WAVES

WAVES
a disturbance that transfers energy

 Carries energy from one place to another

 Classified by what they move through
1. Mechanical Waves
the energy is transferred by vibrations of medium
(medium = matter)
ex/ ocean waves move through water
2. Electromagnetic waves (EM Waves)
the energy moves through disturbances in the
electromagnetic field.
 WAVE STRUCTURE

CREST (peak)
AMPLITUDE
resting to max peak

WAVELENGTH

TROUGH
 MECHANICAL WAVES
require a medium (the material through which the
disturbance is moving) to transmit energy

travel through & gradually

lose energy to that
medium
 Examples:
 water, sound, rope, &
spring waves

 Mechanical Media: Making a pulse

 water, air, rope, spring
 MECHANICAL WAVES
Classified by how medium vibrates

Pulse = direction of energy transfer

Vibration = direction of vibration of medium

relative to pulse

3 types: Longitudinal, transverse, surface

 MECHANICAL WAVES
Classified by how medium vibrates
Longitudinal Waves:
Vibration is in the same direction as
wave pulse (parallel to wave pulse)

Transverse Waves:
Vibration is at 900 (right angles) to wave pulse

Surface Waves:
Vibration is circular
Ex/ Ocean waves; surface waves
 TRANVERSE WAVES
Vibration is perpendicular to the direction of
the motion of the wave
 Sideways or up & down
 Examples:
 S-type earthquake waves
 Electromagnetic (EM) or
light waves
 LONGITUDINAL WAVES
Vibration is parallel to the
direction of the motion of the wave
 Back and forth (compression & rarefraction)
 Also called compression or pressure wave
 Examples:
 P-type earthquake waves
 Sound waves
Rarefraction (expansion)

Compression
 Waves describe the Earth

P waves move through solids & liquids

S waves move through solids only!!!

Are these MECHANICAL WAVES????

YES!! Seismic waves need a medium (the earth!)
 CHARACTERISTICS OF WAVES
Waves are described according
to their
 Amplitude
measures DISPLACEMENT
size of the disturbance
 Wavelength 
distance of a “repeating unit”
Also called a cycle

 Velocity v
speed = how fast wave travels
 AMPLITUDE
 Distance between “rest & crest” or “rest & trough”

 Gives indication of “power”

or “strength” of wave
(magnitude of earthquake =
Richter scale)

 Does not affect

velocity of wave

 Determines loudness (sound) or brightness (EM wave)

 WAVELENGTH 
 Distance between any two
repeating points on a wave
crest-crest,
trough-trough,
expansion-expansion,
compression-compression

 Determines what colors

we see; what notes we hear
(pitch)

 Shorter wavelengths have

more cycles per minute
because they aren’t as long
 VELOCITY v
 the rate at which the
energy travels;
speed & direction

 Depends on medium
 Mechanical waves travel
faster through dense
mediums

 EM Waves are faster

through less dense
mediums
 Frequency ƒ
 How often
number of wavelengths that pass any point per second

 measured in
wavelengths/second or
cycles/second
Hertz (Hz) = number of
wavelengths in 1 second

 Frequency is related to
velocity: v = ƒ 
 PERIOD T
 How long
Amount of time for one wavelength to pass a point

 Related inversely to frequency

Period = 1
Frequency

1 = 1
T f