IB PHYSICS 11

Topic 4: Waves
Sub-Topic 4.2: Travelling Waves
 ESSENTIAL IDEA
“There are many forms of waves available to be studied. A
common characteristic of all travelling waves is that they
carry energy, but generally the medium through which they
travel will not be permanently disturbed.”
 UNDERSTANDINGS
 Travelling waves
 Wavelength, frequency, period and wave speed
 Transverse and longitudinal waves
 The nature of electromagnetic waves
 The nature of sound waves
APPLICATIONS AND SKILLS
 Explaining the motion of particles of a medium when a wave passes
through it for both transverse and longitudinal cases
 Sketching and interpreting displacement–distance graphs and
displacement– time graphs for transverse and longitudinal waves
 Solving problems involving wave speed, frequency and wavelength
 Investigating the speed of sound experimentally
 Warm up: (Questions involve Topic 9.1 – an HL topic)

1. A playground swing is 3.0 meters long. What is the period, frequency, and angular velocity of
the swing? 1 1
𝑓= 𝑓= 𝑓 =0.29 𝐻𝑧

√ √
𝑇 3.5
𝑙 3
𝑇=2 𝜋 𝑇 =2 𝜋 𝑇 =3.47 ≈ 3.5 𝑠 2𝜋 2𝜋
𝑔 9.81 𝜔= 𝜔= 𝜔=1.81 𝑟𝑎𝑑 𝑠− 1
𝑇 3.47

2. If we colonized Mars and took the swing-set from question 1 there, it would swing back and
forth with a period of 5.7 seconds. What is the acceleration due to gravity on mars?

𝑇=2 𝜋
𝑙
𝑔 √ 5.7=2 𝜋
√
3.0
𝑔
𝑔=3.65 𝑚 𝑠−1

3. A pendulum is 0.75 meters long and has a period of 4.17 seconds. Is this pendulum on the
Earth, Moon, or Mars? Do a calculation to prove your answer.

𝑇 =2 𝜋
𝑙
𝑔√ 4 .17=2𝜋
𝑔√
0.75
𝑔=1.7 𝑚 𝑠−1 𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑛
 WAVES
Waves • Disturbance or vibration that transports energy from 1 point to another
• Does NOT transport matter, only energy

Medium • Substance through which the wave travels

• Can even be a vacuum for electromagnetic waves

Mechanical • Requires a medium through which the energy must travel (solid, liquid, air)
• Ex: Sound, water, seismic

Electromagnetic • A spectrum of waves that can travel through vacuums at the speed of light
• Ex: radio, light, gamma
 PARTS OF A WAVE

Top of wave

Equilibrium (fixed)
point
Bottom of wave
 PARTS OF A WAVE
Crest • The highest point, or peak, of a wave

Trough • The bottom, lowest point of a wave

Wavelength • The length of a complete oscillation

• Can be from crest to crest, or trough to trough, or any two consecutive points on the
wave.

Amplitude • The height of the wave from the equilibrium point.

Test tip:
A common mistake is to calculate
the amplitude from the crest to the
trough. Remember, amplitude is
measured to the equilibrium point,
and is therefore half the crest-to-
trough distance.

Wave speed
Propagation
Test tip:
This equation contains the letter “c”
which can stand for the speed of
light. Use the speed of light for any
Electromagnetic wave. However,
you can use other wave speeds in
this equation, such as sound waves.
WAVE SPEED
frequency
speed wavelength
• Depends on medium the wave travels through
• Movement of a wave away from a source
If a large slinky has a wavelength of 0.95 m and a
frequency of 2.2 Hz, how fast is the slinky traveling?
c = (0.95m)(2.2 cycles/s) = 2.09 m/s = 2.1 m/s
 TYPES OF WAVES
Transverse • Medium (liquid, gas, solid) vibrates perpendicular to the
direction of wave (energy transfer)

Example • String instruments (ex. Guitar, violin, piano...)

• Radio waves
• Light waves

Motion of rope

Direction of energy transfer

 TYPES OF WAVES
Longitudinal • Particles vibrate parallel to the direction of energy transfer
• Require a medium to move through
• Example: Sound waves Test tip:
Wave type definitions have appeared
on previous world exams. Be
specific when describing the motion
of the wave. Clearly distinguish
between motion of the particles in
the medium vs. the motion of the
energy.
SOUND WAVES -
LONGITUDINAL WAVES

Expansion
(rarefaction)
The diagram shows, at a particular instant in time, part of a rope along which a wave is travelling.

The wave is travelling from left to right. Which arrow

shows the direction of motion of the rope at the point
shown?

