Suggested time allotment: 4 to 5 hours

MODULE

2 WAVES AROUND YOU

Waves occur all around you in the physical world. When you throw a
stone into a lake, water waves spread out from the splash. When you strum
the strings of a guitar, sound waves carry the noise all around you. When
you switch on a lamp, light waves flood the room. Water, sound, and light
waves differ in important ways but they all share the basic properties of
wave motion. For instance, you can see water waves and surfers would say
that they enjoy riding the waves. On the other hand, you don’t see sound
waves and light waves but you experience them in other ways. Your ears can
detect sound waves and your skin can get burned by ultraviolet waves if you
stay under the sun for too long.

A wave is a periodic disturbance that moves away from a source and

carries energy with it. For example, earthquake waves show us that the
amount of energy carried by a wave can do work on objects by exerting
forces that move objects from their original positions. Have you personally
experience an earthquake? How did it feel? Did you know that you can
understand earthquakes by studying waves?

In this module, you would be doing three activities that would

demonstrate the properties of wave motion. After performing these activities,
you should be able to:

1. explain how waves carry energy from one place to

another;
2. distinguish between transverse and longitudinal waves;
3. distinguish between mechanical and electromagnetic
waves; and
4. create a model to demonstrate the relationship among
frequency, amplitude, wavelength, and wave velocity.

Grade
Grade7 Science:
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Energy Material
In Motion(Second Part) 1799
 Warm up. What are Waves?

Activity 1 will introduce you to different types of waves distinguished

according to the direction of vibrations of particles with respect to the
direction in which the waves travel. Activity 2 will give you a background of
the terms and quantities used in describing periodic waves. Finally, Activity
3 will strengthen your understanding of the properties
of waves and how they propagate.

Try to wave at your seatmate and observe the

motion of your hand. Do you make a side-to-side
motion with the palm of your hand? Do you do an up-
and-down motion with your hand?

1. Describe your personal hand wave.

Waving is a common
The repetitive motion that you do with your gesture that people do
hand while waving is called a vibration. A vibration to catch someone’s
causes wave motion. When you observe a wave, the attention or to convey
source is always a vibration. a farewell.

2. Think of a still lake. How would you generate

water waves on the lake?

Activity 1. Let’s Make Waves!

What happens when waves pass by?

Objective

In this activity, you will observe and draw

different types of waves and describe how they
are produced. You will also describe the different
types of waves.

Time Allotment: 30 minutes

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 Materials

 A rope (at least five meters long)

 A colored ribbon
 A coil spring (Slinky™)
 A basin filled with water
 A paper boat

Procedure

A. What are transverse waves?

1. Straighten the rope and place it above a long table. Hold one end of
the rope and vibrate it up and down. You would be able to observe
a pulse. Draw three sketches of the rope showing the motion of the
pulse at three subsequent instances (snapshots at three different
times). Draw an arrow to represent the direction of the pulse’s
motion.

Time 1

Time 2

Time 3

a. What is the source of the wave pulse?

b. Describe the motion of your hand as you create the pulse.

c. Describe the motion of the pulse with respect to the source.

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 You will now tag a specific part of the rope while making a
series of pulses. A periodic wave can be regarded as a series
of pulses. One pulse follows another in regular succession.

Figure 1. Periodic wave

Tie one end of the rope on a rigid and fixed object (e.g heavy table,
door knob, etc).

Figure 2. Rope tied to a rigid object

Attach a colored ribbon on one part of the rope. You may use
adhesive tape to fix the ribbon. Make a wave by continuously
vibrating the end of the rope with quick up-and-down movements
of your hand. Draw the waveform or the shape of the wave that
you have created.

Ask a friend to vibrate the rope while you observe the motion of
the colored ribbon. Remember that the colored ribbon serves as a
marker of a chosen segment of the rope.

a. Does the wave transport the colored ribbon from its original
position to the end of the rope?

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 b. Describe the vibration of the colored ribbon. How does it move
as waves pass by? Does it move in the same direction as the
wave?

B. What are longitudinal waves?

1. Connect one end of a long table to a wall. Place coil spring on top of
table. Attach one end of the coil spring to the wall while you hold
the other end.

Figure 3. Coil spring on a flat table with one

end attached to a wall

Do not lift the coil spring. Ask a friend to vibrate the end of the coil
spring by doing a back-and-forth motion parallel to the length of
the spring. Observe the waves along the coil spring. Draw how the
coil spring looks like as you move it back-and-forth.

