WAVES

Waves involve the transport of energy without the transport of matter.

• Waves are classified according to their nature and to their direction of
propagation. According to their nature, waves are either electromagnetic
or mechanical waves.
• Mechanical waves require a material medium to propagate. A very good
example of a mechanical wave is a sound wave. Sound cannot travel in a
vacuum.
• Electromagnetic waves can travel in vacuum and in material media.
Examples of electromagnetic waves are light, heat waves, radio waves, and
microwaves.
• According to their direction of vibration, mechanical waves may be
longitudinal or transverse.
Transverse Wave
• A transverse wave is one in which the particles of the medium are vibrating
perpendicularly to the direction of wave propagation.
• Transverse waves are made up of alternating hills and valleys.
• The top of the hill is called the crest while the bottom of the valley is called the
trough.
Longitudinal Wave
• A longitudinal wave is one in which the particles of the medium
vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation.
• Longitudinal waves are composed of compressions where
particles of the medium are closer together, and rarefactions
where they are farther apart.
• Compression corresponds to the crest in transverse waves, and
rarefaction corresponds to the trough.
Longitudinal Wave
Seismic Waves
• Seismic waves or waves generated by an earthquake or
explosion are classified into two: body waves and surface waves.
• Body waves travel through the earth’s interior and are divided
into primary waves or P waves and secondary or S waves.
• P waves are longitudinal, while S waves are transverse.
Electromagnetic Waves

• Electromagnetic waves are transverse waves.

• They all propagate through a vacuum (or air) with the same
speed equal to 3 x 108 m/s.
• Electromagnetic waves are classified according to their
frequency and wavelength.
Factors to be considered in any waves
• The frequency of a source of waves is the number of waves it produced per
unit time. Its SI unit is the hertz.
• Wavelength is the distance between any two successive points in a wave
that are in phase with each other.
• Velocity is the displacement traveled by the wave per unit time.
• The relationship among these three factors is given by,
• v = fℷ
• where v is the velocity of the wave in m/s, f is the frequency in Hz, and ℷ is
the wavelength in m.
Sample Problem

• On your radio, you have an AM band and an FM band. AM means ‘amplitude

modulation’ and FM means ‘frequency modulation.’ Suppose a station broadcasts
on two radio frequencies: 630 kHz and 101.9 MHz on your radio dial. The speed of
a radio wave in air is 3.00 x 108 m/s. Find the wavelength for each frequency.
• Solution
• Given: For AM band, f = 630 kHz
• For FM band, f = 101.9 MHz
• v = 3 x 108 m/s
•   v = fℷ
• 3.00 x 108 m/s = 630 x 103 Hz (ℷ)
• ℷ = 476 m
• For the FM band,
• v = fℷ
• 3.00 x 108 m/s = 101.9 x 106 Hz (ℷ)
• ℷ = 2.944 m
Velocity of Longitudinal Waves

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Sample Problem

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