PHYSICS QUIZ REVIEWER

MECHANICAL WAVES

 Oscillation or Vibration - “wiggle” in time

 Wave - “wiggle” in both space and time

 Equilibrium Point - Initial position of the bob when it is at rest and in equilibrium.

 Equilibrium Line - Initial length of the string in a state of equilibrium and at rest

 MECHANICAL WAVES - kind of wave that requires medium to propagate.

 ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE - Does not require a medium to propagate

IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT MECHANICAL WAVES

1. The disturbance travels or propagates with a definite speed in a medium called wave speed,
as denoted by v.
2. Only the pattern or disturbance travels in space but not the medium itself.
3. Energy is needed to set a mechanical wave into motion. Thus, waves transport energy but
not matter

TYPES OF MECHANICAL WAVES

1. TRANSVERSE WAVES The direction of the motion of particles is perpendicular to the direction of
the propagation of the wave.

Crest – the highest point in transverse wave

Trough – the lowest point in transverse wave

Amplitude – the distance from the equilibrium line to the crest or trough

Equilibrium Line – the stable position of a medium when it is in equilibrium

2. LONGITUDINAL WAVES - The direction of the motion of particles and the direction of the
propagation of the waves are in the same line.

 Compression– the region of high particle density. For fluids, this corresponds to a region
of high pressure.

 Expansion or Rarefaction– the region of low particle density. For fluids, this corresponds
to a region of low pressure.

3. BOTH TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL WAVES - In some cases, the displacements of the
particles have both transverse and longitudinal components. These are also called Rayleigh
surface waves.

PERIODIC MOTION -refers to the motion that repeats itself regularly or at equal time intervals

 Back and forth swing of the pendulum in a longcase clock.

 Swaying Movement of a Rocking Chair
 Repetitive beat of your heart.
The number of complete revolutions or cycles of the ball around the circle per unit of time is called the
FREQUENCY, denoted by small letter f.

The unit of frequency is the number of cycles, revolutions or vibrations per second. The SI unit is hertz
(Hz)

Formula for Frequency, f

Where:

f = frequency

T = period

Formula for Angular Speed, ω

In terms of wave motion, this is known as angular frequency. Thus, angular speed and angular frequency
are the same quantities.
Example:

An oscillating body takes 0.8s to complete four cycles. What is the

a. Period

b. Frequency

c. Angular frequency of the body

SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION

- an oscillation that happens when the associated restoring force is directly proportional to the
displacement from the equilibrium position

HOOKE’S LAW

“For every small deformation of an object, the displacement is directly proportional to the deforming
force or load”

FORMULA FOR HOOKE’S LAW

F = -kx compressed

F = kx stretched

Where: F = restoring force

k = force constant of the spring (N/m)
x =displacement

Example:
A spring with spring constant of 150N/m is compressed a distance of 0.1m.
How much force does the spring exert after it is compressed to this point?

Example:
A force of 3.0N elongates a spring by 6.0cm
a. What is the force constant of the spring?
b. How much force is needed to
elongate the spring an additional
6.0cm?
  SOUND WAVE -is a longitudinal wave.
 Audible ranges - detectable sound frequency
 Human hearing - ranges 20 hertz to 20 kilo hertz
 Greater Wax Moth – up to 35kHz

Sound frequencies that are above 20kHz are called ultrasonic and
frequencies below this range are called infrasonic.

PITCH - figures out how high or low we perceive the sound with the ear in an auditory way.

As the frequency of sound increases, the pitch rises

The frequency of a wave is an object quantity that can be measured, while pitch refers to how different
frequencies are perceived by the human ear.

Wavelength decreases as the frequency increases. Thus, infrasonic waves have longer wavelengths
than audible sound waves, and ultrasonic waves have shorter wavelengths.

 LOUDNESS - is directly related to the pressure amplitude. This means that for a given frequency
of sound, a louder sound is perceived with greater pressure amplitude.

 TIMBRE OR TONE COLOR - Refers to the difference in sound. The timbre helps the listeners to
identify which objects are the ones that produce a particular sound.
The speed of sound varies because of a number of factors.
The following equations show the quantities that can affect the speed of sound waves in a fluid, in solid
and in gas

 In air, the average speed of sound is around 340m/s.

 Sound waves go from one place to another off from a source (where there is vibration) in all
directions.
 DOPPLER EFFECT Change in the frequency of sound. It was named after the Austrian physicist
Christian Doppler (1803-1853) who first described it.