Waves

Wave: wave is a sort of disturbance produced in a medium which carries energy.

Types of Waves:
Frequency
Wavelength
14

8 10
4 1014 Hz
10Hz 109 Hz
109 3 1011 Hz

1) Light Waves
2) Radio Waves
3) Micro Waves
4) Sound Waves
5) Sesmic Waves

3800 7800A
0.3m 10km
1mm 10cm

Characteristic of a Wave:
1) It is a carrier of energy.
2) It transport momentum.
3) There will be no actual transport of matter.
4) It travels in a straight line.
5) It undergoes reflection, refraction.
6) It exhibits interference, diffraction & polarization.
Energy carried by a Wave: The energy carried by each particle in a wave is directly proportional to
square of its amplitude.
i.e E
T

Wkt
k

A
m
k
4

1 2
kA
2

T
E

mf 2

2 2 mf 2 A2
Classification of waves

Type of vibration
Mode of propagation

Need of medium
Longitudinal

Transverse
1D

2D

3D

Mechanical
Non-mechanical

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Need of medium for propagation:

1) Mechanical Waves: The Waves which require material medium for its propagation.
Ex: Sound Waves, Water Waves, Sesmic Waves etc.
2)

Non-Mechanical Waves: The Waves which do not require material medium for its

propagation.
Ex: Light Waves, X-rays, uv rays, Infrared rays etc.

Type of vibration during propagation:

1) Longitudinal Waves: If the particle in the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of
propagation of wave, it is said to be longitudinal.
Ex: Sound Waves, Water Waves under water.
2) Transverse Waves: If the particles in the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of
propagation of wave, it is said to be transverse.
Ex: Light rays, uv rays, X-rays, radio Waves etc.

Difference between longitudinal & transverse waves

Longitudinal Waves

Transverse Waves

1) The particles in the medium The particles in the medium vibrate

vibrate to the direction of
perpendicular to the direction of
Propagation.
Propagation.
2) It can be produced in
It cant be produced in gases can
solids, liquids & gases.
be produced only on the surface of
a liquid, in solids it can always be
Produced.
3) It travels in the form of
It travels in the form of crusts &
Compression & rare factions. Troughs.
4) Pressure & density vary as Pressure & density wont vary as
the wave propagates.
The wave propagates.
5) It can be polarized.
It cant be polarized.
6) It should possess volume
It should have the property of
Elasticity for propagation of rigidity of propagation of waves.
Waves.

Based on the direction of propagation:

1) One dimensional wave: The waves which travel along only one direction are called 1-D
waves.
Ex: Waves traveling along a string etc.
2) Two- dimensional wave: Waves traveling in two directions are known as 2-D waves.
Ex: Ripples on the surface of water etc.
3) - dimensional wave: Waves that traveling along three directions are called 3-D waves.
5

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Three Ex: Sound waves, light waves, heat waves etc.

Wave: Wave is a disturbance that travels through a medium due to repeated periodic motion of the
particles of the medium about their mean position.

Progressive wave: The medium vibrates continuously so that the wave produced in the medium
propagates continuously is known as progressive wave.
All the particles in the medium vibrate in the same way but the phase of vibration changes
from particle to particle.
Displacement(y): The distance traveled by a particle from mean position in a particular direction.
Amplitude (A): The maximum displacement of a particle from its mean position in either
direction.
Time period (T): The time taken by a particle to complete one vibration.
Frequency (f): The number of vibrations made by a particle in one second.

Wavelength (): The distance between two consecutive particles vibrating in same phase.
Particle velocity: The velocity of a particle about its mean position is known as particle velocity.
Wave velocity: The distance traveled by a wave in a given direction in one second is known as
wave velocity.

Phase: The physical quantity which represents the position or motion of a vibrating particle w.r.t
mean position.

Relation between velocity, frequency & wavelength:

Consider a body oscillating with a frequency f, time period T. Let be wavelength in a time T.
Distance traveled in T seconds =
Distance traveled in one second =

But distance traveled in 1second is the velocity v of the wave.

v
v

T
f

Relation between phase difference & path difference:

Let 1 & 2 be the phase of the wave at points x1 & x 2 respectively.
Then

w t

x1
,
v
wt

w t

x1
v

x2
v

x2
v
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9886861096

Let x2

x2

x1
v

x1

2 f.

v
2 f
f

Phase difference

path difference

Characteristics of a progressive wave:

1) It propagates in forward direction with a finite velocity.
2) It transports energy.
3) All the particles of the medium executes SHM with same amplitude & frequency.
4) All the particles in the medium pass through their mean positions one after the other.
5) There will be equal changes in pressure, strain & density at all the points in the medium.

Equation of a progressive wave:

Let a simple harmonic wave propagates through a medium along +ve direction in x-axis.
The equation of a wave traveling is given by

asin t

Where a is the amplitude, is the angular velocity.

Consider a particle at p at a distance x from origin. If v be the velocity of the wave, then it
reaches the point p in

x
seconds . Thus
v

the displacement of the particle at p at the

time t will be same as that of particle at O at

x
a time
seconds earlier i.e., at a time
v
x
t
v

t
x

Displacement of particle at p distant x from O at time t is

y(x,t)

asin t

x
v

Different forms of wave equations:

1) The equation of a plane progressive wave is

y(x,t)

asin t

x
v

But

2 f

asin 2 f t

x
v

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2) y(x,t)

asin

x
v

But

2 f, v

y(x,t)

asin

asin

asin( t
2

Where k

2 fx
f
2
x
kx)

known as propagation constant.

3) y(x,t)

2
,
f

y(x,t)
y(x, t)

asin

asin
asin 2

x
v
T
x
/T

2
t
T
t
T

Intensity of a wave: it is defined as the energy transported per unit time across unit area
2
perpendicular to the direction of the flow of energy. SI unit is Wm .
Expression for intensity of a wave:
a)
b)
c)
d)

The intensity of a wave is

Directly proportional to square of frequency.
Directly proportional to square of amplitude.
Directly proportional to the density of the medium through which the wave propagates.
Directly proportional to velocity of the wave.
i.e I f 2 a2 v
I

2 2a2 f 2 v

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9886861096

Principle of superposition of waves:

The process in which different waves propagating in a medium simultaneously overlap on
one another without losing their individual nature is known as superposition.
Y2

Y1

Y1

Y2
Y = Y1 Y2

Y = Y1 + Y2

Y1

Y1

Y2

Y2

Let

y1 & y 2 be two waves having same nature approaching each other. When they super impose

the displacement is equal to sum of the individual displacement in first case & difference in their
displacement if they are of opposite nature. In general

y(x,y)

y1 (x,t)

y2 (x,t)

y3 (x,t)

.....

This is observed by both mechanical & non mechanical wave

M.N.Sharath kumar,
9886861096