WAVES

A wave is a disturbance that travels through space and time, accompanied by the transfer of
energy.

WAVE CLASSES
There are two fundamental classes of waves which are mechanical and electromagnetic waves.

A mechanical or material wave is a wave that needs a medium to travel. E.g. Ocean/water
waves and sound waves. A mechanical wave requires an initial energy input. Once this initial
energy is added, the wave travels through the medium until all its energy is transferred.
Electromagnetic waves require no medium (i.e. can travel through a vacuum), but can still
travel through one, (include visible light, ultraviolet radiation, infrared radiation, gamma rays, X-
rays, and radio waves).

Progressive and Stationary Waves:

• A progressive wave consists of a disturbance moving from a source to surrounding places. It

transfers energy and momentum from one point to another with no net translation of matter.
• A stationary wave does not transfer energy from one point to another.

There are two types of progress waves: Transverse waves, and longitudinal waves. As a wave
travels through a medium, the particles that make up the medium are disturbed from their resting,
or “equilibrium” positions.

In a longitudinal wave, the particles are disturbed in a direction parallel to the direction that the
wave propagates. A longitudinal wave consists of “compressions” and “rarefactions” where
particles are bunched together and spread out, respectively (see Figure 1). Sound waves are
examples of longitudinal waves

Figure 1: A longitudinal wave, made up of compressions – areas where

particles are close together - and rarefactions - areas where particles are
spread out. The particles move in a direction that is parallel to the
direction of wave propagation.
In a transverse wave, the particles are disturbed in a direction perpendicular to the direction that
the wave propagates (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: A transverse wave. The particles move in a direction that is

perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.

After either type of wave passes through a medium, the particles return to their equilibrium
positions.

Wave forms/definitions

Figure 3: A view of a slinky at a particular moment in time.

Figure 4: The motion of one point on a slinky as it travels through time.

The amplitude (A) of the wave is the maximum displacement of a particle from its
equilibrium position. Generally is measured in meters.

The wavelength λ is the distance between two sequential crests or troughs (or other equivalent
points), generally is measured in meters.

The period T is the time for one complete cycle of an oscillation of a wave. It is measured in
seconds (s)

The frequency f is the number of periods per unit time (per second) and is typically measured in
hertz (Hz). The period and frequency are related by:

In other words, the frequency and period of a wave are reciprocals.

The angular frequency ω represents the frequency in radians per second. It is related to the
frequency or period by

Wave speed

Remember that a wave is a traveling disturbance. Wave speed is a description of how fast a
wave travels. The speed of a wave (v) is related to the frequency, period, and wavelength by
the following simple equations:

𝑣 = 𝑓λ

where v is the wave speed, λ is the wavelength, T is the period, and f is the frequency. Wave
speed is commonly measured in units of meters per second (m/s).
Example: The musical note “A” is a sound wave with a frequency of 440 Hz. The wavelength
of the wave is 78.4 cm. What is the speed of the sound wave?
To determine the speed of the wave, we can use equation 3 and substitute the given values for
wavelength and frequency, making sure we are using the standard units.
• This value (345 m/s) is the approximate value of the speed of sound in air. Interestingly, the
speed of sound in air depends on temperature and pressure.
• A musician who plays a wind instrument, such as a trumpet, could tune her trumpet at the
base of a mountain, hike up the mountain to where the air pressure is lower, and find that
her trumpet is no longer in tune. Similarly, a change in air temperature could also change
the tuning of the instrument.