Chapter 20 Section 1

Describe how waves transfer energy without

transferring the matter.

Distinguish between waves that require a medium

and waves that do not.

Explain the difference between transverse and

longitudinal waves.
How many waves??

“Imagine that your family has just returned from a day

at the beach. You had fun playing in the ocean under
a hot sun. You put some cold pizza in the microwave
for dinner, and you turn on the radio. Just then, the
phone rings. It’s your friend calling to ask about
homework.”
At least 5!!!!

“Imagine that your family has just returned from a day

at the beach. You had fun playing in the ocean under
a hot sun. You put some cold pizza in the microwave
for dinner, and you turn on the radio. Just then, the
phone rings. It’s your friend calling to ask about
homework.”
Wave: any disturbance that transmits energy through
matter or empty space

Energy can be carried away from its source by a wave

The material through which the wave travels does not

move with the energy

Consider this…
As a wave travels, it does work on everything in its
path

Work is done on the water and anything floating on

it’s surface

Ex: Boats and docks bob up and down on the waves

The fact that the objects move tells us the waves are
transferring energy
Medium: a substance through which a wave can
travel

Most waves transfer energy by the vibration of

particles in a medium

A medium can be a solid, liquid, or a gas

Energy is passed from particle to particle

Sound waves need a medium

Ocean waves need a medium

Waves that require a medium are called mechanical

waves
Visible light, microwaves, radio waves, x-rays do not
require a medium

These waves are called electromagnetic waves

EM waves can go through matter (air, water, glass….)

Energy that reaches the Earth from the Sun comes

through EM waves, which go through space
Waves can differ in many ways

Classified based on:

 The direction in which the particles in the medium
vibrate
 Direction in which the waves move

2 Main Types of Waves:

 Transverse
 Longitudinal
Particles vibrate in a up-and-down motion

“moving across” or perpendicular to the direction the

wave is going

Highest point of the wave: crest

Lowest point of the wave: trough

Electromagnetic waves are considered transverse

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/noise-canceling-headphone-7.jpg
Particles in the medium travel back and forth along
the path that the wave moves

Where the waves are crowded together: compression

Where the particles are spread apart: rarefaction

Example: sound waves

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/noise-canceling-headphone-8.jpg
When a wave forms at the boundary of two media a
transverse and a longitudinal wave combine to form a
surface wave

Look like a transverse wave, but the particles of the

medium move in circles

The particles move forward at the crest and backward

at the trough
http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ma/euromech/rayleigh2.gif http://faculty.gvsu.edu/videticp/wave_animation1.GIF