2. Attach a colored ribbon on one part of the coil spring. You may use
an adhesive tape to fix the ribbon. Ask a friend to vibrate the coil
spring back-and-forth while you observe the motion of the colored
ribbon. Remember that the colored ribbon serves as a marker of a
chosen segment of the coil spring.

a. Does the wave transport the colored ribbon from its original
position to the end of the rope?

b. Describe the vibration of the colored ribbon. How does it move

as waves pass by?

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 C. What are surface waves?

1. Place a basin filled with water on top of a level table. Wait until the
water becomes still or motionless. Create a wave pulse by tapping
the surface of the water with your index finger and observe the
direction of travel of the wave pulse. Tap the surface of the water at
regular intervals to create periodic waves. View the waves from
above and draw the pattern that you see. In your drawing, mark
the source of the disturbance.

2. Wait for the water to become still before you place your paper boat
on the surface. Create periodic waves and observe what happens to
your paper boat.

a. Do the waves set the paper boat into motion? What is required
to set an object into motion?

b. If you exert more energy in creating periodic waves by tapping

the surface with greater strength, how does this affect the
movement of the paper boat?

3. If you were somehow able to mark individual water molecules (you

used a colored ribbon to do this earlier) and follow them as waves
pass by, you would find that their paths are like those shown in
the figure below.

Figure 4. Surface waves

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 a. As shown in the figure, the passage of a wave across a surface
of a body of water involves the motion of particles following a
___________ pattern about their original positions.

b. Does the wave transport water molecules from the source of

the vibration? Support your answer using the shown figure.

D. Summary

1. Waves can be typified according to the direction of motion of the

vibrating particles with respect to the direction in which the waves
travel.

a. Waves in a rope are called ____________ waves because the

individual segments of the rope vibrate ____________ to the
direction in which the waves travel.

b. When each portion of a coil spring is alternatively compressed

and extended, ____________ waves are produced.

c. Waves on the surface of a body of water are a combination of

transverse and longitudinal waves. Each water molecule
moves in a _______________ pattern as the waves pass by.

2. How do we know that waves carry energy?

3. What happens when waves pass by?

Activity 2. Anatomy of a Wave

How do you describe waves?

Background

You had the experience of creating periodic waves in Activity 1. In a

periodic wave, one pulse follows another in regular succession; a certain
waveform – the shape of individual waves – is repeated at regular intervals.

Most periodic waves have sinusoidal waveforms as shown below. The

highest point and lowest point of a wave are called the crest and the trough
respectively. The amplitude is the maximum displacement of a vibrating
particle on either side of its normal position when the wave passes.
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 Figure 5. Sinusoidal wave

Objective

In this activity, you will identify the quantities used in describing

periodic waves.

Time Allotment: 40 minutes

Materials

 A ruler
 A basin filled with water
 A rope (at least five meters long)
 A colored ribbon
 A watch or digital timer

Procedure

A. How can you measure the wavelength of a

wave?

1. The wavelength of a wave refers to the distance between any

successive identical parts of the wave. For instance, the distance
from one crest to the next is equal to one full wavelength. In the
following illustration, this is given by the interval B to F. Identify
the other intervals that represent one full wavelength.

_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

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 2. Place a basin filled with water on top of a level table. Wait for the
water to become still. Create a vibration by regularly tapping the
surface of the water with your index finger. You would be able to
see the subsequent crest of the water waves.

Figure 6. Crest and trough on a water wave

Draw the water waves as you see them from the top of the basin.
Label one wavelength in your drawing.

3. Increase the rate of the vibrations you create by tapping the

surface of the water rapidly. What happens to the wavelength of
the waves? _______________________________________________

Draw the water waves as you see them from the top of the basin.
Compare it with your drawing in number 2.

B. How do you measure the frequency of a wave?

1. The frequency of a series of periodic waves is the number of waves

that pass a particular point every one second. Just like what you
have done in Activity 1, attach a colored ribbon on a rope to serve

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 as a tag. Tie one end of the rope on a fixed object and ask a friend
to create periodic waves by regularly vibrating the other end of the
rope.

2. You will count how many times the colored ribbon reached the
crest in 10 seconds. You will start counting once the ribbon
reaches the crest a second time. It means that one wave has
passed by the ribbon’s position. Ask another friend with a watch or
a digital timer to alert you to start counting and to stop counting
after 10 seconds. Record the results in Table 1.

3. It is also useful to consider the period of a wave, which is the time

required for one complete wave to pass a given point. The period of
each wave is
1
𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑑 =
𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦

From the identified frequency of the observed periodic waves, the

period can be calculated. For example, if two waves per second are
passing by, each wave has a period of ½ seconds.

