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Waves and Wave Properties
Waves and Wave Properties
And…what is light?
Answer: Light is a wave.
So…what is a wave?
Answer: A wave is a disturbance
that carries energy from place to
place.
A wave does NOT carry matter with
it! It just moves the matter as it goes
through it.
Some waves do not need matter
(called a “medium”) to be able to
move (for example, through space).
compression
rarefaction
The energy of a wave is proportional to the
square of its amplitude. Mathematically
speaking . . .
E = CA2
Where:
E = energy (the capacity to do work)
C = a constant (depends on the medium)
A = amplitude
For example:
If the amplitude is equal to 3 units
(and we assume C = 1 for this case) . . .
Amplitude Energy
1 1 E = CA2
2 4
3 9
4 16
5 25
6 36
7 49
8 64
9 81
10 100
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 speed:
wave speed = wavelength x frequency
(in meters) (in Hz)
OR
v=f x ג