Waves What are waves?

ENERGY  Disturbance that transfers ENERGY through different mediums WAVES

 ENERGY: the ability to do work  Medium: material through which waves move  Gas (air)  Liquid (water, molten rock)  Solids (ground, rope, railroad tracks, ice)

 Mechanical waves: require a medium  Cause? Source of energy causes medium to vibrate  Electromagnetic waves: does not require a medium   can travel through empty space (waves from the sun – light, UV microwave, x- ray, radio waves, etc) What carries waves?

Types of waves

Transverse Waves  Waves that move the medium at right angles to the direction in which the waves travel are called transverse waves.

Longitudinal Waves  Longitudinal waves move the medium parallel to the direction in which the waves travel.

Longitudinal Waves  The compressions of a longitudinal wave correspond to the crest of a transverse wave. The troughs correspond to rarefactions.

Properties of Waves

Draw in your notes

Label your wave CREST trough

Wavelength: distance from crest to crest

 # of wavelengths per second  # of waves second second  Hertz (Hz): 1 wave/second = 1 Hz = 1 Hz frequency

Draw a wave with high & low frequency

Amplitude  Resting position to crest or trough  Measure of the amount of energy

 Wavelength: Energy  Amplitude: Energy  Frequency: Energy Energy: wavelength, amplitude & frequency

 Different waves travel at different speeds.  Speed: how far the wave travels in a given length of time  Speed = wavelength x frequency Speed Speed * see flash of lightning *(few seconds later) hear thunder rumble