Table 1. Frequency and period of the wave

Number of waves Frequency
Period
(N cycles) that passed by of the waves
of the waves (seconds)
the ribbon in 10 seconds (N cycles/10 seconds)

The unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz); 1 Hz = 1 cycle/second.

4. If you increase the frequency of vibration by jerking the end of the

rope at a faster rate, what happens to the wavelength?
__________________________________________________________________

C. How do you measure the speed of a wave?

1. Using the rope with ribbon. Create periodic waves and estimate
their wavelength. Count the number of waves that pass by the
ribbon in ten seconds. Compute the frequency of the waves. Record
the results in Table 2.

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 2. The wave speed is the distance traveled by the wave per second.

𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑑 𝑝𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 = 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑥 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

From the basic formula that applies to all periodic waves, you can
see that wave speed, frequency and wavelength are independent of
the wave’s amplitude.

a. Using the data from number 1, calculate the wave speed of the
observed periodic waves. Record the result in Table 2.

Table 2. The speed of a wave

Estimated Number of waves Frequency Wave speed
wavelength (N cycles) that of the waves (meter/second)
(meters) passed by the (N cycles/10
ribbon in 10 seconds)
seconds

Summary

1. What is the relationship between wave speed, wavelength and

frequency?

2. Suppose you observed an anchored boat to rise and fall once every
4.0 seconds as waves whose crests are 25 meters apart pass by it.

a. What is the frequency of the observed waves?

b. What is the speed of the waves?

Activity 3. Mechanical vs. Electromagnetic Waves

How do waves propagate?
Objective

In this activity, you will differentiate between mechanical waves and

electromagnetic waves.

Time Allotment: 30 minutes

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 Materials

 Findings from Activity 1

 Chart of the electromagnetic spectrum

A. What are mechanical waves?

1. When you created waves using a rope in Activity 1 Part A, you were
able to observe a moving pattern. In this case, the medium of wave
propagation is the rope.

a. In Activity 1 Part B, what is the medium of wave propagation?

b. In Activity 1 Part C, what is the medium of wave propagation?

2. The waves that you have created in

Activity 1 all require a medium for
wave propagation. They are called
mechanical waves.

a. How can you generate

mechanical waves? The medium of propagation for the wave
shown above is the rope.
3. All three kinds of waves –
transverse, longitudinal, and surface – are sent out by an
earthquake and can be detected many thousands of kilometers
away if the quake is a major one.

a. What do you think is the source of earthquake waves?

b. What is the medium of propagation of earthquake waves?

B. What are electromagnetic waves?

1. Energy from the sun reaches the earth through electromagnetic

waves. As opposed to mechanical waves, electromagnetic waves
require no material medium for their passage. Thus, they can pass
through empty space. Locate the electromagnetic spectrum chart
in your classroom. A smaller image of the chart is shown below.
Identify the common name of each wave shown in the chart.

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 1. ______________________ 5. _______________________
2. ______________________ 6. _______________________
3. ______________________ 7. _______________________
4. ______________________

2. The electromagnetic spectrum shows the various types of

electromagnetic waves, the range of their frequencies and
wavelength. The wave speed of all electromagnetic waves is the
same and equal to the speed of light which is approximately equal
to 300 000 000 m/s.

Figure 7. The electromagnetic spectrum

a. Examine the electromagnetic spectrum.

1. Describe the relationship between frequency and

wavelength of each electromagnetic wave.

2. Draw waves to represent each electromagnetic wave.

Your illustrations must represent the wavelength of a
wave relative to the others. For instance, gamma rays
have a very small wavelength compared to the other
waves in the spectrum.

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 1. Gamma Rays

2. __________

3. __________

4. __________

5. __________

6. __________

7. __________

b. The Sun is an important source of ultraviolet (UV) waves,

which is the main cause of sunburn. Sunscreen lotions are
transparent to visible light but absorb most UV light. The
higher a sunscreen’s solar protection factor (SPF), the greater
the percentage of UV light absorbed. Why are UV rays
harmful to the skin compared to visible light?

Compare the frequency and energy carried by UV waves to

that of visible light.

C. Summary

1. Mechanical waves like sound, water waves, earthquake waves,

and waves in a stretched string propagate through a
_______________ while __________________ waves such as radio
waves, visible light, and gamma rays, do not require a material
medium for their passage.

