CHAPTER 8

WAVES AND WAVE MOTION

 INTRODUCTION
 When you throw a stone into a lake or pool of water, circular
waves formed and move outward.

 Waves also travel along a cord that is stretched out straight

on a table if you vibrate one end back and forth.
 WAVES – are moving oscillations not carrying matter along.
 Waves can move over a large distances, but the medium itself has only
a limited movement oscillating about an equilibrium point as in simple
harmonic motion.
 Although a wave is not matter, the wave pattern can travel in matter.
 A wave consists of oscillations that move without carrying matter with
them.
 Waves carry energy from one place to another.
 All forms of travelling waves transport energy.
 Continuous or Periodic Wave- has its source a disturbance that is
continuous and oscillating, that is, the source is a vibration or oscillation.
 - The source of any wave is a vibration. It is a vibration that propagates
outward and constitutes the waves.
 - If the source vibrates sinusoidally, then the wave itself, if the medium
is perfectly elastic it will have a sinusoidal shape both in space and in
time.
 Important Quantities of Sinusoidal Wave
 1. Crests – the highest points on a wave
 2. Troughs – the low points on a wave
 3. Amplitude – the maximum height of a crest or depth of a trough relative to the normal
level. The total swing from a crest to a trough is twice the amplitude.
 4. Wavelength () – the distance between two successive crests

 The wavelength is also equal to the distance between any two successive identical points on
the wave.
 5. Frequency (f) – the number of crests or complete cycles that pass a given point per unit
time.
 6. Period (T) – equals 1/f and is the time elapsed between two successive crests passing by
the same point in space.
 7. Wave velocity (v) – is the velocity at which wave crests move in a time equal to one
period (T).
Thus,
 V=λf
 The magnitude of the velocity of a wave or its speed depends on the
properties of the medium in which it travels. For waves of small
amplitude, the relationship is,
Where: Ft = tension force
 m = mass
 L = length
 Other formulas are:
 v = λ/ T
 F = 1/T
 EXAMPLE PROBLEMS
 1. As a phonograph record turns, a certain groove passes the needle at 25 cm/s. If the wiggles in
the groove are 0.1 mm apart, what is the frequency of the sound that results?

 Given: λ = -0.1 mm = 10 ^-4 m

V = 25cm/s or 0.25 m/s
Required: f = ?
 Solution:
f = v/λ
f = (0.25m/s) / (10^-4 m)
f = 2500 Hz
2. The velocity of sound in seawater is 1531 m/s. Find the wavelength in seawater of a sound
wave whose frequency is 256 Hz.
 Given:
v = 1531 m/s
f = 256 Hz
Required: λ = ?
 Solution:
λ = v/f
λ= (1531 m/s)/ (256Hz)
λ = 5.98 m
 3. A tuning fork vibrating at 300Hz is placed in a tank of water.
a. Find the frequency and wavelength of the sound waves in the water.
b. Find the frequency and wavelength of the sound waves produced in the air above the tank by the
vibrations of the water surface. The velocity of sound is 4913 ft/s in water and 1125 ft/s in air.

 a. In the water, the frequency of the sound waves is 300 Hz of their source, and their wavelength is
λ=v/f
= (4913 ft/s) / (300Hz)
λ = 16.4 ft
b. In the air, the frequency of sound waves is the same as the frequency of the source, which is the
vibrating water surface. Hence, f = 300Hz. The wavelength is different

λ = v/f
= (1125 ft/s) / (300Hz)
λ= 3.75 ft
 4. An anchored boat is observed to rise and fall through a total range of 2m once every 4s as waves
whose crests are 30m apart pass it. Find,
a. The frequency of the waves
b. Their velocity
c. Their amplitude
d. Velocity of an individual water particle at the surface
 Solution:
a. f = 1/T = 1/ 4s = 0.25 Hz
b. v = fλ = (0.25Hz) (30m) = 7.5 m/s
c. the amplitude is half the total range, so A = 1m

d. As each wave passes, the water particles at the surface move in circular bits of radius r = A = 1m. The
circumference of such an orbit is:

C= 2pir = (2pi) (1m) = 6.28m

V = C/ T = (6.28m)/4s
V= 1.57 m/s
 5. WAVE ON A WIRE. A wave whose wavelength is 0.3 m is travelling down a 300m long
wire whose total mass is 15kg. If the wire is under a tension of 1000N, what are the
speed and frequency of this wave?

 Solution:
The frequency is:
f = v/λ = (140m/s)/(0.3m)
f = 470Hz
Note: A higher tension would increase both v and f, whereas a thicker, denser wire would
reduce v and f.
TYPES OF WAVES: TRANSVERSE AND LONGITUDINAL

 When a wave travels, say from left to right and the particles
vibrate up and down in the direction transverse (that is;
perpendicular) to the motion of the wave itself such as a wave is
called TRANSVERSE WAVE. In LONGITUDINAL WAVE, the
vibration of the particles of the medium is along the direction of
the wave’s motion. Longitudinal waves are readily formed on a
stretched spring by alternately compressing and expanding one
end. An important example of a longitudinal wave in air.
 Speed of longitudinal waves
V = √ elastic force factor/ inertia factor
V = √ E/ρ
 Where:
E = Elastic modulus of the material
ρ = the density of the material (rho)
For a longitudinal wave travelling in a liquid or gas,
V = √ B/ρ
 Where:
B = Bulk modulus
ρ = density
Example 1.
 Echolocation. Echolocation is a form of sensory perception used by animals such as bats,
toothed whales and porpoises. The animal emits a pulse of sound (a longitudinal wave),
which after reflection from objects, is detected by animal. Echolocation waves emitted by
whales have frequencies of about 200,000Hz.
a. What is the wavelength of the whale’s echolocation wave?
 Solution:
The speed of longitudinal (sound) waves in sea water, which is slightly more dense than pure
water is

Note: The bulk modulus of seawater is 2.0 x109 N/m2 and the density is 1.025 x 103 kg/m3.
λ = v/f
= (1.4 x 10 3m/s) / (2.0 x 105 Hz)
λ = 7.0 mm
b. If an obstacle is 100m, from the whale, how long after the whale emits a wave
is its reflection detected?

The time required for the round trip between the whale and the object is:
t =m distance / speed
t = 2 (100m) / 1.4 x 10 3 m/s
t = 0.14s