Unit 7 Objectives: Mechanical Waves
(Chapters 14-15)
7.1
Waves Properties & Wave Behavior
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7.2
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Identify how waves transfer energy without transferring matter.
Contrast transverse and longitudinal (compression) waves in terms of the direction of
wave energy motion versus direction of medium motion
Relate wave speed, wave-length, and frequency; be able to solve wave equation problems
and know the correct units for all variables.
Define frequency as waves passed per amount of time
Define period as time for one wave to pass
Relate frequency and period mathematically
Understand the anatomy of a standing wave and define wavelength, amplitude, crests,
troughs, nodes and antinodes.
Relate a wave’s speed to the medium in which it travels:
o Will a transverse wave speed up or slow down in a more dense medium?
o What about a less dense medium? What about a longitudinal (compression) wave?
Describe how waves are reflected and transmitted at boundaries:
o Distinguish between incident, reflected and transmitted waves
o Predict how wave speed will change at a boundary with a more/less dense medium
o Predict whether reflected waves will be inverted:
 at a fixed or free end
 at a boundary with a more/less dense medium
Distinguish between a pulse, a continuous wave, and a standing wave
o Explain standing waves in terms of incident and reflected waves
Apply the principle of superposition to the phenomenon of interference:
o 2 waves can be in the same place at the same time
Constructive vs. Destructive Interference:
o Be able to define/describe both
o Be able to model both using drawn transverse waves
Sound Waves and Light Waves
Demonstrate knowledge of the nature of sound waves and the properties sound waves
share with other waves.
Relate the physical properties of sound waves to the way we hear them (pitch, volume)
Define the Doppler Shift and identify some of its applications.
Demonstrate an understanding of resonance, especially applied to air columns.
Determine why beats occur, and predict the beat frequency that will be produced by two
notes of known frequency.
Recognize that light is the visible portion of an entire range of electromagnetic frequencies
Be able to rank the following regions of the spectrum according to wavelength, energy, and
frequency: (Radio, Microwave, IR, Visible, UV X-ray, Gamma Ray)
Be able to rank the colors of light according to wavelength, energy, and frequency
(ROYGBIV)
Solve problems involving the speed of light