the wave equation

• What are the three important properties of waves discussed?

  Amplitude, wavelength, and frequency
• What is the definition of amplitude?

  Farthest point the wave vibrates from rest
• How is wavelength defined?

  Distance from one wave point to the next
• What does frequency measure?

  Number of waves passing a point each second
• What is the unit of frequency?

  Hertz
• What is the relationship between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength?

  Wave speed equals frequency multiplied by wavelength
• What is the formula for wave speed?

  Wave speed = frequency × wavelength
• If a wave has a frequency of 165 Hertz and a wavelength of 2 meters, what is its speed?

  330 meters per second
• How do you convert 2 centimeters to meters?

  Divide by 100
• What is the speed of a wave with a frequency of 10,000 Hertz and a wavelength of 0.02 meters?

  200 meters per second
• How do you calculate wavelength if you know wave speed and frequency?

  Divide wave speed by frequency
• What is the wavelength of a wave with a speed of 500 meters per second and a frequency of 200 Hertz?

  2.5 meters
• What is a method to measure the speed of sound waves in air?

  • Two people separated by 500 meters
  • Person A clashing cymbals
  • Person B timing from seeing to hearing
  • Calculate speed: distance / time
• What are the problems with the cymbals experiment?

  Reaction time and short sound delay
• How can you reduce errors in the cymbals experiment?

  Use many observers and calculate mean
• Why is increasing distance beneficial in the experiment?

  It increases time for accurate timing