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THEME: WAVES, LIGHT AND OPTICS
CHAPTER 5: WAVES
Standard content
5.1 Fundamentals of Waves
5.2 Damping and Resonance
5.3 Reflection of Waves
5.4 Refraction of Waves
Learning standards
1. Describe waves.
2. State the types of waves.
3. Compare transverse waves and longitudinal waves.
4. Explain the characteristics of waves (a, T, f, λ, v).
5. Sketch and interpret wave graphs:
i. displacement - time
ii. displacement - distance
6. Determine wavelength, λ, frequency, f and wave speed, v.
1. Describe damping and resonance for an oscillating/ vibrating system.
2. Justify the effects of resonance in our daily lives.
1. Describe reflection of waves from the following aspects:
i. angle of incidence (i)
ii. angle of reflection (r)
iii. wavelength (λ)
iv. frequency (f)
v. speed (v)
vi. direction of propagation of waves
2. Draw a diagram to show the reflection of plane water waves by through a plane
reflector.
3. Justify the application of reflection of waves in daily life.
4. Solve problems involving reflection of waves.
1. Describe refraction of waves from the following aspects:
i. angle of incidence (i)
ii. angle of reflection (r)
iii. wavelength (λ)
iv. frequency (f)
v. speed (v)
vi. direction of propagation of waves
2. Draw diagrams to show the refraction of waves for two different depths.
3. Explain natural phenomena of refraction of waves in daily life.
4. Solve problems involving refraction of waves.
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5.5 Diffraction of Waves 1. Describe refraction of waves from the following aspects:
i. wavelength (λ)
ii. frequency (f)
iii. speed (v)
iv. direction of propagation of waves
2. Determine factors affecting diffraction of waves.
3. Draw diagrams to show the pattern of diffraction of water waves and the effect of
diffraction of light waves.
4. Explain the applications of diffraction of waves in daily life.
5.6 Wave Interference 1. Explain the principle of superposition of waves.
2. Describe the pattern of interference for:
i. water waves
ii. sound waves
iii. light waves
3. Relate λ, a, x and D for the wave interference pattern.
4. Solve problems involving interference of waves.
5. Communicate on the applications of interference of waves in daily life.
5.7 Electromagnetic Waves 1. Characterise electromagnetic waves.
2. State the components of the electromagnetic spectrum according to wavelengths
and frequencies.
3. Communicate to explain about the applications of each component in the
electromagnetic spectrum in daily life.

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5.1 Fundamentals of Waves

 Waves can be produced by an oscillating or a vibrating system.
 Oscillation and vibration: Repetitive motions about an equilibrium position in a closed path.
 energy propagates without transfer of matter of the medium.

Types of waves (in term of propagation of wave profile- “shape of slinky spring as wave propagates through it”)
Progressive wave Stationary wave

Profile of wave propagates with time along the direction of

Profile of wave does not propagate with time
propagation of wave
Transverse wave and longitudinal wave Musical instruments: guitar, ukulele, flute

Comparing two progressive waves

Transverse wave Longitudinal wave
Particles of medium vibrates in the direction perpendicular to Particles of medium vibrates in the direction parallel to the
the direction of propagation of the wave direction of propagation of the wave

Made of consecutive compression (compressed regions) and

Made of consecutive crests and troughs
rarefactions (stretched regions)
Example: Radio, light, water Example: Sound

Types of waves (in term of requiring medium for propagation)

Mechanical wave Electromagnetic wave
Requires medium to transfer energy Does not require medium to transfer energy
Made up of oscillating electric and magnetic fields
Made up of vibrating particles in a medium
perpendicular to one another
Example: water, seismic Example: radio, light, gamma

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Terms related to waves

Amplitude, A Maximum displacement of a particle from its equilibrium position
 Time taken by a particle to make a complete oscillation 1
Period, T 𝑇=
 Time taken for a source of wave to produce one complete cycle of wave 𝑓
1
 Number of complete oscillations made by a particle in one second 𝑓=
Frequency, f 𝑇
 Number of cycles of wave produces by a source in one second
(unit: Hz, s-1)
Wavelength, λ Distance between two consecutive points in phase
Distance travelled per second by a wave profile (unit: ms-1)
Wave speed, v

Two types of wave graphs

Displacement-time graph Displacement-distance graph

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Exercise
1. Label region X and Y of the sound wave below. 2. What is the amplitude and wavelength of the wave
below?

3. A particle is said to be oscillating at the frequency of 5Hz. 4. If a pendulum oscillates 12 times in 3s, find its period and
a. What is meant by “oscillating at the frequency of frequency.
5Hz”?
b. What is the time taken for one oscillation?
c. How long does it take to oscillate 15 times?