A. W

B. X
Test tip:
This is a common type of question. It
C. Y might be easier to imagine the point is
really a person floating in the water while
waves pass by. The crest (on the left) is
D. Z travelling towards the point, meaning that
the point must travel up to the crest of the
wave before moving down to the trough.
This is just like moving up to the crest of
an oncoming ocean wave.
 Heinrich Hertz was a German physicist from the late 1800’s. He is
credited with experimentally proving the existence of electromagnetic
waves, which had been theorized previously by physicist James Clerk
Maxwell. In doing this experiment, he discovered the existence radio
Heinrich Hertz waves.

When asked specifically about the applications of his discovery of radio

waves, he replied, “Nothing, I guess.” However, due to his discovery,
physicist began experimenting with these radio waves and within a few
years were able to communicate wirelessly through radio waves, which
ultimately lead to radio broadcasting, which is still widely used today.

Hertz also made contributions toward the photoelectric effect, which

was later explained by Einstein (and won him a Nobel Prize). Hertz
died very young, at age 36, but was honoured with a number of different
institutes, memorials, a crater on the moon, as well as the SI unit for
frequency.

Are there other historical discoveries whose applications were not

known or predicted at the time?
 SOUND WAVES
• Frequency: Controls pitch (The actual note on a scale)
Sound Waves • Higher Frequency: Higher pitch
• Amplitude: Controls volume of the sound
• Higher Amplitude: Higher Volume

A Ruben’s tube is a good visualization of sound waves

 SOUND WAVES
GAME
Here are the typical hearing frequencies of various animals. Using the Dog Whistle app, let’s investigate how high of a
frequency you can hear. The very high frequencies quickly diminish with age.
WAVES IN WATER
 Nazaré Portugal is a world famous location for big wave
surfing. Due to the location of the Nazaré Canyon just off
the shoreline, the waves within the canyon are forced out as
it approaches the shoreline. This causes the waves to
Nazaré Portugal combine in such a way that massive waves are generated.
This is called constructive interference

Waves of upwards of 25 meters have been measured, which

draws big wave surfing competitions regularly in Portugal.
In 2017, Brazilian surfer Rodrigo Koxa broke the record for
largest wave ever surfed by successfully riding a 24.4 meter
(80 ft) wave from trough to crest.
Seismic Waves
 GRAPHING WAVES
Displacement • The displacement from the equilibrium position of one
vs. Time particle in SHM
• Can represent transverse OR longitudinal waves

Test tip: Can find frequency or

When calculating the period of a wave period
from a graph, sometimes it is easier to
use more than one wave. In this
example, the wave starts at zero and two
complete oscillations later passes
through 0.05 s. Therefore, the period
would be
 GRAPHING WAVES
Displacement • Shows the y-displacement and x-distance.
vs. Distance • Is a snapshot of all particles in the wave at a particular time

Can find wavelength

 ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Visible spectrum • The visible “white” light, from red to violet, that humans are able
to see
• This is only a small sliver of the Electromagnetic spectrum
 ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES
Electromagnetism • All EM waves consist of oscillating electric and magnetic fields
which are perpendicular to each other
• Do not need a medium to travel through
• Can travel through space (vacuum)
• Travel at the speed of light (c = 3.00 x 108 ms-1)

Nasa Video on EM Spectrum

 VISIBLE LIGHT

λ ≈ 700 nm λ ≈ 420 nm
ULTRAVIOLET WAVES

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

X-RAYS

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m
λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
GAMMA RAYS

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10 - 10
-9 -11
m
λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
INFRARED WAVES

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m
λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m
λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m

λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
MICROWAVES

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10-2 - 10-3 m
λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
RADIO WAVES

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-1 - 103 m λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m

ELECTROMAGNETIC
SPECTRUM

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-1 - 103 m λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m

low Increasing energy

More dangerous
 IB CONNECTIONS
Links to other • History:
subjects • The discovery of the Electormagnetic Spectrum lead to the development of radio communication, which
caused a widespread change in how political leaders communicate to their people. Even today, the EM
spectrum is used to communicate, using satellites and underwater cables for our internet.

• Discussion Questions:
• Scientists often transfer their perception of tangible and visible concepts to explain similar non-visible
Theory of concepts, such as in wave theory.
Knowledge • How do scientists explain concepts that have no tangible or visible quality?
• Radio waves were used for humans first attempt at communication off of planet Earth, including the
Arecibo messaging in 1974, which was sent to the M13 star cluster. It included basic human anatomy
information, as well as other information, including our number systems and some chemical elements.
• Human knowledge is vast and diverse. What are the key elements of our society and planet that
you would choose to include in a message sent to potential extra-terrestrial life?

• Communication:
• This chapter has a lot of focus on communication, whether from radio waves over vast distances, to
sound waves in musical instruments, to colors in various artwork. During this chapter, students will
ATL Focus be able to build a foundational knowledge about how these processes work from a physical
standpoint.