Lesson

Waves and Wave Properties

Quick Look
Grade Level: 8 (8-10)
Time Required: 1 hours 45 minutes
(two 50-minute periods; can be over two days)
Lesson Dependency: None

Sunlight that can cause sunburn. Ocean waves.

Microwaves that pop popcorn. X-rays. Are these
waves the same? How would you describe them?

Summary
Students learn about the types of waves and how they change direction, as well as basic wave properties such as
wavelength, frequency, amplitude and speed. During the presentation of lecture information on wave characteristics and
properties, students take notes using a handout. Then they label wave parts on a worksheet diagram and draw their own
waves with specified properties (crest, trough and wavelength). They also make observations about the waves they drew
to determine which has the highest and the lowest frequency. With this knowledge, students better understand waves
and are a step closer to understanding how humans see color.

Engineering Connection
Engineers apply their knowledge of waves to design an array of useful products and tools, many of which are evident in
our everyday lives. For example: microwave ovens, x-ray machines, eyeglasses, tsunami prediction, radios and speakers.
Engineers must understand all the properties of waves and how waves can di!er from one another in order to design
safe and e!ective products. To predict how tsunamis will travel after a ocean earthquake, engineers must understand
wave properties and how they travel. Engineers also use their understanding of wave properties when designing
electronics—to separate di!erent types of waves so that radios tune in to the right stations, or so your cell phone only
picks up the calls that you want. Before designing a solution to a challenge, engineers conduct research and gather
information as a crucial part of the engineering design process. Through this legacy cycle lesson, students begin to gather
the knowledge necessary to come up with a solution to the engineering challenge outlined in lesson 1 of this unit.

Learning Objectives
After this lesson, students should be able to:

Explain that waves transfer energy, not matter.

 Distinguish between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
Summarize the major properties and behavior of waves, including (but not limited to) wavelength, frequency,
amplitude, speed, refraction, reflection and di!raction.

Worksheets and Attachments

Waves and Wave Properties Presentation (ppt)
Waves and Wave Properties Presentation (pdf)
All About Waves—Notes Outline (docx)
All About Waves—Notes Outline (pdf)
All About Waves—Notes Outline Answers (docx)
All About Waves—Notes Outline Answers (pdf)
Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet (doc)
Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet (pdf)
Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet Answers (doc)
Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet Answers (pdf)

Visit [www.teachengineering.org/curriculum/print/clem_waves_lesson02] to print or download.

Introduction/Motivation
(In advance, make copies of the All About Waves—Notes Outline and Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet, one each per
student, and have graph paper available for students. Also [optional], prepare to show students the attached 16-slide
Waves and Wave Properties Presentation to accompany the lesson introduction. The slides are "animated" so you can
click to show the next item when ready.)

Returning to our three-color mystery, today we are going to develop an understanding of the fundamental concepts of
waves. What we learn will move us one step closer to reaching our goal of creating a solution to our engineering challenge
that I explained yesterday (lesson 1 of this unit).

Let's start with what we already know. Why are we able to see? (Because there is light.) What is light? (It is a wave.) So,
what is a wave? Well, we will learn the answer to that question today!

I will pass out an outline that will help you keep track of the important concepts explained as we talk about waves and
wave properties.

(At this point, hand out the notes outlines and present the lecture material provided in the Background section, in
tandem with the slides.)

(Next, so students can apply what they just learned, divide the class into groups of two students each, and hand out
copies of the worksheets and blank graph paper.)

Who has ever sunburned your skin? Who has used a microwave to make popcorn? Or had an x-ray taken? Or listened to
the radio? What do these activities have in common? (Listen to student answers.) All of these require waves.

One di!erence between the waves that pop popcorn and the waves that tan your skin is wave frequency. As we have
learned, the frequency of a wave is defined as the number of cycles that pass a single point in a given amount of time.

In the first part of the worksheet, label the parts of a wave using the definitions given. Then, draw four di!erent waves
given information about the waves' properties. Of these four waves, your challenge is to identify the ones with the highest
and lowest frequencies.

