1. Aim: How do we explain the properties of waves?

2. Characteristics of Waves
Amplitude
Wavelength
Frequency
Period

3. Amplitude
-The maximum displacement from equilibrium -The distance from crest to equilibrium or the distance from trough to equilibrium

4. Which letter represents the amplitude?

5. Wavelength
-the length of one complete cycle

6. Wavelength Questions What letter represents a wavelength?
How many wavelengths are shown in the drawing?

7. Wavelength questions 3. How many wavelengths are shown? 1.5
4. List the three pairs of letters which represent one wavelength
B and F
A and E
C and G

8. Frequency and Period
Frequency- the number of cycles completed per second Period- the time it takes for a wave to complete one cycle T = period f = frequency T=1/f f=1/T

9. Frequency and Period Questions
5. A wave is introduced into a thin wire held tight at each end. It has an amplitude of 3.8 cm, a frequency of 51.2 Hz and a distance from a crest to the neighboring trough of 12.8 cm. Determine the period of such a wave. T=1/f=1/51.2 HZ T= s 6. A period of 5.0 seconds corresponds to a frequency of ________ Hertz. f=1/T=1/5s f=0.2 HZ 7. The period of the sound wave produced by a 440 Hertz tuning fork is ___________.T=1/f=1/440 Hz T= s 8. As the frequency of a wave increases, the period of the wave ___________. The period of the wave decreases

10. The meaning of these properties
What does the amplitude of a sound wave correspond to? VOLUME What does the frequency of a sound wave correspond to? PITCH What does the amplitude of a light wave correspond to? BRIGHTNESS What does the frequency of a light wave correspond to? COLOR