Chapter 17:

Mechanical Waves and

Sound
Jennie L. Borders
 Warm-Up Nov. 4
1. What is a wave?
2. What is the highest point on a
wave called?
3. What is reflection?
Section 17.1 – Mechanical Waves
 A mechanical wave is a disturbance in matter
that carries energy from one place to another.
 Mechanical waves require matter to travel
through.
 The material through which a wave travels is
called a medium.
 A mechanical wave is created when a source
of energy causes a vibration to travel through a
medium.
 Types of Mechanical Waves
 The three main types of mechanical waves are
transverse waves, longitudinal waves, and
surface waves.
 A point on the wave vibrates up and down
between a maximum and minimum height.
 Transverse Waves
 A transverse wave is a wave that causes the
medium to vibrate at right angles to the
direction in which the wave travels.
 Transverse Waves
 The highest point of the wave above the rest
position is the crest.
 The lowest point below the rest position is the
trough.
 Longitudinal Waves
 A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the
vibration of the medium is parallel to the
direction the wave travels.
 An area where the particles in a medium are
spaced close together is called a compression.
 An area where the particles in a medium are
spread out is called a rarefaction.
 Surface Waves
 A surface wave is a wave that travels along a
surface separating two media.
 The motion of the particles is in a circle.
 Section 17.1 Assessment
 List the three main types of mechanical waves.
 For each type of wave, compare the vibration
of the medium to the direction of the wave.
 Warm-Up Nov. 6
1. What are the 3 types of waves?
2. How is a wave made?
3. What is the lowest point of the wave called?
 Section 17.2 – Properties of
Mechanical Waves
 Any motion that repeats at regular time
intervals is called periodic motion.
 The time required for one cycle, a complete
motion that returns to its starting point, is
called the period.
 Frequency
 Any periodic motion has a frequency, which is
the number of complete cycles in a given time.
 Frequency is measured in cycles per second,
or hertz (Hz).
 A wave’s frequency equals the frequency of
the vibrating source producing the waves.
 Wavelength
 Wavelength is the distance between a point on
one wave and the same point on the next cycle
of the wave.
 Increasing the frequency of a wave decreases
the wavelength.
 Wave Speed
 Formula for the speed of waves

Speed = Wavelength x Frequency

v=x

Speed = m/s
Wavelength = m
Frequency = 1/s or Hz
 Sample Problem
 One end of a rope is vibrated to produce a
wave with a wavelength of 0.25m. The
frequency of the wave is 3.0Hz. What is the
speed of the wave?
v=x
v=? v=x
 = 0.25m v = 0.25m x 3.0(1/s)
 = 3.0Hz v = 0.75m/s
 Practice Problems
 A wave on a rope has a wavelength of 2.0m
and a frequency of 2.0Hz. What is the speed of
the wave?
v=x v = 2.0m x 2.0(1/s) = 4.0m/s
 A wave in the water has a frequency of 4Hz
and a wavelength of 0.1m. What is the speed
of the wave?
v=x v = 0.1m x 4(1/s) = 0.4m/s
 Practice Problems

SKIP!
What is the wavelength of an earthquake wave
if it has a speed of 5km/s and a frequency of
10Hz?
v =  x   = v/  = 5km/s / 10(1/s) = 0.5km
A wave travels at 1.8m/s and have a
wavelength of 1.2m. What is the frequency of
this wave?
v =  x   = v/  = 1.8m/s / 1.2m = 1.5Hz
 Speed
 If you assume that waves are traveling at a
constant speed, then wavelength is inversely
proportional to frequency.
 If wavelength increases, then frequency
decreases.
 If wavelength decreases, then frequency
increases.
 Amplitude
 The amplitude of a wave is the maximum
displacement of the medium from its rest
position.
 The more energy a wave has, the greater is its
amplitude.
 Section 17.2 Assessment
 How is wavelength related to frequency for
waves moving at a constant speed?
 How is the energy of a wave related to its
amplitude?
 If you double the frequency of a wave, what is
the effect on its wavelength?
 Section 17.2 Assessment

SKIP!
 A wave on a rope has a frequency of 3.3Hz
and a wavelength of 1.2m. What is the speed
of the wave?
v = x  v = 1.2m x 3.3(1/s) = 4.0m/s
 Warm-Up Nov.7
1. What is the area of a longitudinal
wave where the particles are close
together?
2. How do the particles of a surface
wave move?
3. What is the lowest point on a
transverse wave called?
Section 17.3 – Behavior of Waves
 Reflection occurs when a wave bounces off a
surface that is cannot pass through.
 Reflection does not change the speed or
frequency of a wave, but the wave can be
flipped upside down.
 Reflection
 An incident ray is the incoming light wave.
 A reflected ray is the light wave that has
bounced off of the surface.
 The normal is an imaginary line perpendicular
(at a right angle) to the surface.
 The angle of incidence always equals the angle
of reflection.
 Sample Problem
 What is the angle of incidence and what is the
angle of reflection?

