PROPERTIES OF WAVES AMPLITUDE & WAVELENGTH

INTRODUCTION One of the most elegant and graceful Olympic sports is rhythmic gymnastics. A ribbon dancer flicks a stick attached to a ribbon, making waves that travel down the ribbon.

INTRODUCTION Some of the waves are longer, while others are shorter. The rate at which the gymnast flicks her hand affects both the length and shape of the waves in the ribbon.

INTRODUCTION This is just one of the many different kinds of waves. Waves can carry a little energy, or a lot of energy. They can be short or long, they can be rare or frequent. They can travel fast or slow. They repeat periodically.

INTRODUCTION All waves share certain properties. The basic properties of waves are: Amplitude Wavelength Frequency Speed

OBJECTIVES Name the basic properties of waves. Relate wave speed to wavelength and frequency.

VOCABULARY Period – the time required for one complete cycle of vibration to pass a given point.  Amplitude – strength of a wave.

IN QUESTION What causes mechanical waves? Vibrations in a medium.

AMPLITUDE INTRO Some waves are very strong, others are barely noticeable. The distance the medium moves depends on the amplitude of the wave. Amplitude is the maximum distance that the particles of the medium carrying the wave move away from their rest positions.

INTRODUCTION You know waves are produced by something vibrating. The farther the medium moves as it vibrates, the larger the amplitude of the resulting waves. The amplitude of a wave is a direct measure of its energy.

AMPLITUDE NOTES Transverse wave amplitude is measured from rest line to top of a crest or bottom of a trough. Higher the crest the greater the amplitude. Amplitude is how much energy is in a wave.

AMPLITUDE NOTES GREATERLESSER AMPLITUDE

AMPLITUDE NOTES Longitudinal wave amplitude is a measure of how compressed or rarified the medium becomes. High energy causes more compression in a wave than low energy.

AMPLITUDE NOTES Lesser Greater

WAVELENGTH INTRODUCTION A wave travels a certain distance before it repeats. The time it takes for the wave to repeat is called its period. The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave is its wavelength.

WAVELENGTH INTRO What’s the same and what’s different between these two waves?

WAVELENGTH INTRO If you said that they have the same amplitude, but they are not the same length you are correct. Waves can vary a lot in their lengths. Radio waves, for example, can be several meters long, while gamma wave rays can be billionths of a meter in length.

WAVELENGTH NOTES Waves travel a certain distance before they repeat. Wavelengths can be very short or very long. Wavelength is represented by the symbol which is called lambda.

ADDITIONAL NOTES All waves share 4 properties: Wavelength Frequency Amplitude Wave Speed

OUT QUESTION Label the parts of this transverse wave. amplitude, rest line, crest, trough, wavelength amplitude wavelength trough crest rest line