1. General Properties of Waves
Mrs. Gergel
2016

2. Properties of waves Waves can carry a little energy or a lot of energy
They also vary in length and speed
Basic properties of waves are:
amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and speed

3. Amplitude
Amplitude- maximum distance the medium carrying the wave moves away from its rest position
Measure of how much a particle in the medium moves when disturbed by the wave
Amplitude of the wave is a direct measure of its energy
The farther the medium moves as it vibrates the larger the amplitude

4. Amplitude of a transverse wave
The amplitude of a transverse wave is the maximum distance the medium moves up or down from its rest position
Amplitude can be found by measuring the distance from the rest position to a crest or a trough
Amplitude
Rest position

5. Amplitude of a longitudinal wave
Amplitude of a longitudinal wave is a measure of how compressed or rarefied the medium becomes
High energy vibrations cause the compressions to be very crowded
Crowded compressions and uncrowded rarefactions mean that the longitudinal wave has a large amplitude
Crowded compressions
Uncrowded rarefactions

6. Wavelength
A wave travels a certain distance before it starts to repeat
The distance between two corresponding parts of a wave is its wavelength

7. Wavelength of a transverse Wave
Find the wavelength of a transverse wave by measuring the distance from crest to crest or trough to trough. This also works from rest position to rest position
wavelength

8. Wavelength of a longitudinal wave
You can find the distance of a longitudinal wave by measuring the distance from one compression to the next
wavelength

9. Frequency
Frequency is the number of complete waves that pass a given point in a certain amount of time
Frequency can also be described as the number of vibrations per second
Frequency is measured in units called hertz (Hz)
Hertz = # wave/ second

10. Speed Sound and light waves travel at different speeds
The speed of a wave is how far the wave travels in one unit of time, or distance divided by time
Speed is measured in meters per second or m/s
The speed, wavelength, and frequency of a wave are related to each other by a mathematical formula

11. Formulas Speed= Wavelength x Frequency
If you know any two of the quantities in the speed formula, you can calculate the third
Frequency= Speed/ wavelength
Wavelength= Speed/ Frequency
In a given medium and under the same conditions, the speed of the wave is constant