5. The speed of the wave below is 32cms-1. Based on the 6. Wavelength of the wave below is 2cm. Based on the
graph below, calculate: graph below, state:
a. amplitude of the wave a. amplitude of the wave
b. wavelength of the wave b. period of the wave
c. frequency of the wave c. frequency of the wave
d. speed of the wave

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5.2 Damping and Resonance

Damping
Definition: Reduction in amplitude in an oscillating system due to loss of energy (frequency is constant)
External damping : loses energy to overcome friction or air resistance
Internal damping : loses energy because of stretching and compression of vibrating particles in a system

How to overcome damping?

- apply periodic external force on the
oscillating system
- periodic force: acts at specific time intervals
(not continuously)
- this force will transfer energy into system
to replace energy lost

Resonance
Natural frequency: Frequency of oscillating system without external forces
Resonance: When a periodic force is applied to an oscillating system at its natural frequency
 system oscillates with its natural frequency
 system oscillates with maximum amplitude
Demonstrations of resonance
Tuning fork Barton’s pendulum

- Tuning fork P and Q have the same frequency
- When tuning for P is hit with the hammer, it has forced tuning
fork Q to vibrate in resonance of with P.
- Tuning fork P transfers energy to Q.
- Tuning fork Q vibrates with maximum amplitude.
- When X oscillates, it transfers energy to all pendulums,
causing them to oscillate.
- Length of string D equal to X. X forces D to oscillate in
resonance with X.
- Pendulum D oscillates with the largest amplitude.

Other examples and applications of resonance in daily life

- Tacoma Bridge

- London Millennium Footbridge

- Tuning of musical instruments

- Microwaves

- Radio

- Singer breaking glasses using voice

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Wavefronts

 direction of propagation of wave is perpendicular to the wavefront

 wavelength is the same as the distance between two consecutive wavefronts

5.3 Reflection of Waves

Characteristics of wave Effects after reflection
Angle incidence = reflected
Wavelength no change
Frequency no change
Wave speed no change
Direction of propagation change (i = r)

Exercise

Diagram on the left shows a water wave hitting a barrier.

a. Sketch the reflected wave.
b. What is the reflected angle of the wave?
c. What is the wavelength of the reflected wave?

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Applications of reflection of waves

Radio waves:
Ultrasonic waves:
Communication
To examine foetus
satellites by
and internal organs
parabolic dish,
(sonography /
focused onto
ultrasound)
antenna

Sound waves:
Pattern of
reflected sound
SONAR: Uses
waves due to
ultrasonic
different rocks
reflection to detect
enable to identify
areas with fish
areas with sources
of natural gas
(seismic survey)

Solving problems involving reflected waves

vt A ship uses ultrasonic waves to
D=
2 determine depth of the sea. Time
interval between the transmission
D = depth, m
of wave and receiving of the echo
v = speed, ms-1 is 0.5s. If the speed of waves is
1500 ms-1, calculate the depth.
t = time, s

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5.4 Refraction of Waves

Refraction: Characteristics of wave Effects after refraction
Change in direction of propagation of wave caused
by the change in the velocity of waves when the Angle change
waves propagates from one medium to another. Wavelength change
 water : depth of water
Frequency no change
 sound : density of air
 light : optical density of medium Wave speed change
Direction of propagation change

Changes after refraction (highway analogy)

Clear road Congested road

Less dense / deep region More dense / shallow region

High velocity Low velocity

Away from normal Towards normal

Exercise
Complete the diagram below to show the propagation of wave as light passes from one medium to another.

Diagram showing water waves propagating between different water depths.

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Refraction of sound wave

Day Night

 layer of air right above ground is warmer  layer of air right above ground is cooler
 sound moves faster in warm air  sound moves slower in cold air
 sound is refracted upward  sound is refracted downward
 sound not clear to observer  sound clearer to observer

 cape is shallow region while bay is deep region

 at cape, wave is slower so the wavelength is shorter
 at bay, wave is faster so wavelength is longer
 the difference in wavelength cause the wavefront
to curve and follow shape of shore line
 energy converge towards cape, diverge from bay
 amplitude at cape is bigger than bay

Solving problems involving refracted waves

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Exercise:
1. Diagram below shows water wave propogating from deeper region to shallower region. The frequency of wave in deeper
region is 5Hz. Wavelength of in deeper region is 3cm.
a. Calculate the wave speed, v in deeper region.
b. If the speed in shallower region is 0.75v, calculate its speed
in shallower region.
c. Calculate the wavelength in deeper region.
d. Complete the wave diagram in shallower region.

2. A water wave is moving from shallow to deep region with a speed of 5 cms-1 and 8 cms-1 respectively. If the wavelength of
the wave in shallow region is 2 cm, calculate the wavelength in deep region.

