IB Physics Waves and Light

Waves Introduction
A wave is a disturbance in a medium that caries energy without a net movement of particles. A wave: transfers energy. usually involves a periodic, repetitive movement. does not result in a net movement of the medium or particles in the medium (mechanical wave). There are some basic descriptors of a wave. Wavelength () is distance between an identical part of the wave. Amplitude is maximum displacement from neutral position. This represents the energy of the wave. Greater amplitude carries greater energy. Displacement is the position of a particular point in the medium as it moves as the wave passes. Maximum displacement is the amplitude of the wave. Frequency () is the number of repetitions per second in Hz, s-1 Period (T) is the time for one wavelength to pass a point. T = -1 The velocity (v) of the wave is the speed that a specific part of the wave passes a point. The speed of a light wave is c. We will deal with two types of waves: A transverse wave has the motion of the medium perpendicular to the movement of the wave pulse. A longitudinal wave has the motion of the medium parallel to the movement of the wave pulse. For most waves, the particles of the medium move in a repetitive way that results in no net displacement. A transverse wave has the displacement of the particles in the medium moving perpendicular to the direction of the waves movement

IB Physics Waves and Light Examples of transverse waves: Water waves (ripples of gravity waves, not sound through water) Light waves S-wave earthquake waves Stringed instruments Torsion wave The high point of a transverse wave is a crest. The low part is a trough. A longitudinal wave has the movement of the particles in the medium in the same dimension as the direction of movement of the wave. Examples of longitudinal waves: Sound waved P-type earthquake waves Compression wave Longitudinal waves create areas of compression where particles are pushed together (higher density), and rarefaction where particles are pulled apart (lower density) Sound waves are often represented by a transverse wave (sinusoidal wave). Both a transverse and longitudinal wave can be described with a displacement time graph. Why?

If a single point of the medium is examined over time, its motion will be periodic.

IB Physics Waves and Light The displacement position graph takes a picture of the medium at a specific time. The displacement is for the medium. The position is for the progress of the wave. Why does the same graph describe both types of waves?

As a wave passes a point, the speed of the wave will be measured by the repeated motion. If the time is measured between two crests in a wave, the speed is the wavelength divided by the period. Ex 1: A person is standing on a dock. The person starts a clock as one crest passes them. As the fifth crest passes, the watch reads 3.5 s. A crest takes 4.7s to pass along the 3.2 m of the dock. What can you describe quantitatively about the wave?

v=

=f T

p. 386, 15, 17, 19, 21 pp. 396-398, 44-48, 50, 75, 77, 79, 81, 83

IB Physics Waves and Light

Waves One dimensional Waves

We will examine one dimensional waves such as a transverse wave on a rope or spring, and longitudinal waves on a spring (slinky). As a mechanical wave reaches the end of its medium, it will reflect. The energy it contains will not just disappear. The reflection will vary for a hard (fixed) boundary, and for a soft (flexible or movable) boundary. The reflected wave will be upright for a soft boundary, and inverted for a fixed boundary.

A wave that reaches a change in its medium, will be have its speed changed as it passes into the new medium (refraction), and it will also reflect at the new medium (a type of boundary). Traveling into a slower medium is like a hard boundary. Traveling into a faster medium is like a soft boundary. Watch the speed of the refracted wave, and the nature of the reflected wave .

IB Physics Waves and Light If a continuous wave is moving along a rope, and is reflected, the wave will pass over itself. Two waves at the same point are combined by the principle of superposition.

Superposition
The displacement of each wave is added together to determine the displacement of the combined wave. The two waves are interfering with each other. Destructive interference occurs if a positive displacement and a negative displacement add together to make a smaller (or zero) displacement. Constructive interference occurs if a two displacements that are the same combine to make a larger displacement. This applet shows different types of sine waves interfering. Sketch examples of constructive and destructive interference.

IB Physics Waves and Light A reflected wave will interfere with itself and form a specific pattern. This pattern is called a standing wave. Note the differences between the type of reflection, and the differences in the standing wave that forms. Nodes are the points of zero displacement. Anti-nodes are points of maximum displacement.

Example Radio waves with a frequency of 188 kHz are received at a house. The waves then bounce off a mountain behind the house and reflect so that the reception at the house is very poor. What is the smallest distance that the mountain is from the house?

A standing wave can be created whenever a continuous wave interferes with another continuous wave of the same frequency and wavelength. A standing wave is made up of moving waves. The phenomenon that results looks as if it is standing. pp. 396-399, 52-57, 67, 68, 84, 87

IB Physics Waves and Light

Waves Two dimensional waves

Two dimensional waves behave according to the same rules as one dimensional waves; however, the applications can be more complex. We will examine water waves initially to discuss two dimensional waves. A two dimensional wave is drawn by showing the wave crests and/or the direction of the waves motion. The simplest wave is from a point source. The wave spreads in all directions radially from the source. Water waves move in wave fronts. One example of a wave front is a linear wave.

