4.

2 Travelling waves
 What is a (travelling) wave?

• Wave on a String
 Waves
Waves can transfer energy and
information without a net motion of the
medium through which they travel.

They involve vibrations (oscillations) of

some sort.
 Wave fronts
Wave fronts highlight the part of a wave
that is moving together (in phase).
= wavefront

Ripples formed by a
stone falling in water
 Rays
Rays highlight the direction of energy
transfer.
 Transverse waves
The oscillations are perpendicular to the
direction of energy transfer.

Direction of energy transfer

oscillation
Transverse waves
Transverse waves
Transverse waves
Transverse waves

peak

trough
 Transverse waves
• Water ripples

• Light

• On a rope/slinky

• Earthquake (s)
 Longitudinal waves
The oscillations are parallel to the direction of
energy transfer.

Direction of energy transfer

oscillation
 Longitudinal waves
compression

rarefraction
 Longitudinal waves
• Sound

• Slinky

• Earthquake (p)
Other waves - water
A reminder – wave
measurements
 Displacement - x
This measures the change that has taken place as a
result of a wave passing a particular point.
Zero displacement refers to the average position.

= displacement
 Amplitude - A
The maximum displacement from the
mean position.

amplitude
 Period - T
The time taken (in seconds) for one complete
oscillation. It is also the time taken for a
complete wave to pass a given point.

One complete wave

 Frequency - f
The number of oscillations in one second.
Measured in Hertz.

50 Hz = 50 vibrations/waves/oscillations in one second.

 Wavelength - λ
The shortest distance between points that
are in phase (points moving together or “in
step”).

wavelength
 Wave speed - v
The speed at which the wave fronts pass a
stationary observer.
330 m.s-1
 Period and frequency
Period and frequency are reciprocals of
each other

f = 1/T T = 1/f
 The Wave Equation
The time taken for one complete oscillation is
the period T. In this time, the wave will have
moved one wavelength λ.

The speed of the wave therefore is distance/time

v = λ/T = fλ
You need to
be able to
derive this!
 Some example wave equation questions
1) A water wave has a frequency of 2Hz and a wavelength
of 0.3m. How fast is it moving?
0.6m/s

2) A water wave travels through a pond with a speed of

1m/s and a frequency of 5Hz. What is the wavelength
of the waves?
0.2m

3) The speed of sound is 330m/s (in air). When Dave

hears this sound his ear vibrates 660 times a second.
What was the wavelength of the sound? 0.5m

4) Purple light has a wavelength of around 6x10-7m and a

frequency of 5x1014Hz. What is the speed of purple
light? 3x108m/s
 Let’s try some questions!

4.2 Wave equation

questions
 Representing waves
There are two ways we can represent a
wave in a graph;
 Displacement/time graph
This looks at the movement of one point of
the wave over a period of time

displacement
cm 1

Time s
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
-1

-2
 Displacement/time graph
This looks at the movement of one point of
the wave over a period of time

displacement
cm 1
PERIOD
Time s
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
-1

-2
 Displacement/time graph
This looks at the movement of one point of
the wave over a period of time

displacement
cm 1
PERIOD
Time s
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4
-1

-2
 Displacement/time graph
This looks at the movement of one point of
the wave over a period of time

displacement IMPORTANT
cm 1 NOTE: This
PERIOD wave could be
Time s
either transverse
0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 or longitudnal
-1

-2
 Displacement/distance graph
This is a “snapshot” of the wave at a
particular moment

displacement
cm 1

Distance cm
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
-1

-2
 Displacement/distance graph
This is a “snapshot” of the wave at a
particular moment

displacement
cm 1
WAVELENGTH

Distance cm
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
-1

-2
 Displacement/distance graph
This is a “snapshot” of the wave at a
particular moment

displacement
cm 1
WAVELENGTH

Distance cm
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6
-1

-2
 Displacement/distance graph
This is a “snapshot” of the wave at a
particular moment

displacement IMPORTANT
cm 1 NOTE: This
WAVELENGTH wave could also
Distance cm
be either
0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 transverse or
-1 longitudnal

-2
Electromagnetic spectrum
James Clerk Maxwell
Visible light
 Visible light

λ ≈ 700 nm λ ≈ 420 nm
 Ultraviolet waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm
 Ultraviolet waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

 X-rays

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m
 X-rays

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m
λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
 Gamma rays

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
 Gamma rays

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10 - 10
-9 -11
m
λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
Infrared waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m

λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
 Infrared waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m
λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m
λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m

λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
 Microwaves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m

λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
 Microwaves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10-2 - 10-3 m
λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
 Radio waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m
 Radio waves

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-1 - 103 m λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m

 Electromagnetic spectrum

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-1 - 103 m λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m

 What do they all have in common?

λ ≈ 700 - 420 nm

λ ≈ 10-4 - 10-6 m λ ≈ 10-7 - 10-8 m

λ ≈ 10-9 - 10-11 m
λ ≈ 10 - 10 m
-2 -3

λ ≈ 10-1 - 103 m λ ≈ 10-12 - 10-15 m

What do they all have in common?
• They can travel in a vacuum
• They travel at 3 x 108m.s-1 in a vacuum
(the speed of light)
• They are transverse
• They are electromagnetic waves (electric
and magnetic fields at right angles to each
oscillating perpendicularly to the direction
of energy transfer)
 What do you need to know?
• Order of the waves
• Approximate wavelength
• Properties (all have the same speed in a
vacuum, transverse, electromagnetic
waves)
• The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Sound
 Sound travels as
Longitudinal waves
The oscillations are parallel to the direction
of energy transfer.

Direction of energy transfer

oscillation
 Longitudinal waves
compression

rarefaction
Amplitude = volume
Pitch = frequency
Range of hearing
 Range of hearing
Humans can hear up to a frequency of
around 20 000 Hz (20 kHz)
Measuring the speed of sound
 Measuring the speed of sound
• Distance = 140 m
• Three Times =
• Average time =

• Speed = Distance/Average time = m/s

 4.2 Measuring the speed of
sound
• Measuring the speed of sound using Auda
city
String telephones
 Sound in solids
• Speed ≈ 6000 m/s
 Sound in liquids
• Speed ≈ 1500 m/s
 Sound in gases (air)
• Speed ≈ 330 m/s
Sound in a vacuum?
 echo
• An echo is simply the reflection of a sound