Properties of Waves Objectives: Identify and describe four wave properties (amplitude, wavelength, frequency and wave speed) Explain how amplitude and frequency are related to the energy of a wave.
The amplitude of a wave is the maximum distance the wave vibrates from its rest position The rest position is where the particles of a medium stay when there are no disturbances. The larger the amplitude is, the taller the wave is
Amplitude is a measurement of the distance particles in the medium vibrate as a wave passes through. The amplitude of a sound wave is its loudness.
A wave with a large amplitude carries more energy than a wave with a small amplitude
A wavelength is the distance between any two adjacent crests or compressions in a series of waves. The distance between two adjacent troughs or rarefactions is also a wavelength. The wavelength can be measured from any point on one wave to the corresponding point on the next wave
The wavelength of the wave in the diagram above is given by letter ______. The amplitude of the wave in the diagram above is given by letter _____.
Indicate the interval which represents one full wavelength. 1. a to c 2. b to d 3. a to g 4. c to g
The number of waves produced in a given amount of time is the frequency of the wave. You can measure frequency by counting either the number of crests or the number of troughs that pass a point in a certain amount of time Frequency is usually expressed in hertz (Hz) One hertz equals one wave per second
If the amplitudes are equal, high-frequency waves carry more energy than low-frequency waves Because frequency and wavelength are so closely related, you can relate the amount of energy carried by a wave to the wavelength. A wave with a short wavelength carries more energy than a wave with a long wavelength.
Review: The shorter the wavelength the higher the frequency The higher the frequency the greater the energy
Wave Speed Wave speed is the speed at which a wave travels. Speed is the distance traveled over time, so wave speed can be found by measuring the distance a single crest or compression travels in a given amount of time.
The speed of a wave depends on the medium in which the wave is traveling. For example, the wave speed of sound in air is about 340 meters per second, but the wave speed of sound in steel is about 5,200 meters per second
Wave equations Wave speed is equal to the frequency multiplied by the wavelength Wavelength is equal to the wave speed divided by the frequency Frequency is equal to the wave speed divided by the wavelength
What is the frequency of a wave if it has a speed of 12 centimeters per second and a wavelength of 3 centimeters? A wave has a frequency of 5 hertz and a wave speed of 18 meters per second. What is its wavelength? Did you know that the speed of light is about 300,000,000 meters per second. That is about 880,000 times faster than sound.