Review. Waves Around You

The activities that you have performed are all about wave motion or
the propagation of a pattern caused by a vibration. Waves transport energy
from one place to another thus they can set objects into motion.

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 What happens when waves pass by?

Activity 1 introduced you to transverse waves, longitudinal waves, and

surface waves. You observed the motion of a segment of the material
through which the wave travels.

1. Transverse waves occur when the individual particles or

segments of a medium vibrate from side to side perpendicular to
the direction in which the waves travel.

2. Longitudinal waves occur when the individual particles of a

medium vibrate back and forth in the direction in which the
waves travel.

3. The motion of water molecules on the surface of deep water in

which a wave is propagating is a combination of transverse and
longitudinal displacements, with the result that molecules at the
surface move in nearly circular paths. Each molecule is displaced
both horizontally and vertically from its normal position.

4. While energy is transported by virtue of the moving pattern, it is

important to remember that there is not net transport of matter
in wave motion. The particles vibrate about a normal position and
do not undergo a net motion.

How can you describe waves?

In Activity 2, you have encountered the important terms and

quantities used to describe periodic waves.

1. The crest and trough refer to the highest point and lowest point of
a wave pattern, respectively.

2. The amplitude of a wave is the maximum displacement of a

particle of the medium on either side of its normal position when
the wave passes.

3. The frequency of periodic waves is the number of waves that pass

a particular point for every one second while the wavelength is
the distance between adjacent crests or troughs.

4. The period is the time required for one complete wave to pass a
particular point.

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 5. The speed of the wave refers to the distance the wave travels per
unit time. It is related to the frequency of the wave and
wavelength through the following equation:

𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑥 𝑤𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ

How do waves propagate?

Finally, Activity 3 prompted you to distinguish between mechanical

and electromagnetic waves.

1. In mechanical waves, some physical medium is being disturbed

for the wave to propagate. A wave traveling on a string would not
exist without the string. Sound waves could not travel through air
if there were no air molecules. With mechanical waves, what we
interpret as a wave corresponds to the propagation of a
disturbance through a medium.

2. On the other hand, electromagnetic waves do not require a

medium to propagate; some examples of electromagnetic waves
are visible light, radio waves, television signals, and x-rays.

Up Next. Light

In the next module, you would learn about visible light, the most
familiar form of electromagnetic waves, since it is the part of the
electromagnetic spectrum that the human eye can detect. Through some
interesting activities, you would come across the characteristics of light, how
it is produced and how it propagates. You would need the concepts that you
learned from this module to fully understand and appreciate the occurrence
of light.

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 Pre/Post Test

Consider the diagram below to answer questions 1 and 2.

1. The wavelength of the wave in the diagram above is given by letter

______.

2. The amplitude of the wave in the diagram above is given by letter _____.

3. Indicate the interval that represents a half wavelength.

a. A to E c. A to B
b. B to F d. C to E

4. A pulse sent down a long string eventually dies away and disappears.
What happens to its energy?
a. The energy disappears with the wave.
b. The energy is remains along the length of the string.
c. The energy is transferred from the wave to the environment.
d. The pulse does not carry energy.

5. Mechanical waves transport energy from one place to another through

a. Alternately vibrating particles of the medium
b. Particles traveling with the wave
c. Vibrating particles and traveling particles
d. None of the above

6. In a transverse wave, the individual particles of the medium

a. move in circles
b. move in ellipses
c. move parallel to the direction of travel
d. move perpendicular to the direction of travel

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 7. The higher the frequency of a wave,

a. the lower its speed c. the greater its amplitude

b. the shorter its wavelength d. the longer its period

8. Of the following properties of a wave, the one that is independent of the

others is its

a. amplitude c. wavelength
b. wave speed d. frequency

9. Waves in a lake are 5.00 m in length and pass an anchored boat 1.25 s
apart. The speed of the waves is
a. 0.25 m/s
b. 4.00 m/s
c. 6.25 m/s
d. impossible to find from the information given

10. Energy from the sun reaches the earth through

a. ultraviolet waves c. mechanical waves

b. infrared waves d. electromagnetic waves

References and Web Links

Anatomy of an electromagnetic wave. Available at:

http://missionscience.nasa.gov/ems/02_anatomy.html

Electromagnetic waves. Available at:

http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/waves_particles/
[3] Hewitt, P. (2006). Conceptual Physics 10th Ed. USA: Pearson Addison-
Wesley.

The anatomy of a wave. Available at:

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/u10l2a.cfm

The nature of a wave. Available at:

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/waves/u10l1c.cfm

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