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
A. Wave—a repeating disturbance or movement that transfers
__Energy________ through matter or space
1. Molecules pass energy on to
____neighboring___________ molecules.
2. Waves carry energy without transporting
_matter_________.
3. All waves are produced by something that
__vibrates__________.
4. Medium—a _material__________ through which a
wave travels.
a. May be solid, liquid, or _gas_______
b. Not all waves need a medium to travel through;
example: _light waves______________
B. Mechanical waves—waves that can travel only through
__matter________
1. Transverse waves—matter in the medium moves back
and forth _at right angles_________ the direction that
the wave travels; example: _water waves________
2. Compressional waves—matter in the medium moves in
the same direction___________ that the wave travels;
example: _sound waves______________
3. Combinations—not purely transverse or compressional;
examples: water waves, __seismic_________ waves
Date: ___/____/____ Per: ___
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.
B. Wavelength—the distance between one point in the wave
and _the nearest point just like it__________________
C.
Frequency—how many _wavelenghts_______ pass a fixed
point each second
1. Expressed in _hertz (Hz)______________
2. As frequency increases, wavelength _decreases___.
3. The frequency of a wave equals the rate of
_vibrations______ of the source that creates it.
D. Wave _velocity___________, or v, describes how fast the
wave moves forward.
1.
2.
3.
4.
E.
Section 2: Wave Properties
A. Ways waves differ
1. How much _energy_________ they carry
2. How _fast_______ they travel
3. How they look
a. __transverse____________ waves have crests—the
highest points, and troughs—the lowest points.
b. Compressional waves have dense regions called
__compressions______________ and less dense
regions called _rarefactions_______________.
_velocity__ = wavelength × __frequency_, or v =
Light waves travel _faster____ than sound waves.
Sound waves travel faster in _liquids___ and
_solids____ than in gas.
Light waves travel faster in _gases___ and _empty
space__ than in liquids and solids.
λf .
Amplitude—a measure of the _energy__ in a wave
1. The more energy a wave carries, the _greater_ its
amplitude.
2. Amplitude of _compressional____ waves is related to
how tightly the medium is pushed together at the
compression.
a. The __denser________ the compressions, the
larger the amplitude is and the more energy the
wave carries.
b. The less dense the rarefactions, the _larger_ the
amplitude and the more energy the wave carries.
3. Amplitude of _transverse__ waves
a. The distance from the crest or trough of a wave to
the _normal position__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.
Energy
________________________ 1.
Waves transfer matter as they travel.
T
________________________
2.
A wave will travel only as long as it has energy to carry.
T
Anything that moves up and down or back and forth in a rhythmic way is vibrating.
Not all
________________________ 4.
All waves need a medium in order to travel.
T, compressional
________________________
5.
Transverse and congressional waves are the two types of mechanical waves.
Transverse
________________________
6.
In a compressional wave the matter in the medium moves back and forth at right angles to the
direction that the wave travels.
________________________ 3.
compressional
________________________ 7.
T
PS
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.
Frequency
________________________
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.
T
larger
________________________
11. In a compressional wave, the denser the medium is at the compressions the smaller its amplitude.
T
________________________
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.
__Crest___________
2.
__trough_________
3. _amplitude_______________
4. __wavelenght_____________
Directions: Use the following equations to solve the problems below.
1.
The musical note A above middle C has a frequency of 440 Hz. If the speed
of sound is known to be 350 m/s, what is the wavelength of this note?
v = 350m/s
v = ∙λ
λ=v

=v
λ
v = velocity (m/s)
 = frequency (Hz or 1/s)
λ = wavelength (m)
Answer: 0.80m
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
 = 440Hz
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=?
Answer: 1450m/s
 = 145kHz--- 145,00Hz
λ = 1.0cm --- 0.01m
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 = 331m/s
Answer: 16.55m
 = 20Hz
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 = 1450m/s
Answer: 5.03m
 = 288Hz
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 = 4.0m/s
Answer: 1.6Hz
=?
λ = 2.5m
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 = 8.0km/s -- 8000m/s
Answer: 160,000m
 = 0.050Hz
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 = 4500m/s
Answer: 0.2Hz
=?
λ = 23,000m
8. 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?
Answer: 128.62Hz
v = 346m/s
=?
λ = 2.69m
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 = 346m/s
Answer: 0.01m
 = 25,000Hz
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 = 346m/s
Answer: 32.64Hz
=?
λ = 10.6m