WAVES AT BOUNDARIES

Reflection & Refraction

For Stationary Waves

BY:
SITI KHALIJAH BINTI ZAINUDIN
UK22783
INTRODUCTION
Speed of wave does not depend on
amplitude or frequency of wave
Speed of wave determine by the
properties of the medium
Wave with bigger amplitude transfer more
energy but it still travel in the same speed
as smaller amplitude
Speed of wave can change when it move
from one medium to another
Different things will happen when
the incident wave hits the boundary
between the two media, depending
on the densities of the media
compared to each other…
Change in density is BIG
The incident wave will come toward the
boundary
When it hit the boundary:
◦ Almost all the wave will be reflected back
◦ Almost none of the wave transmitted
A differentset of rules apply for wave that
goes from less to more and from more to less
dense medium
More to less
◦ Most of the wave will be reflected back
◦ The transmitted wave will speed up
Less to more
◦ The reflected wave will be inverted (upside down)
◦ Any transmitted wave slow down
 Change in density is SMALL
Almost all the incident wave will be
transmitted
The transmitted wave is (almost) same with
the original incident wave
Only a VERY little bit of wave will be
reflected back
 Stationary Wave
A wave that remain in constant position
Occur due to the medium move in opposite
direction of the wave
Interference between two wave travelling in
opposite direction
Reflection
Change in direction of wavefront at an
interface between two different media
Common example sound, light, water
wave
Law of reflection:
“for specula reflection the angle at which the
wave is incident on the surface equals the
angle at which it is reflected ”
A wave is say to reflect when it turns
back at the edge of the medium
The edge of medium may be:
◦ Fixed end (edge of medium may not be free to
move)
◦ Open end (edge of medium may be free to
move)
 Fixed end
An incident wave move toward the fixed end
When the wave reflected from the fixed end,
the phase of the reflected pulse is opposite to
the phase of the incident pulse
 Open end
An incident wave moves toward the open
end
The reflected wave returns but the phase
of the reflected wave is the same as the
phase of the incident wave
The diagrams shows reflected wave from side and upper view.
Refraction
Change in direction of wave due to its
speed
Snell's law, which states that the angle of
incidence θ1 is related to the angle of
refraction θ2 by:

Where
 v1 and v2 = wave
 n1 and n2 = refractive indices
Ingeneral, incident wave partially reflected
and partially refracted
Refraction occurs when waves travel from a
medium with a given refractive index to a
medium with another at an angle
At the boundary between the media, the
wave's phase velocity is altered, usually
causing a change in direction
Its wavelength increases or decreases but its
frequency remains constant
 REFRACTION IN A A light ray will refract as
PERSPEX (ACRYLIC)
BLOCK it enters and leaves
glass, assuming there is
a change in refractive
index
A ray travelling along
the normal
(perpendicular to the
boundary) will change
speed, but not direction
Refraction still occurs in
this case. 
THANK YOU