VIBRATION AND WAVES

OBJECTIVE:
At the end of this unit you should be able

to:

State the definition of waves.

List down at least three types of wave
Define all the types of wave
Draw simple diagram for each waves
Identify the different in each type of waves

Definition of Waves
A wave is "a disturbance or variation

that transfers energy progressively

from point to point in a medium.
The most important part of this definition is
that a wave is a disturbance or variation
which travels through a medium.
The medium through which the wave travels
may experience some local oscillations
as the wave passes, but the particles in
the medium do not travel with the wave.

Types of Waves
Water waves have two features common to

all waves:
1. A wave is a traveling disturbance.
2. A wave carries energy from place to

place.

Types of Wave

Two basic types of waves,

transverse and
longitudinal.

(a) An upward pulse moves to the right.

(b) a downward pulse.

(c) When the end of the Slinky is

moved up and down continuously,
a transverse wave is produced.

a transverse wave is one in which the

disturbance is perpendicular to the

direction of travel of the wave.
Radio waves, light waves, and microwaves
are transverse waves.
Transverse waves also travel on the strings
of instruments such as guitars and banjos.

Longitudinal Wave

a longitudinal wave is one in which the

disturbance is parallel to the, line of travel

of the wave. A sound wave is a longitudinal
wave.

(a) A compressed region

moves to the right.

(b) a stretched region.

(c) When the end of the Slinky

is moved back and forth continuously,
a longitudinal wave is produced.

Sound Wave
Longitudinal Sound Waves
Sound is a longitudinal wave that is created
by a vibrating object, such as a guitar string,
the human vocal cords, or the diaphragm of a
loudspeaker.
Sound can be created or transmitted only in
a medium, such as a gas, liquid, or solid.
The particles of the medium must be present
for the disturbance of the wave to move from
place to place.
Sound cannot exist in a vacuum.

Frequency of a Sound
Wave

Frequency is the number of cycles per

second.
A sound with a single frequency is called a
pure tone.
Sound waves with frequencies below 20 Hz
are said to be infrasonic, while those with
frequencies above 20 kHz are referred to as
ultrasonic.

The Pressure Amplitude of a

Sound Wave
Loudness is an attribute of sound that

depends primarily on the amplitude of the

wave: the larger the amplitude, the louder
the sound.
The pressure amplitude is an objective
property of a sound wave, since it can be
measured.
Loudness, on the other hand, is subjective.
Each individual determines what is loud,
depending on the acuteness of his or her
hearing.

A sound wave is a series of alternating

condensations and rarefactions

 Figure illustrates a puretone sound wave traveling in a tube.

Attached to the tube is a series of gauges that indicate the

pressure variations along the wave.
The Graph shows that the air pressure varies sinusoidally along

the length of the tube. Although this graph has the appearance of
a transverse wave, remember that the Sound itself is a
longitudinal wave.
The graph also shows the pressure amplitude of the wave,

which is the magnitude of the maximum change in pressure,

measured relative to the undisturbed or atmospheric pressure.
The pressure fluctuations in a sound wave are normally very
small.
For instance, in a typical conversation between two people the

pressure amplitude is about 3 X 10-2 Pa, certainly a small amount

compared with the atmospheric pressure of 1.01 X 10 +5 Pa. The
ear is remarkable in being able to detect such small changes.

Simple Harmonic Wave/Periodic Wave

The transverse and longitudinal waves that

we have been discussing are called periodic

waves, because they consist of patterns
that are produced over and over again by
the source.
Therefore, some of the terminology (cycle,
amplitude, period, and frequency) used to
describe periodic waves is the same as
simple harmonic motion

In parts a and b, one cycle of the wave

is shaded in color, and the amplitude of

the wave is denoted as A.

One cycle of the wave is shaded in color in

both parts of the drawing

A wave is a series of many cycles. In part a
the vertical position of the Slinky is plotted
on the vertical axis, while the
corresponding distance along the length of
the Slinky is plotted on the horizontal axis.

As marked on this graph, the amplitude A is

the maximum excursion of a particle of the

medium from the particle's undisturbed
position.
The amplitude is the distance between a
crest, or highest point on the wave pattern,
and the undisturbed position; it is also the
distance between a trough, or lowest point
on the wave pattern, and the undisturbed
position.

The wavelength is the horizontal length of

one cycle of the wave.

The wavelength is also the horizontal
distance between two successive crests,
two successive troughs, or any two
successive equivalent points on the wave.

As indicated on the graph, the period T is

the time required for one complete

up/down cycle, just as it is for an object on
a spring.
Equivalently, the period is the time
required for the wave to travel a distance of
one wavelength. The period T is related to
the frequency f,

 The period is commonly measured in seconds, and

frequency is measured in cycles per second or hertz

(Hz). If, for instance, one cycle of a wave takes
onetenth of a second to pass an observer, then ten
cycles pass per second, [f = 1 /(0. 1 s) = 10 cycles/s
= 10 Hz].

A simple relation exists between the period, the

wavelength, and the speed of a wave.

each of which has a length and requires a time T
to pass, so the speed is v = /T. This same equation
applies for a wave and relates the speed of the
wave to the wavelength and the period T. Since
the frequency of a wave is f = 1/T,

Exercise :
From the wave equation given below,

identify the:
d = 4 Sin ( 2t 3x )
Amplitude of the wave.
Wave Length
Periodic time and Frequency
Speed of wave.