Wave Properties
S8P4. Students will explore the wave
nature of sound and electromagnetic
radiation.
d. Describe how the behavior of waves is
affected by _______________ (such as
air, water, solids).
•e. Relate the properties of __________
to everyday experiences.
•f. Diagram the parts of the wave and
explain how the parts are _____________
by changes in amplitude and pitch.
Wave Energy
•Wavelength is the ___________ between
___________ successive and comparable
points on a wave.
–The _____________ wavelength is the
_________________between two
successive crests or two successive
______________.
–The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is
the distance between two adjacent
____________________ or rarefactions.
•Amplitude is a measure of wave
___________________
–Amplitude is related to the distance
between the ___________ (high point of
a wave) or the ____________ (low point
of a wave) and the wave’s resting position.
–The larger the amplitude the taller the
wave, and the more _________ it carries.
The _________________ of a transverse
wave is determined by the height of the
crest or ____________ of the trough
The ________________________ of a
wave is the number of wavelengths that
pass by a point each _______________.
Frequency is measured in units of
__________________________
Period
•Period refers to the ______________ of
_________________ as a result of time.
The amount of time it takes for a wave to
complete one full ________________.
Pitch
•Pitch refers to the ______________ or
_____________________ of a sound.
•Pitch depends on how
________________t the source of the
sound is vibrating
•To change the pitch:
–Change the ________________ of the
material vibrating
–Change the __________________ of
the material vibrating
- Low pitch
- Low frequency
- Longer
- High pitch
- High frequency
- Shorter wavelength
Wave Speed
•The speed at which a wave travels is
called _______________________.
•Wave speed is measured in two ways
–1st Time how ______________ a wave
takes to get from point A to point B
–2nd Calculate wave speed by using the
following formula:
wavelength
Speed = Wavelength X Frequency
Behavior of Light Waves
•Waves do not always travel in one
_______________________.
•Often they bounce off
_____________________ surface and
then travel in another direction.
•When any type of wave ___________ an
obstacle or passes from one ___________
to another, it is possible that the wave will
change in ____________, direction, or
___________________
Reflection occurs when a wave bounces
back after striking a ________________.
Wave Reflection
•When a sound wave reflects from a
surface we generate an _____________
•Wave reflection from ______________
depends on the characteristics of the
____________________
•___________ hard surfaces reflect best
•__________ soft surfaces reflect poorly
•Energy not reflected is absorbed or
________________ through the material
•Think of arrows pointing in the direction
of the wave _______________
•We can trace the path of these arrows
Refraction is the ________________ of
a wave as it passes at an ____________
from one medium to another.
The break in the pencil appears because
the light waves ___________ as they pass
from the air into the water. This bending
occurs because the air and the water have
different densities. ________________
of light takes place when light passes from
a medium having one density to a medium
with a different ________________.
Wave Refraction
•Diffraction refers to the ___________
spreading, and interference of waves when
they go through a ____________ opening.
•Diffraction occurs with any type, including
______________waves, ____________
waves, and electromagnetic waves.
Diffraction is _______________ passing
through a slit that is very narrow, smaller
than the ________________ of the light
wave. After the wave passes through the
slit, a pattern of _____________ form in
all directions, as if there were a wave
_______________ right at the position
of the slit itself.
•Diffraction can also be detected when the
slit is ____________ than the wavelength.
When the slit is more than a wavelength
wide, there is a diffraction
________________ that occurs right at
the edges of the wave. The center part of
the wave travels __________________at
short distances, but the diffraction at the
edges will cause a diffraction __________
when observed from longer distances.
•Transmission is the passing of waves
through a ____________. A radio wave is
a type of electromagnetic wave produced
at the radio station. The wave travels from
the station's ___________________ out
in all directions at the speed of light.
•Absorption is the _______________ of
an electromagnetic wave into a medium. It
is the opposite of _______________. You
see different ____________ because of
the selective absorption of visible light.
•Some materials _______________ all
wavelengths of visible light. A material
that ______________ all wavelengths of
visible light appears black. By contrast, a
material that ____________________ all
wavelengths of visible light appears white.