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Published byMagnus Park Modified over 9 years ago
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Properties of Waves INSANE wave pool in Tokyo. Where's the water? - YouTube INSANE wave pool in Tokyo. Where's the water? - YouTube A wave is a disturbance that transports energy from one location to another without transportation of matter. Ex: the people in the video did not travel across the pool, instead they moved locally up and down, or oscillated. This motion is very similar to what molecules do when a wave passes through. The medium is the physical environment through which a wave can travel. ex: people are a medium for this wave.
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Properties of Waves Waves that require a medium are called mecahnical waves. Waves in water (or people) are mechanical waves. Electromagnetic waves (visible light, radio waves, microwaves, x-rays) can travel through a vacuum, therefore are not classified as mechanical waves.
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Properties of Waves Types of Waves Pulse wave = a wave that is a single traveling pulse Periodic wave = a repeated series of pulse waves Sine wave = a special case of a periodic wave where the wave has a source that vibrates with simple harmonic motion
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Properties of Waves Transverse Wave = a wave whose particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is traveling. (ex: people in a wave pool) Longitudinal Wave = a wave whose particles vibrate parallel to the direction the wave is traveling. Usually found in density or pressure settings. (ex: sound waves through air)
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Properties of Waves Parts of a wave Crest = the highest point above the equilibrium position. Trough = the lowest point below the equilibrium position. Wavelength (λ) = the distance between two adjacent similar points of a wave (crest to crest or trough to trough).
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Properties of Waves Transverse Waves Longitudinal Waves
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Properties of Waves One wavelength is when vibrating particles of the medium complete one full cycle. Therefore wave frequency describes the number of waves that pass a given point in a unit of time. The period is the time required for one complete cycle of vibrations of the medium’s particles, or for how long it takes one complete wavelength to pass a given point.
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Properties of Waves Equations v = distance/time = wavelength/period v = λ/T f = 1/T Therefore: v = fλ Speed = frequency * wavelength Ignore any damping, or decrease in amplitude over time
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