Directions: Check out the links , then answer the questions. More importantly, understand the answers to each question. (Let me know if there are any links that do not work.)
Basic Wave Phenomena
- What is a Wave? - a disturbance which travels through a medium
- Longitudinal and Transverse Waves - Particle Motion for Longitudinal, Transverse, Water and Rayleigh Surface Waves
- Introduction to Waves
- Parts of a Wave - Shows the parts of a transverse wave.
- Frequency of Waves
- What is a "wave"? What is necessary for a wave? How do particles within the medium travel? How do they NOT travel?
- For each type of wave listed, describe how the particles are moving relative to the direction the wave is traveling (direction of "propagation"). Longitudinal, Transverse, Water Waves.
- Explain why longitudinal and transverse waves are named the way they are.
- What happens to the motion of the particles in a water wave, as the depth increases?
- What are areas of "compression" and "rarefraction", and in which type of wave do they apply?
- Using a diagram, label the parts of a transverse wave, including crest, trough, amplitude (+ and -), phase, and the three ways to measure the wavelength.
- Define the word "frequency".
- What are "periodic waves"?
- How does frequency apply to periodic waves?
- How does increasing the wavelength affect the frequency?
- How does increasing the wave speed affect the frequency?