Topic 3 Properties of Waves Including Light and Sound: What Is Wave Motion?
Topic 3 Properties of Waves Including Light and Sound: What Is Wave Motion?
Topic 3 Properties of Waves Including Light and Sound: What Is Wave Motion?
TOPIC 3
PROPERTIES OF WAVES INCLUDING LIGHT
AND SOUND
Mechanical Waves:
Mechanical waves (example water waves, sound waves, waves in stretched
springs) require a material medium for travel.
When a wave travels from one point A to
point B, it is because of a disturbance of some
kind at A has caused the particles of the
medium to move. This particle drags its
neighbor with it, so that it too becomes
displaced and has a similar effect on next
particle, and so on until the disturbance
reaches at point B.
There are two types of mechanical waves
depend upon how the particles of the medium
move. These are transverse waves and
longitudinal waves. In transverse waves the
direction of movement or disturbance of the
particles in the medium is at right angle to the
direction of the waves. However in
longitudinal wave the direction of disturbance
of particles in the medium is in the same direction that the waves travel.
Electromagnetic waves:
Electromagnetic waves (for example light
waves, radio waves, x-rays etc) can travel
through the space with the constant speed
without the presence of any medium. They
are comprised of electric and magnetic field
oscillating perpendicular to the direction of
waves. More detailed explanation on
electromagnetic waves is in last section.
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Wavelength (λ):
The wavelength of a wave, represented by
the Greek letter λ (lambda), is the
distance between the two successive
crests or troughs.
Frequency (f):
The frequency f is the number of
complete waves generated per second.
The unit of frequency is ‘cycle per
second’ or ‘hertz (Hz)’.
Amplitude (a):
The amplitude ‘a’ is the height of a crest or the depth of trough measured from the
center of undisturbed position.
Wavefronts:
The wavefronts are represented by straight
lines and can be thought as the crests or
troughs of the waves. They are at the right
angle to the direction of waves.
Wavesfronts
Wave equation:
The higher the frequency (f) of a wave the smaller its wavelength (λ). It is true for
all types of waves and the relation between them is called wave equation which is
= × ℎ
=
1
=
Refraction of waves:
Refraction is the bending of waves towards the normal when
they enter from lighter medium to denser medium i.e. the
angle of incidence is more than the angle of refraction. In the
example of water waves, when straight waves pass from deep
to shallow region, their wavelength becomes shorter. It
means that, although the wavelength λ has altered, the
frequency f has remained same. Since the velocity v=f λ, it
means that the waves travel more slowly in shallow region
than in deep.
∠ >∠
when the incident medium is less densor than the reflected
medium.
Diffraction of waves:
When straight waves are incident on a small opening formed between two bars
placed in the path of waves, then the wavefronts emerge with a circular shape and
waves spread out in all directions from the opening. The spreading of waves at the
edges of obstacles is called diffraction. The extent of diffraction depends on the
width of the gap compare to the wavelength. If the width of the gap is
approximately equal to the wavelength then the diffraction is most noticeable. In
the process of diffraction the wavelength, speed and frequency of the wave remain
same.
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LIGHT WAVE:
Light waves travel in straight lines.
A ray is the direction of the path taken by light waves and represented in
diagrams by a straight line with an arrow on it.
Light waves are electromagnetic waves and can travel without the presence of
any medium.
Why shadows formed? Because the object is
opaque, light travels in straight line and light
waves have shorter wavelength. For example in
pin hole camera.
Speed of light is much faster than the speed of
sound. For example in thunder we see the
lightening first and then we hear the sound.
REFLECTION OF LIGHT:
When the light waves called incident rays strike on a
silver shinny surface eg plane mirror, they bounce back at the
same angle. The bounced ray is called reflected ray.
Plane mirror can be formed by a thin silver coating at
the back of a transparent glass sheet and then painting the
surface for protection.
The perpendicular to the plane mirror where incident
ray strikes is called NORMAL.
Laws of Reflection:
The Angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection or
∠ =∠
The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.
Reflection is irregular or diffuse when waves strike on the surface that is not
perfectly smooth like mirror.
IGCSE Physics 0625 notes Topic 3: Waves. Light and Sound 5
REFRACTION OF LIGHT:
The bending of light when it passes from one
material (medium) to another is called refraction.
A ray of light is bent towards the normal when it
enters from lighter medium (eg air) to densor
medium (eg glass).
The angle between the incident ray and normal is
called incident angle.
The angle between the refracted ray and normal is called refracted angle.
When light passes from lighter medium to denser medium the speed and
wavelength decreases and frequency remains constant and opposite is true
when light goes from densor to lighter medium.
