The Wave Equation

• What are the three important properties of waves?

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

  Farthest point wave vibrates from undisturbed position
• How is wavelength defined?

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

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

  Hertz
• What is wave speed?

  Speed at which the wave moves through the medium
• How can wave speed be calculated?

  Wave speed = frequency × wavelength
• What is the wave speed if the frequency is 165 Hertz and the wavelength is 2 meters?

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

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

  200 meters per second
• How do you calculate wavelength if wave speed is 500 meters per second and frequency is 200 Hertz?

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

  2.5 meters
• What is the 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 clash to hearing sound
  • Calculate speed: distance / time
• What are the problems with the sound measurement experiment?

  Reaction time and short sound delay
• How can reaction time errors be reduced in the experiment?

  Use multiple observers and calculate mean
• How can the timing problem be reduced in the sound measurement experiment?

  Increase distance between observers
• What should you practice for the exam regarding waves?

  • Questions on wave equation
  • Determining speed of sound waves