WAVE MOTION

Wave occurs whenever a system is disturbed from equilibrium due to transfer of energy and when the disturbance can travel or propagate from one region of the system to another.

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Classifications of Wave

1. Mechanical Waves waves that travel/propagate within some material called medium.

2. Electromagnetic Waves waves that travel even in empty space , where there is no medium.

TYPES OF MECHANICAL WAVES

1. Transverse Waves the disturbance or vibration of the particles of the medium are perpendicular/transverse to the direction of travel/propagation of the wave along the medium.

2.

Longitudinal Waves the disturbance or vibration of the particles of the medium are back and forth along the same direction that the wave travels/propagates.

MECHANICAL WAVE

Note: the medium itself does not travel through space, its individual particles undergo back-and-forth or up-and-down motions around their equilibrium positions Waves transport energy, not matter, from one region to another.

MECHANICAL WAVE
Periodic Transverse Waves

Wavelength,

Wavelength, length of one complete wave. Crest highest points in a wave. Trough lowest points in a wave. Amplitude, A distance of crest or trough from equilibrium position.

MECHANICAL WAVE
Periodic Longitudinal Waves

Compression region with highest pressure. Rarefaction region with lowest pressure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVkdfJ9PkRQ&feature=related

MECHANICAL WAVE
Properties of Periodic Waves

Wave Speed, v (cm/s, m/s) speed of travel or propagation.

Period, T (sec/cycle or sec) time to make one cycle or complete wave,. Frequency, f (cycle/sec or Hertz, Hz) number of cycles per second f=1/T Recall: Speed, v = d / t If we use d = , then t = T v=/T So,

v = f

General Wave Equation

VELOCITY OF TRANSVERSE WAVE

v F

where F is the restoring force returning the system to equilibrium and is the linear mass density.

m L
where m is the mass of the string and is L the length of the string.

The length of a vibrating string is divided into equal number of segments.

Standing Wave

Nodes the stationary points. Antinodes the points of greatest motion.

L n 1 2

The wavelength can be expressed in terms of measureable quantities such as the length of the vibrating string (L) and the number of segments produced (n).

2L n
FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION

v f
n f 2L

f
F

where: n= number of segments L= length of vibrating string F= tension along the string = linear mass density

MODES OF VIBRATION

v fn n nf1 2L

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