Types of Waves

and Wave
Properties
March 2019
Pulses
• A pulse is a single disturbance which carries energy
through a medium or through space.

• Several pulses at regular time intervals create a wave carrying

energy.
• A wave is a repeated disturbance which carries energy.
• Mass of slinky doesn’t move from one end of the slinky to the other,
but the energy it carries does.
Traveling Wave

© 2015 Pearson
• organized disturbance that travels with a well-defined
wave speed.

Mechanical Waves
• Mechanical waves = waves
that involve the motion of the
substance through which they
move.
• Medium = substance wave
travels through
• Disturbance, for a wave that
passes through a medium,
displaces atoms (that make
up medium) from their
equilibrium position.
Mechanical Waves

• Wave disturbance created by a source.

• Once created, disturbance travels outward
through the medium at wave speed v.
• Wave transfers energy.
• Medium, as a whole, does not travel.
• Wave does NOT transfer any material or
substance outward from the source.
Electromagnetic and Matter Waves
• Electromagnetic waves = waves of an electromagnetic
field.
• Include visible light, radio waves, microwaves, and
x-rays.
• Require no material medium and can travel through a
vacuum.
• Matter waves = describe the wave-like characteristics
of material particles such as electrons and atoms.
• We will NOT focus on these during this unit! 
Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
• Two general classes of waves: transverse and longitudinal.

• Particles in the medium move perpendicular to the direction

in which the wave travels.
• Shaking the end of a stretched string up and down creates a
wave that travels along the string in a horizontal direction
while the particles that make up the string oscillate vertically.

Slinky
Text: p. 472
Demo!
Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
• Two general classes of waves: transverse and longitudinal.

• Particles in the medium move parallel to the direction in

which the wave travels.
• For a chain of masses connected by springs, give the first
mass in the chain a sharp pull. A disturbance travels down
the chain by compressing and expanding the springs.

Slinky
Text: p. 472
Demo!
Circular Waves
• Circular wave = two-
dimensional wave that
spreads across a
surface.
• Locations of the crests
would be the wave
fronts. They are
spaced one wavelength
apart.
Circular Waves

• Although the wave fronts are circles, the

curvature isn’t noticeable if you observed a
small section of the wave front very far away
from the source.
Spherical Waves

• Spherical waves move in three dimensions.

Light and sound waves are spherical waves.
• The waves are three-dimensional ripples; the
crests are spherical shells still spaced one
wavelength apart.
• The wave-front diagrams are now circles that
represent slices through the spherical shells
locating the wave crests.
Section 15.2
Traveling Waves
Waves on a String

• A transverse wave pulse traveling along a

stretched string is shown below.
Waves on a String
• The curvature of the string due to the wave leads to
a net force that pulls a small segment of the string
upward or downward. (Not right or left – the
disturbance is perpendicular)
Waves on a String
• Each point on the string moves
perpendicular to the motion of the wave, so
a wave on a string is a transverse wave.
• An external force created the pulse, but
once started, the pulse continues to
move because of the internal dynamics
of the medium.
 QuickCheck 1
A wave on a string is traveling to the
right. At this instant, the motion of the
piece of string marked with a dot is

A. Up.
B. Down.
C. Right.
D. Left.
E. Zero, instantaneously at rest.
 QuickCheck 1
A wave on a string is traveling to the
right. At this instant, the motion of the
piece of string marked with a dot is

A. Up.
B. Down.
C. Right.
D. Left.
E. Zero, instantaneously at rest.
Sound Waves
• When a loudspeaker cone moves forward, it
compresses the air in front of it.
• The compression is the disturbance that
travels through the air.
 Sound Waves
(more to come later!)
• A sound wave is a longitudinal wave The motion of
the sound wave is determined by the properties of
the air.
Wave Speed Is a Property of
the Medium
• The wave speed does not depend on the
size and shape of the pulse, how the
pulse was generated or how far it has
traveled—only the medium that carries the
wave.
Wave Speed Is a Property of
the Medium

Slide 15-20
Section 15.3
Graphical and
Mathematical
Descriptions of
Waves
 Sinusoidal Waves
• A sinusoidal wave is the
type of wave produced by
a source that oscillates
with simple harmonic
motion (SHM).
• The amplitude A is the
maximum value of
displacement.
• The crests have
displacement of A and the
troughs have a
displacement of –A.
 Sinusoidal Waves

