Name: ______________________
Topic # 6.1
GPS: 9a,b,e
Wave Properties Funsheet
Directions: After reading sections 10.1 and 10.2 in your textbook, fill in the blanks below.
Section 1: The Nature of Waves
B.
A. Wave—a repeating disturbance or movement that transfers
__________ through matter or space
C.
1. Molecules pass energy on to _______________
molecules.
2. Waves carry energy without transporting __________.
3. All waves are produced by something that
____________.
4. Medium—a ___________ through which a wave travels.
D.
a. May be solid, liquid, or ________
b. Not all waves need a medium to travel through;
example: _______________
B. Mechanical waves—waves that can travel only through
__________
1. Transverse waves—matter in the medium moves back
and forth _____________________ the direction that
the wave travels; example: _______________
E.
2. Compressional waves—matter in the medium moves
_________________________ that the wave travels;
example: _______________
3. Combinations—not purely transverse or compressional;
examples: water waves, ___________ waves
Section 2: Wave Properties
A. Ways waves differ
1. How much __________ they carry
2. How ________ they travel
3. How they look
a. ______________ waves have crests—the highest
points, and troughs—the lowest points.
b. Compressional waves have dense regions called
________________ and less dense
regions called ________________.
Date: ___/____/____ Per: ___
PS
SPS9a Recognize that all waves transfer energy. SPS9b Relate
frequency and wavelength to the energy of different types of
electromagnetic waves and mechanical waves. SPS9e Relate
the speed of sound to different mediums.
Wavelength—the distance between one point in the wave
and ___________________________________
Frequency—how many _______________ pass a fixed point
each second
1. Expressed in _______________
2. As frequency increases, wavelength ______________.
3. The frequency of a wave equals the rate of
_____________ of the source that creates it.
Wave ____________, or v, describes how fast the wave
moves forward.
1.
2.
3.
4.
__________ = wavelength × ___________, or v
Light waves travel __________ than sound waves.
Sound waves travel faster in ___________ and
__________ than in gas.
Light waves travel faster in _________ and
_______________ than in liquids and solids.
= λf .
Amplitude—a measure of the __________ in a wave
1. The more energy a wave carries, the ___________ its
amplitude.
2. Amplitude of _________________ waves is related to
how tightly the medium is pushed together at the
compression.
a. The __________ the compressions, the larger the
amplitude is and the more energy the wave carries.
b. The less dense the rarefactions, the __________ the
amplitude and the more energy the wave carries.
3. Amplitude of ______________ waves
a. The distance from the crest or trough of a wave to
the ____________________of the medium
b. Example: how high an ocean wave appears above
the water level.
Directions: Determine if each statement is true or false. If it is false, change the italicized word(s) to correct the sentence.
________________________ 1.
Waves transfer matter as they travel.
________________________ 2.
A wave will travel only as long as it has energy to carry.
________________________ 3.
Anything that moves up and down or back and forth in a rhythmic way is vibrating.
________________________ 4.
All waves need a medium in order to travel.
________________________ 5.
Transverse and congressional waves are the two types of mechanical waves.
________________________ 6.
In a compressional wave the matter in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the
direction that the wave travels.
________________________ 7.
In a transverse wave the matter in the medium moves back and forth in the same direction that
the wave travels.
________________________ 8.
In a transverse wave, the peak of the wave is the crest and the lowest spot is the trough.
________________________ 9.
The refraction of a wave is how many wavelengths pass a fixed point each second.
________________________ 10. The speed of a wave is determined by multiplying the wavelength by the frequency.
________________________ 11. In a compressional wave, the denser the medium is at the compressions the smaller its amplitude.
________________________ 12. In a transverse wave, the higher the amplitude, the more energy it carries.
Directions: Identify the 4 parts of a wave as shown in the diagram to the right.
1.
___________________________
3. ___________________________
2.
___________________________
4. ___________________________
Directions: Use the following equations to solve the problems below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
v = ∙λ
λ=v

=v
λ
v = velocity (m/s)
The musical note A above middle C has a frequency of 440 Hz. If the speed
 = frequency (Hz or 1/s)
of sound is known to be 350 m/s, what is the wavelength of this note?
λ = wavelength (m)
v=
=
λ=
A dolphin can typically hear sounds with frequencies up to 145,000 Hz. What is the speed of sound in water if a wave with this frequency has
a wavelength of 0.01 m?
v=
=
λ=
The lowest pitch that the average human can hear has a frequency of 20.0 Hz. If sound with this frequency travels through air with a speed of
331 m/s, what is its wavelength?
v=
=
λ=
Sonar is a device that uses reflected sound waves to measure underwater depths. If a sonar signal has a frequency of 288 Hz and the speed of
sound in water is 1450 m/s, what is the wavelength of the sonar signal?
v=
=
λ=
A buoy bobs up and down in the ocean. The waves have a wavelength of 2.5 m, and they pass the buoy at a speed of 4.0 m/s. What is the
frequency of the waves?
v=
=
λ=
Earthquakes generate shock waves that travel through Earth’s interior to other parts of the world. The fastest of these waves are
compressional waves, like sound waves, and are called primary waves, or just p-waves. A p-wave has a very low frequency, typically around
0.050 Hz. If the speed of a p-wave with this frequency is 8000 m/s, what is its wavelength?
v=
=
λ=
Earthquakes also produce transverse waves that move more slowly than the p-waves. These waves are called secondary waves, or s-waves. If
the wavelength of an s-wave is 23,000 m, and its speed is 4500 m/s, what is its frequency?
v=
=
λ=
Cicadas produce a buzzing sound that has a wavelength in air of 2.69 m. If the speed of sound in air is 346 m/s, what is the frequency of the
sound produced by a cicada?
v=
=
λ=
9. A dog whistle is designed to produce a sound frequencies beyond that which can be heard by humans (between 20,000 Hz and 27,000 Hz). If a
whistle produces a sound with a frequency of 25,000 Hz, what is the sound’s wavelength? Assume the speed of sound in air is 346 m/s.
v=
=
λ=
10. One of the largest organ pipes is in the auditorium organ in the convention hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey (it is 38.6 ft long). The pipe
produces a sound with a wavelength of about 10.6 m. If the speed of sound in air is 346 m/s, what is the frequency of this sound?
v=
=
λ=