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5.5 Diffraction of Waves

Characteristics of wave Effects after diffraction
Refaction:
Spreading of waves when the waves propagate Wavelength no change
through a slit or side of a barrier.
Frequency no change
Factors affecting diffraction: Wave speed no change
 wavelength
Amplitude change (decrease)
 size of slit or barrier
Direction of propagation change (one direction to many)

More diffracted Less diffracted

Narrower barrier Wider barrier

Size of
barrier

Narrower slit Wider slit

Size of slit

Longer wavelength Shorter wavelength

Wavelength

Diffraction of light waves (small slit, monochromatic light)

Small slit Small pin hole

Wavelength R > O > Y > G > B > I > V (rainbow)

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Diffraction of sound waves

Sound can be heard from the other side (sound is
Higher frequency, less diffracted Lower frequency, more diffracted
diffracted), but cannot see (light is not diffracted).

Applications of diffraction of waves

Water Light Sound

Embankment barrier allows diffraction Infrasonic waves (low frequency, long

that produces calm water region Diffraction of light produces hologram wavelength) produced by elephants can
suitable for docking ships and water used for safety features on bank cards. travel long distance, allowing for
recreational activities. communication

Exercise:

Diagram shows a top view of

a boat near an embankment
barrier. The boat is getting
damaged due to the water
wave passing through the
barrier. Suggest a way to
modify the size of gap of the
barrier to reduce the
damage to the boat. Explain
your answer.

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5.6 Interference of Waves

Principles of superposition of waves:
When two waves overlap, the resultant displacement is the sum of individual displacements of the two waves.
Interference of waves:
Superposition of two or more waves from a coherent source of wave.
Coherent waves: same frequency, phase difference is constant
Types of interference

Formula of interference

λ = wavelength
𝑎𝑥
𝜆= a = distance of separation between the two coherent sources
𝐷 x = distance of separation between the two adjacent nodal or antinodal lines
(nodal: destructive, antinodal: constructive)
D = perpendicular distance between the source and position where x is measured

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Interference of water waves

Interference of light waves (Young's double slit experiment)

Interference of sound waves

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Exercise:
1. Diagram shows the fringes pattern formed on a screen in a
Young’s double-slit experiment. The distance between the
double slit and the screen is 1.5 m and the wavelength of
light is given by 4 x 10-7 m. What is the distance between the
two slits?

2. Diagram below shows interference pattern when green

filter is used. Sketch diagrams of interference pattern when
the experiment is repeated using red and violet filter.

3. Diagram below shows interference pattern of water wave.

What is the length between one crest to the next crest?

Applications of Interference of Waves in Daily Lives

Bulbous bow generates water waves Microphones and transmitter system in

Anti-reflection lens has coating that
which interferes destructively with head phones in planes produces sound
cause reflected light to have destructive
waves around hull. Creates calmer waves that cause destructive
interference. This improves vision.
water around ship, less water drag. interference with surrounding noise.

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5.7 Electromagnetic Waves

1801 1862 1887

Early 20th century
- Thomas Young - James Maxwell - Heinrich Hertz
- 7 types of EM
- Light is wave - Light is EM wave - Radio wave

Characteristics of electromagnetic waves

 transverse wave
 does not require medium for propagation
 can propagate through vacuum
 speed is 3x108 ms-1 in vacuum, slower in other medium
 undergoes reflection, refraction, diffraction and
interference
EM wave: Electric and magnetic fields oscillate
perpendicularly to one another.

Electromagnetic spectrum

 continuous spectrum : no specific boundary that separates two adjacent types of waves
 frequency is directly proportional to energy carried by EM wave

Applications of Electromagnetic Waves

Type of wave
 Long distance radio communication
Radio  Millimeter-wave machine to scan body of
passenger at airport
 International communication (satellite)
 Mobile phone framework
Microwave
 Communication between electronic device
(Bluetooth, Wifi, Zigbee, Z-wave)
 Cooking (Oven, grill, toaster)
Infrared  Night vision (infrared binocular, camera)
 Drying paint on car
 For sight
Visible light  Photography
 Photosynthesis in green plant
 Harden tooth filling material
Ultraviolet  Detecting counterfeit money
 Treatment of jaundice in baby
 Detect fractures or broken bones
X-ray
 Checking for welding connections
 Kill cancer cells in radiotherapy
Gamma rays
 Make food last longer in food industry
Applications
 Local TV and radio
 Wireless communication (Bluetooth, Wifi,
Zigbee, Z-wave)
 Detection of plane radar and speed trap
 Cooking (microwave oven)
 GPS
 Treatment of muscle pain
 Remote control device
 Laser light used to cut metal, measure land,
send information through optical fibres
 Purification of drinking water
 Sterilising surgical instruments and food
 Insect traps
 Bag scanning in airport
 Determine authenticity in paintings
 Sterilisation of surgical and medical
equipment in bulk

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