Lesson Background and Concepts for

Teachers
Legacy Cycle Information: This lesson falls into the research and revise phase of the legacy cycle. During this phase,
students begin to learn the basic concepts required to design solutions to the engineering challenge presented in lesson 1
of this unit. After lesson 2, students should be able to revise their initial thoughts, forming new ones that will help solve
the engineering challenge question.
Waves and Wave Properties

(The following lecture material aligns with the slides.)

A wave is a disturbance that carries energy from one place to another. Matter is NOT
carried with the wave! A wave can move through matter (called a "medium"), but some
waves do not need a medium to be able to move. If a wave needs a medium, we call it a
mechanical wave. If a wave can travel without a medium, (for example, through space),
we call it an electromagnetic wave.
Ocean waves are mechanical waves.
Wave Types

1. Transverse waves: Waves in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave. Think about a
"stadium wave:" the people are moving up and down, but the wave is going around the stadium. Parts of
transverse waves:

Crest: the highest point of the wave

Trough: the lowest point of the wave

2. Compressional (longitudinal) waves: Waves in which the medium moves back and forth in the same direction as
the wave. Parts of compressional waves:

Compression: where the particles are close together

Rarefaction: where the particles are spread apart

Wave properties depend on what (type of energy) makes the wave. For example, you splashing in the ocean or an
earthquakes creating a tsunami. Descriptive wave properties include:

1. Wavelength: The distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave.
2. Frequency: How many waves go past a point in one second. The unit of measurement is hertz (Hz). The higher the
frequency, the more energy in the wave.

If 10 waves go past in 1 second, it is 10 Hz

If 1,000 waves go past in 1 second, it is 1,000Hz
If 1,000,000 waves go past, it is 1,000,000 Hz

3. Amplitude: How far the medium (crests and troughs, or compressions and rarefactions) moves from rest position
(the place the medium is when not moving). The more energy a wave carries, the larger its amplitude.

The energy of a wave can be expressed by the equation E = CA2, where E is energy, C is a constant dependent upon
the medium, and A is the amplitude.

4. Wave speed: Depends on the medium in which the wave is traveling. It varies in solids, liquids and gases. A
mathematical way to calculate wave speed is: wave speed = wavelength (in m) x frequency (in Hz). Or, v = f x λ. So, if
a wave has a wavelength of 2 m and a frequency of 500 Hz, what is its speed? (Answer: wave speed = 2 m x 500Hz =
1000 m/s)

Changing Wave Direction

1. Reflection: When waves bounce o! a surface. If the surface is flat, the angle at
which the wave hits the surface will be the same as the angle that the wave leaves
the surface. In other words, the angle in equals the angle out. This is the law of
reflection. (For example, when a pool ball strikes the side of a pool table, the angle
at which it hits the bumper is the same angle at which it bounces o! the bumper.)
2. Refraction: Waves can bend. This happens when a wave enters a new medium
and its speed changes. The amount of bending depends on the medium it is
entering. (optional: To explain this phenomenon in more detail, search the Internet
to find an interactive tutorial that shows light being bent as it travels through a
medium.)
3. Di!raction: The bending of waves around an object. The amount of bending
depends on the size of the obstacle and the size of the waves. (optional: To explain
this phenomenon in more detail, search the Internet to find an interactive tutorial
that shows the di!raction of monochromatic light through slits of varying widths.)
A demonstration of refraction.
 A demonstration of refraction.
Large obstacle, small wavelength = low di!raction (bending)
Small obstacle, large wavelength = large di!raction (bending)

Lesson Closure
Now that you're all experts in understanding the di!erent types of waves, how they move and change direction, and how
to describe their characteristics, tell me, what are some of the ways that you see waves used in your everyday lives?
(Listen to student ideas.) Those are great examples. What about microwave ovens, medical and dental x-ray machines,
eyeglasses and speakers? These are common examples in which engineers apply their knowledge of waves to design all
types of useful products and tools that are evident in our everyday lives. To design these products, engineers must be
well versed in all the properties of waves and how waves can di!er from one another. For example, the waves emitted
from a microwave are very di!erent than those emitted from an x-ray machine that creates images of bones or teeth.
Engineers need a complete understanding of wave properties in order to design safe and e!ective products!

