Waves and Sound
Waves transfer energy through matter or space, and are found everywhere: sound waves, light waves, microwaves, radio waves, water waves, earthquake waves, slinky waves, x-rays, and on and on. Developing an understanding of waves will allow you to understand how energy is transferred in the universe, and will eventually lead to a better understanding of matter and energy itself!
Objectives
- Define a pulse and a wave.
- Distinguish between mechanical and electromagnetic waves.
- Distinguish between transverse and longitudinal waves.
- Identify crests, troughs, amplitude, wavelength, frequency, period, and phase differences of waves.
- Identify areas of compression and rarefaction in a longitudinal wave.
- Understand the relationship between wave velocity, frequency, and wavelength.
- Understand the nature of sound waves.
- Explain how resonance occurs.
- Apply the principle of superposition to the phenomenon of interference.
- Describe the formation of standing waves.
- Apply the Doppler effect qualitatively to problems involving moving sources or moving observers.
Topics of Study
Video Tutorials
- Wave Basics
- Wave Characteristics
- The Wave Equation
- Sound Waves
- Resonance
- Wave Interference
- Standing Waves
- Doppler Effect
