However, light is not a mechanical wave it can travel through a vacuum such as the empty parts of outer space.Ī familiar wave that you can easily imagine is the water wave. The medium may be a solid, a liquid, or a gas, and the speed of the wave depends on the material properties of the medium through which it is traveling. Sound and water waves are mechanical waves meaning, they require a medium to travel through. Light, sound, and waves in the ocean are common examples of waves. Waves transfer energy from one place to another, but they do not necessarily transfer any mass. This tube contains one full wavelength with antinodes at the end.What do we mean when we say something is a wave? A wave is a disturbance that travels or propagates from the place where it was created. This also has a node on one side and an antinode at the other, but it contains 3/4 of a wavelengthĪntinodes at both ends (like a flute) This contains half of a wavelength length graph looks similar to the above wave. This has the wave represented as a pressure wave, showing regions of high and low pressure. Sound Waves in a Tube If the tube is open at the end it will have an antinode, a point where there is maximum displacement, if the tube is closed at one end the wave inside the tube will have a node at that end, a point where there is no displacement. Thus a higher tension will cause the waves to travel faster, and a heavier medium will cause the wave to travel slower. The force is the tension, and m is the mass per unit length. Velocity of Waves The velocity of waves on a string or spring is given. This would be like the waves on a jump rope. Transverse WavesTransverse Waves have disturbances that are perpendicular to the direction of travel. The disturbance is along the direction of travel. Longitudinal WavesLongitudinal Waves are also known as compressional waves. A periodic wave has waves traveling down the medium at regular time intervals Pulses vs Periodic WavesA single pulse can be sent down a Slinky as a transverse wave or a longitudinal wave. WavelengthThe wavelength is found by finding the distance between two identical points on a wave. A simple example is a jump rope which is essentially unmoving on the ends, nodes, and has maximum movement in the middle, an antinode. Standing WavesStanding waves are waves that have regions where there is no movement, caused by two waves moving in opposite directions. These waves can be reflected and can interfere with each other. WavesWaves are disturbances that propagate energy.
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