• The wave, like SHM, is

repetitive.
• The wavelength λ is
the distance spanned in
one cycle of the motion.
 Sinusoidal Waves
• A history graph of the
motion of one point of the
medium as a function of
time is also sinusoidal.
Each point in the
medium oscillates with
simple harmonic motion
as the wave passes.
 Sinusoidal Waves
• The period T of the
wave is the time
interval to complete
one cycle of motion.
• The wave frequency is
related to the period
T = 1/f, exactly the
same as in SHM.
The Fundamental Relationship
for Sinusoidal Waves
• During a time interval of exactly one period
T, each crest of a sinusoidal wave travels
forward a distance of exactly one
wavelength λ:

• In terms of frequency, the velocity of the

wave is
QuickCheck 2

The period of this

wave is

A. 1s
B. 2s
C. 4s
D. Not enough
information to tell
QuickCheck 2

The period of this

wave is

A. 1s
B. 2s
C. 4s
D. Not enough
information to tell
 QuickCheck 3
For this
sinusoidal
wave, what is
the amplitude?

A. 0.5 m
B. 1m
C. 2m
D. 4m
 QuickCheck 3
For this
sinusoidal
wave, what is
the amplitude?

A. 0.5 m
B. 1m
C. 2m
D. 4m
 QuickCheck 4
For this
sinusoidal wave,
what is the
wavelength?

A. 0.5 m
B. 1m
C. 2m
D. 4m
 QuickCheck 4
For this
sinusoidal wave,
what is the
wavelength?

A. 0.5 m
B. 1m
C. 2m
D. 4m
QuickCheck 5
For this
sinusoidal
wave, what is
the frequency?

A. 50 Hz
B. 100 Hz
C. 200 Hz
D. 400 Hz
QuickCheck 5
For this
sinusoidal
wave, what is
the frequency?

A. 50 Hz
B. 100 Hz
C. 200 Hz
D. 400 Hz
 QuickCheck 6
A speaker emits a 400-Hz tone. The air
temperature increases. This ______ the
wavelength of the sound.

A. Increases
B. Does not change
C. Decreases
 QuickCheck 6
A speaker emits a 400-Hz tone. The air
temperature increases. This ______ the
wavelength of the sound.

A. Increases
B. Does not change
C. Decreases
QuickCheck 7
A snapshot and a history graph for a
sinusoidal wave on a string appear as follows:

What is the speed of the wave?

A. 1.5 m/s
B. 3.0 m/s
C. 5.0 m/s
D. 15 m/s
QuickCheck 7
A snapshot and a history graph for a
sinusoidal wave on a string appear as follows:

What is the speed of the wave?

A. 1.5 m/s
B. 3.0 m/s
C. 5.0 m/s
D. 15 m/s
QuickCheck 8
Which has a longer wavelength?

A. A 400-Hz sound wave in air

B. A 400-Hz sound wave in water
QuickCheck 8
Which has a longer wavelength?

A. A 400-Hz sound wave in air

B. A 400-Hz sound wave in water
Ex 1:
You drop a stone down a well that is 9.5 m deep.
How long before you hear the splash? The speed
of sound in air is 343 m/s and air resistance is
negligible.
Ex 1:
You drop a stone down a well that is 9.5 m deep.
How long before you hear the splash? The speed
of sound in air is 343 m/s and air resistance is
negligible.
y 2y y
y  9.5 m v t  t1  t2  
t 2
g v
v  343 ms
t 
y
t
2  9.5 m  
9.5 m
y  2 gt1
1 2
2
v 9.8 m
s 343 m
s

2 y
t1 
g t  1.42 s
Ex 2:
Fishing from a pier, Carson observes that the float on his
line bobs up and down, taking 2.4 s to move from its
highest point to its lowest point. He also estimates the
distance between adjacent wave crests is 48 m. What is
the speed of the waves going past the pier?
Ex 2:
Fishing from a pier, Carson observes that the float on his
line bobs up and down, taking 2.4 s to move from its
highest point to its lowest point. He also estimates the
distance between adjacent wave crests is 48 m. What is
the speed of the waves going past the pier?

T  4.8 s
48 m
  48 m v
4.8 s

v v  10 ms
T