basics of waves

• what do waves transfer?

  energy from one place to another. they do not transfer any matter.
• what is being transferred when sound waves pass to your ear or when light waves pass to your eyes?

  only energy is being transferred
• how is our brain able to build up images and tunes from the light and sound it receives?


  the brain can interpret that energy as meaningful information.
• how do waves travel from one place to another?

  the waves oscillate or vibrate
• what does the distance of a displacement graph mean?

  how far the wave has travelled from its starting point
• what does the height of the displacement mean on a displacement graph?

  how far from the equilibrium point the wave has oscillated
• what is the maximum displacement (the highest the waves go) known as?

  the amplitude
• what is the distance of one entire oscillation known as?

  the wavelength
• what is the very top of the wave known as?

  the crest
• what is the very bottom of the wave known as?

  the trough
• what is the length of one complete oscillation known as on a time displacement graph

  time period
• what is the frequency?

  the number of complete oscillations per second
• how do you work out the frequency?

  frequency = 1 / time
• how do you work out the time period?

  time = 1 / frequency
• what equation can we use to find the wave speed?

  wave speed = frequency X wavelength
• how do we identify transverse waves?

  the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer (the direction the wave is moving
• give examples of transverse waves:

  • electromagnetic
  • light
  • radio
  • ripples/waves
  • waves of strings (guitar)
• how do we identify longitudinal waves?

  the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer
• what are longitudinal waves like?

  some regions are more spread out while others are much more compressed in a back and forth
• gives examples of longitudinal waves?

  • sound waves
  • shock waves (seismic P waves)