A ray of light traveling along the normal is not refracted.
Laws of refraction:
The incident and refracted rays are on opposite sides of the normal at the point of
incidence and all three are in same plane.
The ratio of sine of angle of incidence to sine of angle of refraction is constant
for a given pair of media. It is called refractive index of the medium (This law is
called Snell’s law presented by Willebrord Snell, Professor of mathematics in
1621)
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Use simple experiment with optical pins to find the position of refracted
image through a transparent glass slab. Show the angle of incidence and
angle of refraction.
Refractive index:
Speed of light in air or vacuum is 3 x 108 m/s.
Speed of light in glass is 2 x 108 m/s.
The value of constant for a ray of light passing from one medium to
another is called refractive index (n) of the second medium (r) with respect to
the first (i).
=
=
Consider a ray of light passing from glass to air. If the ray is along the normal then
it will not refract. When the angle of incidence is small; we get a weak internally
reflected ray (light grey) and strong refracted ray (dark grey). As we increase the
angle of incidence, the angle of refraction also increases. At the same time the
intensity of reflected ray gets stronger and intensity of refracted ray weaker. At
IGCSE Physics 0625 notes Topic 3: Waves. Light and Sound 7
certain angle of incidence the angle of refraction becomes 90o. The incidence angle
at which the angle of refraction is 90o is called critical angle of incidence, c.
Since it is impossible of have an angle of refraction greater than 90o, it follow that
for all angles of incidence greater than the critical angle c the incident light go
through the process called total internal reflection. Fiber optic cables and mirage
are the good example of total internal reflection.
Refraction by a prism:
In a triangular glass prism the
bending of a ray due to refraction
at the first surface is added to the
deviation at the second surface
and deviation do not cancel out as
in parallel sided glass. The angle δ
is called the angle of deviation.
Dispersion of light:
When white light falls on triangular
glass prism a band of colours called
spectrum is obtained. The effect is
called dispersion. It arises because
white light is mixture of seven
colours which the prism separates
because the refractive index of glass
is different for each colour or
wavelength of light and it is
greatest for violet light.
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LENSES:
Lens is a transparent refracting medium bounded by two regular shaped surfaces
such as spherical, plane or cylindrical. They are divided into two types
1. Convex or converging lens is thicker at the middle than the edges.
2. Concave or diverging lens thicker at the edge than at the centre.
Principal axis:
The straight line passing through the centre of the lens is called principal axis.
Aperture
The diameter of the lens is called aperture of the lens.
Optical centre:
A point inside the lens situated on the principal axis is called optical centre. The
rays passing through the optical centre are not deviated.
Focal length:
The distance from the optical centre to the focus is called focal length of the lens.
1
http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/Phys/Class/refrn/u14l5b.html
IGCSE Physics 0625 notes Topic 3: Waves. Light and Sound 9
An incident ray which passes through the center of the lens will in affect
continue in the same direction that it had when it entered the lens.
ELECTROMAGNETIC
WAVES:
Electromagnetic waves are consists of electric and magnetic fields oscillating
perpendicular to the direction of waves. Based on their frequency and wavelength
they are of different types, for example radio waves, micro waves, infrared, visible
light, ultra violet, x-rays and gamma rays, however they all travel with same speed
in vacuum, 3×108 m/s. Electromagnetic waves travel fastest in vacuum and presence
of medium reduces its speed. The single name given to all the electromagnetic
wave is electromagnetic spectrum.
Electromagnetic spectrum
The range of wavelengths for electromagnetic waves from the very long to the very
short is called the Electromagnetic Spectrum:
Radio and TV waves are the longest usable waves, having a wavelength of 1.5 km
or more. They are used for television and radio transmission.
Microwaves are used in telecommunication as well as for cooking food.
Infrared waves are barely visible. They are the deep red rays you get from a heat
lamp. They are also used in remote controls.
Visible light waves are the radiation you can see with your eyes. Their wavelengths
are in the range of 10-7 meters.
Ultraviolet rays are what give you sunburn and are used in "black lights" that make
object glow. These are also used as disinfectant and for killing microorganism.
X-rays go through the body and are used for medical purposes.
Gamma rays are dangerous rays coming from nuclear reactors and atomic bombs.
They have the shortest wavelength in the electromagnetic spectrum of about 10-13
meters.
IGCSE Physics 0625 notes Topic 3: Waves. Light and Sound: Revised on: 17 September 2010 11
2
http://environmentalhealthandsafetyoffice.dal.ca/files/microwave.safety.pdf
3
http://xrayweb.chem.ou.edu/notes/safety.html