Waves

Longitudinal vs. Transverse

Mechanical vs. Electromagnetic

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 Defining waves
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 A wave is any disturbance that carries energy from one point to
another through oscillations.
 Waves can either be mechanical or electromagnetic in nature.
 When wave energy generate oscillations, these oscillations
possess either a longitudinal profile or a transverse profile.
 Also, the manner in which a wave can travel depends on
whether the disturbances are continuously carried away from
the wave source or they reflect back and forth between two
points of confinement.
 Wave profiles
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 A longitudinal wave is one where the oscillation directions are
parallel to the direction the wave travels.
 It consists of alternating sections of compressions (where
particles are squeezed together) and rarefactions (where
particles are spread apart).
 A transverse wave is one where the oscillation directions are
perpendicular to the direction the waves travels
 It consists of alternating sections of crests (where particles
move up) and troughs (where particles move down).
Longitudinal vs. Transverse
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 Mechanical waves
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 A mechanical wave is one that requires a material medium in
which to propagate (carry its energy from the source).
 These waves can have a longitudinal or transverse profile.
 Examples of these waves are
 Sound waves
 Water waves
 Seismic waves
 Waves in ropes and springs
Sound wave

Water wave
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Seismic wave
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Waves in ropes and springs
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 Electromagnetic waves

 An electromagnetic (E.M.) wave is one that consists of mutually
oscillating electric and magnetic fields that travels
harmoniously through a vacuum; i.e. they do not need a
material medium in which to travel.
 All E.M. waves travel at the speed of light (c = 3 x 108 m/s)
 They only possess a transverse profile.
 Examples of these waves are:
 Light
 Radio waves
 X-rays
Electromagnetic wave
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 Wave parameters
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 All waves can be described by certain parameters that
identifies their characteristics.
 These parameters include:
 Wavelength
 Frequency
 Period
 Displacement/Amplitude
 Speed
 Wavelength

 This can be defined in more than one ways, but in essence it is
the distance between two successive points on the wave that
are exactly in phase.
 Points that are in phase on a wave are those whose particles are
doing the exact same kind of movement at the exact same time.
 The unit of wavelength is the meter (m) and its symbol is
lambda (λ)
Wavelength
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 Frequency
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 This is defined as the number of complete oscillations that
takes place in a second as the wave propagates.
 It can also be considered as the number of full cycles that pass a
given reference point in a second as the wave travels.
 Higher frequency waves have shorter wavelengths and shorter
periods.
 The unit that frequency is the Hertz (Hz) which is equivalent to
the per-second (s-1)
Frequency
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 Period
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 This is the time it takes for a complete wave cycle to elapse.
 Period is the inverse of frequency; the longer the period of a
wave, the lower its frequency will be.
 The unit of period is the second (s)
 Displacement/Amplitude

 The distance a particle moves from its rest position as a wave
travels past a point is the particle’s displacement.
 The maximum displacement that a particle can and will make
as a wave travels past a point is the amplitude of the wave
energy.
 Both are measured in meters (m).
 The amplitude of a wave is directly proportional to the energy
the wave carries.
Displacement vs. Amplitude
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 Wave speed
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 Wave speed is dependent of two parameters: wavelength and
frequency/period.
 For electromagnetic waves, wavelength and frequency are
inverse product of each other that always yields a constant
speed value of 3 x 108 m/s.
 Sound waves

 These are longitudinal, mechanical waves that can travel
through solids, liquids and gases.
 Generally, the more dense the medium , the faster the speed of
sound in that medium.
 As sound wave energy passes through a medium, it creates
alternating regions of compressions and rarefactions.
 Sound is heard when the wave energy is carried to the ear
drums of the ear and causes vibrations
Producing sound waves
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 Pitch and loudness of sound
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 The pitch of a sound is directly related to the frequency of the
sound energy.
 The higher the frequency of the wave energy, higher the pitch
of the sound heard.
 The loudness, intensity or level of a sound is directly related to
the amplitude of the sound energy.
 The greater the amplitude of the wave energy, the louder the
sound hear and the greater its intensity and level.
 Range of audible sound
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 The human ear is not infinite; its has upper and lower limits of
sounds that it can detect/perceive.
 This range will vary slightly between age groups and even
gender, but there is an established range for all humans
 Different animals have different ranges; each range having its
own upper and lower limits.
Range of audible sound
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 Sound wave behavior
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 All waves can demonstrate reflection, refraction, diffraction
and interference; sound is a wave.
 An example of sound waves reflecting is an echo inside an
empty room or space.
 Sound waves can refract and bend as it travels in air of
different temperatures/densities
 Sounds can appear to come around a corner in some situations;
diffraction causes this.
 If two sound waves that come from the same source meet at a
point, the result varies from a near zero sound level to an
enhanced sound level that appears to have double the intensity.
This demonstrates interference of sound
 Applications of sound

 Sound waves can be used for locating objects using SONAR or
echo location.
 Essentially, sound waves are emitted from a source and
allowed to travel to object away from the source. Some of the
energy will be reflected and returned to the source. Based on
the time gap between emission and detection, the distance and
location of the object can be determined.
 In medical diagnostic procedures, ultrasound (sound that has
frequencies greater than 20, 000 Hz) is used to examine internal
body organs.