Monday, 2/2 (A) and Tuesday, 2/3 - Wave speed and equation notes
Frequency and
period practice
1. The frequency of a wave is 560 Hz. What is the period of the wave?
2. A girl floats in the ocean and watches 12 wave crests pass her in 46 seconds.
Calculate the frequency of the wave.
What is wave
speed/velocity?


Distance traveled by a given point on the wave (example: crest to crest) in
a given interval of time.
Represented by the following equation:
Speed =
distance
time
Example: The time required for a sound waves (v=340 m/s) to travel from the
tuning fork to point A is ___________.
G: v = 340 m/s
d = 20 m
S: t = 17 s
S: 340 m/s = 20m/t
340 m/s t = 20 m
20m
20 m
U: t
What is the wave
equation?
E: v = d / t
Wavelength, units in m
Velocity, units in m/s
V= f
λ
Greek symbol lambda
Frequency, units in Hz
Example:
Calculate the wave speed and fill in the table
Steve and Anna are conducting a slinky experiment. They are studying the possible
affect of several variables upon speed of a wave in a slinky. The following is their data
table:
Medium
Zinc,
1-in. dia. coils
Zinc,
1-in. dia. coils
Copper,
1-in. dia. coils
Copper,
1-in. dia. coils
Zinc,
3-in. dia. coils
Zinc,
3-in. dia. Coils
Wavelength
1.75 m
Frequency
2.0 Hz
Speed
______
0.90 m
3.9 Hz
______
1.19 m
2.1 Hz
______
0.60 m
4.2 Hz
______
0.95 m
2.2 Hz
______
1.75 m
1.2 Hz
______
Answer the summary questions below
How are the
variables of the
wave equation
related?
Answer the questions that follow
1. As the wavelength of a wave in a uniform medium increases, its speed will
________. a) decrease
b) increase
c) remain the same
2. As the wavelength of a wave in a uniform medium increases, its frequency
will ______. a) decrease b) increase
c) remain the same
3. The speed of a wave depends upon _________.
a)
b)
c)
d)
The properties of the medium through which the wave travels
The wavelength of the wave
The frequency of the wave
Both the wavelength and frequency of the wave
Cool down