fast em waves
• Generally, the wave speed is independent of both
frequency and amplitude
• There are cases in light and optics where the speed
does depend on the frequency
• The speed is the same for periodic and nonperiodic
waves

Destructive Interference

• Two pulses are traveling

toward each other
• They have equal and
opposite amplitudes
• At C, the two waves
completely overlap, total
displacement is zero
• The emerging pulses are
unchanged
• This is an example of
destructive interference

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Interference
• Constructive interference causes the waves to
produce a displacement that is larger than the
displacements of either of the individual waves
• Destructive interference causes the waves to
produce a displacement that is smaller than the
displacements of either of the individual waves
• In either case, the energy of each wave is contained
in the kinetic energy of the medium
• The waves can interfere, even destructively, and still
carry energy independently

Interference of Periodic Waves

• The crests of the waves travel away from the initial source
• There is constructive interference where the wave crests
overlap
• There is destructive interference where a crest and trough
overlap
• The result shows an interference pattern with regions of
constructive and destructive interference

Reflection

• Reflection changes the

propagation direction of
the wave
• Rays can be used to
indicate the direction of
energy flow
• The rays change direction
when a wave reflects from
the boundary of the
medium
• The wave is inverted as it
reflects from a fixed end

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Example: Reflection of Light

• The light wave from a

laser reflects from a
mirror

Reflection – Light Ray Details

• The rays make an initial

angle of θi with a line
drawn perpendicular to
the surface
• The perpendicular
component of the wave’s
velocity reverses direction
• The parallel component of
the wave’s velocity is not
affected by the reflection
• The angle of incidence will
equal the angle of
reflection: θi = θr

Reflection – Free Surface

• The end of the string is

attached to a ring that is
free to move up and down
• When the wave is
reflected, it is not inverted
• The properties of the
medium at the boundary
will determine if the
reflected wave will be
inverted or not

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Radar

• An application of wave
reflection is radar
• A radio wave pulse is sent
from a transmitting
antenna and reflects from
some distant object
• A portion of the reflected
wave will arrive back at
the original transmitter,
where it is detected

Radar, cont.
• Radar determines the distance to the object by
measuring the time delay between the original and
reflected signals
• By using a rotating antenna, the direction of the
object can also be detected
• The amplitude of the reflected rays gives information
about the size of the object
• A larger object reflects more of the wave energy and
gives a larger signal at the detecting antenna

Refraction

• If the rays follow bent paths in a medium, they are

said to be refracted
• The frequency of the wave stays the same
• It is determined by the source
• The change in direction of the wave is due to a
change in its speed

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Standing Waves
• Waves may travel back and forth along a string of
length L
• If the string has both ends held in fixed positions, the
displacement at both ends must be zero
• These conditions can be satisfied by a periodic wave
only for certain wavelengths
• For these wavelengths, a standing wave can be
produced
• It is called a standing wave because the outline of the
wave appears stationary

Standing Waves, cont.

• The standing wave is

obtained by the
interference of two
waves traveling in
opposite directions
• The waves travel along
the string and are
reflected from the ends

Production of Electromagnetic Waves

Since a changing electric field produces a magnetic
field, and a changing magnetic field produces an
electric field, once sinusoidal fields are created they
can propagate on their own.
These propagating fields are called electromagnetic
waves.

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Production of Electromagnetic Waves

Oscillating charges will produce electromagnetic
waves:

Production of Electromagnetic Waves

Far from the source, the waves are plane waves:

Production of Electromagnetic Waves

The electric and magnetic waves are perpendicular to
each other, and to the direction of propagation.

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Production of Electromagnetic Waves

When Maxwell calculated the speed of propagation of
electromagnetic waves, he found:

Using the known values of ε0 and μ0 gives

c = 3.00 x 108 m/s.
This is the speed of light in a vacuum.

Light as an Electromagnetic Wave and the

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Light was known to be a wave. The production and
measurement of electromagnetic waves of other
frequencies confirmed that light was an
electromagnetic wave as well.
The frequency of an electromagnetic wave is related to
its wavelength:

Light as an Electromagnetic Wave and the

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic waves can have any wavelength; we
have given different names to different parts of the
electromagnetic spectrum.

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