But that's not all—engineers work to protect people and predict how tsunamis will travel after an earthquake in the ocean
by using wave properties. To successfully predict where a tsunami will travel, engineers must understand how waves
move and the properties associated with waves.

Another example of engineers using wave properties is when electrical engineers separate di!erent types of waves so
that the radio you are using tunes in to the right station, or your cell phone only picks up the calls that you want. If it were
not for these engineers, you would constantly be getting calls from people you did not know. To accomplish this they
must have a clear understanding of wave properties and know how to separate di!erent types of waves.

Before designing and creating a solution to a challenge, engineers conduct research and gather information, just like you
did today. This step is a crucial part of the engineering design process.

Vocabulary/Definitions
amplitude: How far the medium (crests and troughs, or compressions and rarefactions) moves from rest position (the
place the medium is when not moving).
compression: When the particles of a longitudinal wave are close together.
compressional (longitudinal) wave: A wave in which the medium moves back and forth in the same direction as the wave.
crest: The highest point on a transverse wave.
di!raction: The bending of waves around an object.
electromagnetic wave: A wave that does not require a medium to travel, for example, it can travel through a vacuum.
Also called an EM wave.
energy: The capacity to do work.
frequency: How many waves go past a point in one second. Measured in hertz (Hz).
mechanical wave: A wave that requires a medium to travel.
rarefaction : When the particles of a longitudinal wave are far apart.
reflection: When a wave bounces o! a surface.
refraction: When a wave bends.
transverse wave: A wave in which the medium moves at right angles to the direction of the wave.
trough: The lowest point on a transverse wave.
wave: A disturbance that carries energy from one place to another.
wavelength: Distance between one point on a wave and the exact same place on the next wave.

Assessment
Note Taking: During the lecture, have students complete the All About Waves—Notes Outline and refer to it for visuals
that supplement the lecture material. Then, with the notes turned over on their desks, ask students various questions
that were covered in the lecture material. Evaluate students' answers to gauge their mastery of the subject.
Worksheet: After the lecture, have students complete the Anatomy of a Wave Worksheet to see how well they apply what
they learned.

Trade-n-Test: To conclude, have each student make up their own wave properties (that is, trough and crest height and
wavelength) and write it down. Then have students trade the "invented properties" papers with other students and draw
the new waves based on the given properties.

References
Davidson, Michael W. Di!raction of Light, Physics of Light and Color, Optical Microscopy Primer. Last modified June 15,
2006. Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Optical Microscopy, Molecular Expressi
ons. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/di!raction/basicdi!raction/index.html

Davidson, Michael W. Particle and Wave Refraction, Physics of Light and Color, Optical Microscopy Primer. Last modifie
d June 15, 2006. Florida State University and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Optical Microscopy, Molecul
ar Expressions. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/particleorwave/refraction/index.h
tml

Lewis, Susan K. Anatomy of a Tsunami. Posted March 29, 2005. Nova beta, PBS Online by WGBH. Accessed February 7,
2012. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tsunami/anatomy.html

Sound & Light: Chapter 1, Section 2 Properties of Waves. Quia, IXL Learning. Accessed February 7, 2012. http://www.qui
a.com/rr/221617.html

Other Related Information

Browse the NGSS Engineering-aligned Physics Curriculum hub for additional Physics and Physical Science curriculum
featuring Engineering.

Copyright
© 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2010 Clemson University

Contributors
Ellen Zielinski; Courtney Faber; Marissa H. Forbes

Supporting Program
Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Program, Center of Advancement of Engineering Fibers and Films, Clemson
University

Acknowledgements
This lesson was developed through Clemson University's "Engineering Fibers and Films Experience – EFF-X" Research
Experience for Teachers program, funded by National Science Foundation grant no. EEC-0602040. However, these
contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume
endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: January 28, 2021