The activity you are going to complete today will require you to sketch the ripples in a wave tank in several different circumstances. Water waves propagates more slowly in shallow water. In an oblique refraction, part of the wave slows before the rest of the wave. If part of the wave slows, the wave will change direction. How can you simulate this with people walking in a line? Using the waves-tanks, You should diagram the following situations: 1. Reflection at various angles 2. Refractions (change depth of water) 3. Diffraction past an obstacle on one side with different wavelengths 4. Diffraction of waves around different sized objects (relative to wavelength). 5. Diffraction of waves through different sized opening (relative to wavelength).

IB Physics Waves and Light

Huygens Principle
A linear wave that encounters a change in medium will refract and reflect. Huygens principle can give us a model for the reflected ray and the refracted ray. This principle is a good model for any type of wave that encounters a change in medium. We will use this principle for water waves, and later for light waves. Huygens can explain why the angle of the incident (incoming) wave has the same angle as the reflected wave. At an oblique angle, part of the linear wave hits the barrier before the rest of the wave. The next diagram has a incoming wave that just hits a barrier (AA) and the same wave after it has been completely reflected (BB) At first contact, the incident wave moves from A to B. During that time, the wave at A has moved to B. The speed of the wave is constant, so: i = r The wave at point A slows in the new medium. The slow part moves from A to D as the fast part moves from C to D. These two occur in the same time. Velocity in lower medium is less than in the upper medium. Show that the sine of the incident angle and the refracted angle are dependent on the velocities in those medium. Angles for waves are measured from the normal to the ray that shows the movement of the wave.

AB =AB

ABB =B AA

IB Physics Waves and Light

Optics Nature of Light

Light is a transverse wave. An electric field and a magnetic field change orthogonally to the direction of the light wave. The electromagnetic radiation does not require a medium to propagate itself. It can travel through a vacuum and many other media. In a vacuum, the speed of light is a constant, c = 3.00 x 108 m/s. Light will travel slower through different media. Light waves follow the wave equation: c = f where c = speed of light.

Light waves with different frequencies will also have different wavelengths. The energy of the photons of light carry varies with frequency. Higher energy light has a higher frequency and a shorter wavelength. In the visible part of the spectrum, violet light has the highest energy and frequency and shortest wavelength. Red light has the lowest energy and frequency, and longest wavelength.

The colours of visible light are a construct of our brain. Different cells in our retina are sensitive to different colours. By combining the ratio of inputs from the different cells, the brain generates colour information. An emission devise uses combinations of red, green, and blue (rgb) to produce all the colors. An absorption devise (printer) uses cyan, yellow, magenta and black (cymk) to produce most of the colors.

IB Physics Waves and Light

The human eye will interpret equal amounts of red, green, and blue as white. True white light has equal amounts off the entire visible spectrum.

pp. 452-453, 33-36, 48-51, 54, 58

Optics Reflection
A light ray that encounters a change in media will: reflect, and/or refract (pass through), and/or be absorbed. A reflection can occur in an organized way (smooth surface) or in a random way (rough surface). Most of the things we see are due to random reflections from rough surfaces. Some of the light reflected reaches our eye and forms an image in our eye. A coloured surface will absorb some of the colours and reflect the colours that we observe. A reflection from a smooth surface will be organized and produce an image. The key is that the light wave reflects at the same angle that it approaches the reflector (mirror). Angles are measured from a line that is normal to the surface of the mirror. The incoming ray is the incident ray. The reflected ray is also measured from the normal to the mirror. Where would your eye see the object?

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IB Physics Waves and Light

Optics Refraction
A light ray that enters a new medium can refract because it changes its speed in the new medium. The change in speed is described by the index of refraction (n). c n= c = speed of light in a vacuum v v = velocity of light in medium This is a specific application of Snells Law for refraction of waves as they change speed at a boundry. If the light slows, it will change direction towards the normal. If the light speeds up, it will change direction away from the normal.

The variables in this relationship can be described by Snells Law.

n1 sin 1 = n2 sin 2

Angles must be measured from the normal to the surface. n is the index of refraction for the media involved. Example 1: A light ray is moving from crown glass to water with an incident angle of 35. What is the refracted angle?

Example 2: A surface wave in a liquid changes from 62 to 48 upon traveling from one liquid into another liquid. What is the relative velocities of the waves in these two liquids?

p. 509, 67-75 (odd)

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IB Physics Waves and Light

Diffraction and Interference

Review of diffraction Spreading of a wave as it passes an obstacle or through an aperture. Opening/barrier is the same order of magnitude as the wavelength of the wave. Use of Huygens's Principle can let us visualize the causes of diffraction Youngs double slit experiment is an application of diffraction and interference. This basic principle works for all wave situations: mechanical waves, light waves, matter waves (electrons) Waves at the two slits must be in phase Complex setup in diagram above Coherent light (laser) used for optical demonstrations. Frequency and wavelength do not change due to the diffraction. Show why path difference is important and the significance of (d + ) and (d + /2)

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IB Physics Waves and Light Show how the last relationship is derived if sin = (for small angles)

Example A laser is shone through a double slit apparatus with a separation of 0.10 mm onto a screen 2.0 m away. The distance between bright points on the screen is 1.4 cm. What is the wavelength of the laser light?

Why does a diffraction grating break light up into different colours?

p. 519, # 1-4

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