1. Pearson Prentice Hall Physical Science: Concepts in Action
Chapter 17
Mechanical Waves and Sound

2. 1. Explain what causes mechanical waves
Objectives:
1. Explain what causes mechanical waves
2. Name and describe the three main types of mechanical waves

3. How do we know that light and sound are waves?
 Interference
Double source of sound
Double slit for light

4. What Causes Mechanical Waves
Def: A wave is a disturbance that carries energy through space or matter by causing oscillations in the medium
Def: What a wave travels through is the medium (sound-air, earthquake-ground)
Def: Waves that require a medium to travel are called mechanical waves
Mechanical waves carry energy from one place to another by using matter (a medium)

5. Types of Mechanical Waves
The three main types of mechanical waves are transverse waves, longitudinal waves and surface waves
Particles in a medium can vibrate up and down or back and forth as a wave moves by
Def: If the particles move up and down they will move perpendicular to the direction of the wave-called a transverse wave

6. Transverse waves take the shape of sine curves (looks like an s on its side)
Def: High points are crests
Def: Low points are troughs
Def: Difference between high and low is called amplitude
Bigger amplitudes mean more energy
Def: in a longitudinal wave the medium moves in the same direction as the wave

7. Def: In longitudinal waves the bunched area is a compression (think of a slinky)
Def: The spaced out areas are called rarefactions
Def: Amplitude on a longitudinal wave is maximum deviation from normal density or pressure
At the boundary between two mediums (on the ocean for example) surface waves develop
Def: Surface waves are combinations of both types of waves
The particles in the medium of a surface wave move back and forth and up and down resulting in a circle, but they end up where they started

8. 17.2 Properties of Mechanical Waves
Objectives:
1. Explain what determines the frequency of a wave
2. Solve problems for frequency, wavelength and speed
3. Describe how amplitude and energy are related

9. Frequency
Def: periodic motion is any motion that repeats at regular time intervals
Def: Frequency is how many waves pass by in a given time
Frequency = 1/period = 1 / T = f
It is measure in hertz (Hz) which is 1/s where s is seconds
Humans can hear 20Hz to 20000Hz
A wave’s frequency equals the frequency of the vibrating source producing the wave

10. Problems involving f, λ (wavelength) & speed
Def: Wavelengths of waves are measured from one crest to the next (crest to crest OR trough to trough) or from one compression to the next
It is represented by the Greek letter lambda whose symbol is λ
The period of a wave is how long it takes for a complete wave to go by a spot, symbol is T
Increasing the frequency (f) of a wave decreases the wavelength (λ)

11. Recall that speed = distance / time
For waves we can use wavelength for distance (in meters, m) and period for time (s for seconds)
Speed = wavelength X frequency
v = λ * f
The speed of a wave depends on what it travels through (medium)
If the medium particles are closer together the energy from the wave can make vibrations easier
So waves travels best in solids, then liquids, and worse in air

12. Amplitude and Energy
Def: amplitude is the difference between crest and the rest position or point of origin
Def: the rest position or point of origin is an imaginary line through the middle of the wave that separates the crest from the trough
The more energy a wave has, the greater its amplitude

13. Short response question
1) How is the vibration of the source related to a wave’s frequency? 2) How is wavelength related to frequency for waves moving at a constant speed?
3) How is the energy of a wave related to its amplitude?
4)Describe two ways you could measure wavelength? Amplitude?
5) If you double the frequency of a wave, what happens to the wavelength?

14. 17.2
Bill Nye the Science Guy S01E12 Sound

15. 17.3 Behavior of Waves Objectives:
1. Explain reflection and refraction and how they affect waves
2. Identify several factors that affect the amount of wave diffraction
3. Discuss two types of interference
4. Explain what a standing wave is and detail the wavelengths that produce it

16. Reflection
Def: Reflection occurs when a wave meets a boundary and bounces off
Reflection does not change the speed or frequency of a wave, but the wave can be flipped upside down

17. Refraction
Def: Refraction is the bending of a wave as it travels through different mediums
When a wave enters a medium at an angle, refraction occurs because one side of the wave moves more slowly than the other side

18. Different colors refract different amounts

19. Refraction caused by difference in wave speed between left and right
C =  λ f
F stays constant
C slows down
 λ gets smaller
Refraction caused by difference in wave speed between left and right

20. Diffraction
Def: Diffraction is the bending of a wave around an obstacle
A wave diffracts more if its wavelength is large compared to the size of an opening or obstacle

21. Diffraction
A wave diffracts more if its wavelength is large compared to the size of an opening or obstacle
Sound has a bigger  λ, diffracts more

22. Interference
The two types of interference are constructive interference and destructive interference

24. The combo of two or more waves at the same place at the same time causes interference
Def: When two crests meet the interference is constructive-the wave becomes more energetic-the amplitude increases
Def: When a crest and a trough meet they cancel each other and decrease the amplitude –destructive

25. Standing Waves Interference may cause standing waves-
Def: Standing waves appear not to move along the medium, caused by interference between the incoming and reflected wave

26. Has areas of destructive interference where there is no vibration called nodes
Def: a node is a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from the rest position

27. Areas of maximum interference called antinodes
Def: an antinode is a point where a crest & trough meet midway between 2 nodes

28. A standing wave forms only if half a wavelength or a multiple of half a wavelength fits exactly into the length of a vibrating cord
 L = ½ λ
L = 1  λ
L = 3/2  λ
L = 2  λ

29. Standing waves iphone 4 inside a guitar oscillation!

30. Short Response Questions
1) How is a wave changed by a reflection?
2) What causes refraction when a wave enters a medium at an angle?
3) What determines how much a wave diffracts when it encounters an opening or an obstacle?
4) List the types of interference.
5) Draw 1st harmonic standing wave, 2nd, 3rd
5) How long is the wavelength of each harmonic in a rope? L = ___ λ1st
L = ___ λ2nd L = ___ λ3rd

31. 17.4 Sound and Hearing Objectives:
1. Describe the properties of sound waves and explain how sound is produced and reproduced
2. Describe how sound waves behave in applications such as ultrasound and music
3. Explain how relative motion determines the frequency of sound as the observer hears

32. Properties of Sound Waves
Sound waves are longitudinal waves
They have compressions are rarefactions
Behaviors can be explained by the properties of speed, intensity, loudness, frequency and pitch

34. Def: intensity is the rate at which a wave’s energy flow through a given area
The decibel (dB) compares the intensity of different sounds
Def: loudness is a physical response to the intensity of sound modified by physical factors
As intensity increases, loudness increases
Loudness also depends on the health of your ears and how your brain interpret sounds
Def: pitch is the frequency of a sound as you perceive it

36. How Sound Waves Behave & Relative Motion
Ultrasound is used in a variety of applications, including sonar and ultrasound imaging
Def: Sonar is a technique for determining the distance to an object under water

37. Doppler’s Effect Higher pitch means faster frequency
As the source of the waves moves it changes the frequency (this is the Doppler Effect)
As it moves toward you the pitch rises and away from you the pitch lowers = Doppler Effect
2Sgo

38. For us to hear, the outer ear gathers & focuses sound into the middle ear where the vibrations are received and amplified
The inner ear uses nerve endings to sense vibrations and send signals to the brain

39. Sound is recorded by converting sound waves into electronic signals that can be processed and stored
Sound is reproduced by converting electronic signals back to sound waves

40. Most musical instruments vary pitch by changing the frequency of standing waves

41. Def: resonance is the response of a standing wave to another wave of the same frequency
Musical instruments often use resonance to amplify sound