Angle of Incidence = 50o

Angle of Reflection = 50o
 Practice Problem
 If the angle on the incoming ray is at a 35 o
angle to the normal, then what is the angle of
reflection?

35o
 Regular vs Diffuse Reflection
 A regular reflection is a clear image that is
produced when light waves hit a smooth
surface and the waves are reflected together at
the same angle.
 A diffuse reflection is a blurry image that is
produced when light waves hit a rough surface
and the waves are reflected in different
directions (scattered).
 Refraction
 Refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters
a new medium at an angle.
 When a wave enters a medium at an angle,
refraction occurs because one side of the wave
moves more slowly than the other side.
 Refraction
 The angle changes when refraction occurs
depending on whether the waves speed up or
slow down.

fast slow

slow fast
 Sample Problem
 Which of the following could be the refracted
ray of light of a wave that passes into a new
medium and speeds up?

Y
 Practice Problem
 Which of the following could be the refracted
ray of light of a wave that passes into a new
medium and slows down? W
 Which of the following is the reflected ray of
light?
Z
 Diffraction
 Diffraction is the bending of a wave as it
moves around an obstacle or passes through a
narrow opening.
 A wave diffracts more if its wavelength is
large compared to the size of an opening or
obstacle.
 Interference
 Interference occurs when two or more waves
overlap and combine together.
 Two types of interference are constructive
interference and destructive interference .
 Constructive Interference
 Constructive Interference occurs when two or
more waves combine to produce a wave with a
larger displacement.
 Destructive Interference
 Destructive interference occurs when two or
more waves combine to produce a wave with a
smaller displacement.
 Standing Waves
 A standing wave is a wave that appears to stay
in one place.
 A node is a point on a standing wave that has
no displacement from the rest position.
 An antinode is a point where a crest or trough
occurs midway between two nodes.
 Section 17.3 Assessment
 How is a wave changed by reflection?
 What causes refraction when a wave enters a
medium at an angle?
 What determines how much a wave diffracts
when it encounters an opening or an obstacle?
 How does the frequency of a reflected wave
compare with the frequency of the incoming
wave?
 What is the amplitude of a wave that results
when two identical waves interfere
constructively?
 Warm-Up Nov. 11
1. What is reflection?
2. What is refraction?
3. What is diffraction?
 Section 17.4 – Sound and
Hearing
 Sound waves are longitudinal waves that travel
through a medium.
 Many behaviors of sound can be explained
using a few properties – speed, intensity and
loudness, and frequency and pitch.
 Speed
 In dry air at 20oC, the speed of sound is 342
m/s.
 In general, sound waves travel fastest in solids,
slower in liquids, and slowest in gases.
 This is due to the fact that particles in a solid
tend to be closer together than particles in a
liquid or a gas.
 Intensity and Loudness
 Intensity is the rate at which a wave’s energy flows
through a given area.
 Sound intensity depends on both the wave’s
amplitude and the distance from the sound source.
 The decibel (dB) is a unit that compares the
intensity of different sounds.
 Loudness is a physical

response to the intensity

of sound.
 Frequency and Pitch
 Pitch is the frequency of a sound as you
perceive it.
 High-frequency sounds have a high pitch, and
low-frequency sounds have a low pitch.
 Ultrasound
 Ultrasound is sound at frequencies higher than
most people hear.
 Ultrasound is used in a variety of applications,
including sonar and ultrasound imaging.
 Sonar
 Sonar is a technique for determining the
distance to an object underwater.
 Sonar stands for sound navigation and ranging.
 Doppler Effect
 The Doppler effect is a change in sound
frequency caused by motion of the sound
source, motion of the listener, or both.
 As a source of sound approaches, an observer
hears a higher frequency. When the sound
source moves away, the observer hears a lower
frequency.
 Section 17.4 Assessment
 List five properties used to explain the
behavior of sound waves.
 Names two uses for ultrasound.
 What is the Doppler effect?
 If workers in a distant stone quarry are
blasting, why can you feel the explosion in
your feet before you hear it?