MUSICAL ACOUSTICS

WAVES
Science of Sound,
Chapter 3

WHAT IS A WAVE?
Waves are disturbances that transport energy
and information through a medium (but the
medium itself is not transported).
Waves can be longitudinal (e.g. sound waves)
or transverse (e.g. waves on a string or water
waves).
WAVE PROPERTIES:
Reflection
Refraction
Interference
Diffraction
Doppler Shift

ttp://www.animations.physics.unsw.edu.
au/

Traveling wave on a
rope
Reflection of a pulse:
at a fixed end
at a free end

Mirror image of an
impulsive wave
approaching:
A plane mirror (left)
A corner mirror
(right)

REFLECTION OF AN IMPULSIVE WAVE

At a fixed end

At a free end

SUPERPOSITION OF WAVE PULSES

INTEFERENCE OF TWO
IDENTICAL WAVES ON
A STRING

At times t1 and t5 there

is constructive
interference;
at time t3 there is
destructive
interference.
Note that at points
marked N, the
displacement is always
zero; this represents a
STANDING WAVE

REFLECTION OF PRESSURE (SOUND) PULSE

SPEED OF SOUND IN IDEAL GAS

OCEAN WAVES

WHEN THE WAVE ENTERS SHALLOW WATER IT SLOWS DOWN AND ITS
HEIGHT INCREASES

DOPPLER EFFECT

REFLECTION WATER WAVES

REFLECTION SOUND WAVES

REFRACTION

REFRACTION
TWO MEDIUMS

REFRACTION THROUGH
A PRISM

ANGLE OF INCIDENCE

REFRACTION OF LIGHT
BY WATER

IMAGES FORMATION
BY LENSES

REFLECTION

REFRACTION

INTERFERENCE OF WAVES FROM

TWO IDENTICAL SOURCES

INTERFERENCE
OF WATER
WAVES

DIFFRACTION
OF WATER
WAVES BY A
SLIT

DIFFRACTION

DIFFRACTION
OF LIGHT
BY A PIN

DIFFRACTION
OF LIGHT BY
A SCREW

DIFFRACTION
OF LIGHT BY
A RAZOR
BLADE

DIFFRACTION
BY A SINGLE
SLIT

DIFFRACTION

DIFFRACTION OF WATER WAVES

DIFFRACTION OF LIGHT AND SOUND WAVES

SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION OF A WHITE LED

LED SPECTRAL RESPONSE CURVE