Transverse Waves and
Lights
Essential Question: What is a
wave?(pg. 43)
•Disturbance in matter than
transfers energy from one place
to another.
What is the medium of a wave created
by people at a sporting event?
• People holding hands
What is a medium?
• The matter that the energy of
mechanical wave travels through.
Essential Question: What is a transverse
wave? (pg. 45)
• Wave in which the particles of the medium
move/vibrate at right angles, or perpendicular
to the direction that the wave travels.
What is the lowest part of a transverse wave
called?
• The trough
What part of the wave represents the
energy in the wave?
• The amplitude ( large amplitude; more
energy)
• Wavelength (shorter wavelength; higher
energy
• Frequency ( high frequency; high energy)
Your Question: How do particles of the
medium of a transverse wave vibrate?
• They vibrate perpendicular to the direction
the wave travels.
Essential Question: What is frequency?
(pg. 49)
• The number of waves that pass a fixed
point in a given amount of time.
(measured in Hertz, Hz)
What is the S.I. Unit for frequency?
• Hertz (Hz)
How does frequency affect wavelength?
• Higher frequency means shorter wavelength.
Your question: How are frequency,
amplitude and wavelength related to energy
of a transverse wave?
• Higher frequency means more energy
• Higher amplitude means more energy
• Smaller/shorter wavelength mean more
energy
What factors affect the speed of
waves? (pg. 51)
• Frequency, wavelength, temperature, and type
of medium
When would a sound wave move fastest?
The summer or the winter?
• It would move faster in the summer, because
the particles move faster due to the high
temperature.
Essential Question: What happens when a
wave strikes a new medium? (pg. 55)
• When a wave strikes a new medium it can either:
Reflect: bounce back if it can’t pass through the medium.
Refract: bend, because it travels at different speed through
different medium.
What is the law of reflection?
• Angle of incidence equals to angle of reflection.
What causes refraction to occur?
• It occurs when waves enter through a medium at an
angle. Waves bend as they travel through a medium,
because they start travelling at a different speed in a new
medium.
Light wave hits the surface of the mirror at
a 30 degree angle. Draw the angle of
reflection and the angle of incidence.
Essential Question: What is wave
interference? (pg. 57)
• Wave interference is when waves interact with each
other.
What is diffraction? What is reflection?
• Diffraction: When waves spread out, travel around
obstacles, or pass through an opening.
• Reflection: when a wave hits a medium that it
cannot pass through and therefore bounces back.
What happens if two waves run into each
other and their crests overlap?
• They will create constructive interference (they will
create a larger amplitude)
Your Question: What is destructive
interference?
• Occurs when the crest of one wave overlaps the
trough of the other wave. They cancel each other
out or create a wave with lower amplitude.
Essential Question: What is a light wave?
(pg. 59)
• Light wave is an electromagnetic wave.
What creates an electromagnetic wave?
• Charged particle vibrates  causes the vibration of
electric field  creates a vibrating magnetic field  two
types of vibrating fields combine to form
electromagnetic wave.
What is different about electromagnetic
wave and a regular mechanical transverse
wave?
• Electromagnetic wave can travel through empty
space, but mechanical wave can only travel though
a medium.
Your Question: What is electromagnetic
radiation?
• It is the energy transferred by electromagnetic
waves.
Essential Question: Is light a wave or
particle? (pg. 61)
• Light can behave as both a wave and a particle. (it
resembles a particle but moves like a wave)
What is a photon?
• A photon is packets of energy and tiny particles of
light
How fast is light?
• Light travels at the speed of 3 * 10^8 m/s.
What are the three types of matter? Explain
the difference between them.
• Transparent: Easily transmit light (allows most light to pass
though). Ie. glass
• Translucent: It transmits and scatters light at the same time
(allows some light to pass through). Ie. Frosted window
• Opaque: It does not transmit light (no light can pass through). Ie.
Aluminum foil
Your Question: What are the three things
that could happen when light strikes a
matter?
• Reflection, absorption, or transmission
Essential Question (pg. 67): What is
a mirror?
• Object made of glass that reflects all the
light that strikes it.
What type of image do you get from
a plane mirror?
• Virtual and reversed image
Your Question: What is the difference
between a convex lens and concave lens?
• Convex lens: is thicker in the middle and
thinner at the edges (form an image that is
larger than the real object)
• Concave lens: thinner in the middle and
thicker and the edges (forms an image that is
smaller than the real object.
A disturbance in matter that transfers
energy from on place to another
• Mechanical Wave
The matter that mechanical energy travels
through
•Medium
Particles of the matter move perpendicular
to the direction the wave travels
• Transverse Wave
The high points of the wave
• Crests
The low points of the wave
• Trough
Maximum distance the particles of the
medium move from their resting position
when a wave passes through.
• Amplitude
Where the particles of the medium are in
the absence of wave
• Resting position
The distance between two corresponding
points on adjacent waves
• Wavelength