The Nature of Waves
Part 2
Quick Review
 What is a wave?
A wave is any disturbance that transmits energy through matter or empty space.
 How is energy transmitted through a medium?
When a particle vibrates, it can pass energy to the particle next to
it. The second particle will vibrate like the first particle does.
 A substance through which a wave can travel is called
medium
a(n)______.
 Name three types of waves that require a medium.
sound waves, seismic waves, and ocean waves
mechanical waves
 Waves that require a medium are called____________,
Waves that do not require a medium but can go through
electromagnetic waves
matter are called_________.
Objectives
 Identify the different parts of a wave.
 Explain the strength of the wave by
analyzing amplitude and wavelength.
 Explain the relationship between the
frequency and the type of wave.
TRANSVERSE WAVES
Crest: highest point of a transverse wave
Trough: lowest point of a transverse wave
Amplitude: the amount of energy carried by a wave; corresponds to
the height of a transverse wave
Wavelength: the distance between two identical points on a wave
LONGITUDINAL WAVES
Rarefaction: expanded portion of the wave; particles are
spread apart
Compression: compressed (squeezed) portion of the wave;
particles are pushed together
Wavelength: the distance between two identical points on a
wave
Amplitude: the amount of energy carried by a wave;
corresponds to the amount of compression in a longitudinal
wave
TRANSVERSE WAVES
Crest: highest point of a transverse wave
Trough: lowest point of a transverse wave
Amplitude: the amount of energy carried by a wave; corresponds to
the height of a transverse wave
Wavelength: the distance between two identical points on a wave
Amplitude- amount of energy carried by a
wave
Low Amplitude
Medium Amplitude
High Amplitude
smaller
less
(more/less)
larger
more
(larger/smaller)
(larger/smaller)
(more/less)
Relationship between amplitude,
wavelength, frequency, and energy
HIGH AMPLITUDE = HIGH ENERGY
LOW AMPLITUDE = LOW ENERGY
Reason: It takes more energy to move the particle farther
from its rest position. Therefore, a wave with a large
amplitude carries more energy than a wave witha small
amplitude does.
Wavelength- distance between two identical
points on a wave
Short Wavelength
Long Wavelength
Relationship between amplitude,
wavelength, frequency, and energy
LONG WAVELENGTH = LOW FREQUENCY = LOW ENERGY
SHORT WAVELENGTH = HIGH FREQUENCY = HIGH ENERGY
Spring Break Homework
1. D
2. B
3. A
4. A
5. B
6. B
7. D
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. D
12. B
13. C
P2 on Wednesday
• Review textbook
• Review class PPT
• Review all the worksheets
• Review the homework for spring break
Variable
Symbol
Unit
Symbol
for Unit
Frequency
f
Hertz
Hz
Wavelength

metre
m
(“lamda”)
Wave speed
v
metre/second
m/s
Time
T
second
s
The Wave Equation
The wave equation relates the speed of the
wave to its frequency and wavelength:
Wave speed (v) = frequency (f) x wavelength ()
in m/s
in Hz
in m
V=  x 
=V
and
=V
Distance, Speed and Time for waves
Speed = distance (in metres)
time (in seconds)
1) A water wave travels 200 metres in 40 seconds. What is its speed?
2) Another wave covers 2km in 1,000 seconds. What is its speed?
3) Sound travels at around 330m/s. How long does it take to travel one
mile (roughly 1,600m)?
Water waves collide with a wave generator
with a frequency of 2 Hz. Their
wavelength is 4 m, so their speed is …
2 m/s
8 m/s
0.5 m/s

A loudspeaker produces sound waves of
frequency 680 Hz and wavelength of 0.5 m.
Their speed is …
340 m/s
1320 m/s
33 m/s

A ship’s klaxon produces sound waves of
frequency 170 Hz. Sound waves travel at
340 m/s, so their wavelength is …
2m
0.5 m
57800 m

Bats produce ultrasound waves with a
wavelength of 0.01 m. Their speed is
330 m/s. The frequency of the waves is …
3.3 Hz
33000 Hz
0.0003 Hz

The wavelength of Radio Whitcliffe is
100 m. The frequency of the waves is
3000 kHz., so their speed is …
3 m/s
300 000 m/s
300 000 000 m/s

The wavelength of yellow light is 6 x 10-7 m
and the speed of electromagnetic waves is
3 x 108 m/s. Their frequency is …
2 x 1015 m/s
18 x 101 m
5 x 1014 Hz

Ripples cross a pond with a speed of 80 cm/s.
They reach the edge at a frequency of 20 Hz.
Their wavelength is …
4 m/s
80 cm/s
0.04 m/s
