CHAPTER SEVEN

WATER WAVES
 Waves carry energy from one place to another.
 Transverse wave is seen at the end of a piece of rope or string is moved
up and down in a direction perpendicular to its length.

Describing waves

The figure below helps to explain the terms used

 Wavelength ( ) represented by the Greek letter (lambda), is the distance

between successive crests.

 Wavefront is any line or section taken through an advancing wave in

which all the particles are in the same phase.

 The Phase of an oscillation is the timing of it in comparison with another

oscillation.

 Speed (V) of the wave is the distance moved by a crest or any point on the
wave in 1 second.

 Amplitude (a) is the height of a crest or depth of a trough measured form

undisturbed position of what is carrying the wave e.g. a rope.

 Frequency (f) is the number of complete waves generated per second. Its
SI unit is hertz (Hz).
 In the time it takes the particles to make one complete oscillation the whole
wave moves forward one wavelength.
 Hence in 1 second the wave moves forward a distance .
 But the distance moved per second is the velocity, .

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 Hence
,

Experiment: The ripple tank

 The behaviour of water waves can be studied in a ripple tank.

 This consists of a transparent tray containing water, having a lamp above
and a screen below, figure above.
 Pulses (i.e. short bursts) of ripples are obtained by dipping a finger in the
water for the circular ones and a ruler for the straight ones.
 Continuous ripples are generated by an electric motor on a bar which gives
straight ripples if it just touches the water and circular ripples if the bar is
raised and a small ball fitted so as to be in the water.

Reflection
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 In the figure above straight
water waves are represented falling on a metal strip placed in a ripple tank at an
angle. The angles of reflection and incidence are always equal (r = i)

A pattern given by a circular pulse starting at A and falling on a straight strip is

shown in the figure above. The reflected pulse seems to come from B which is as
far behind the strip as A is in front.

Reflection at spherical surfaces is shown in the figure a, b, c.

 In a (below), the incident straight wave, which is another way of

representing a parallel beam is converged after reflection to the principal
focus F as a circular wave.

 In b (below), the incident circular wave from F is reflected as a straight

wave.

 In c (below), the incident straight wave produces a reflected circular wave

which appears to come from a virtual principal focus F behind the reflector.

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 Water waves are evidently reflected in the same way as light when
reflected

Refraction
Waves travel more slowly in shallow water.

a)

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 When a wave enters shallow water its speed and wavelength decreases,
and frequency remain constant. When the plate is at an angle to the waves, their
direction of travel in the shallow water is bent towards the normal, figure above.
i.e. refraction occurs. This is due to change of speed.

b)

` Refraction of a straight wave at a curved surface can be shown by the

focusing action of a lens-shaped area of shallow water formed by having a convex
piece of Perspex in the tank, figure above.

Diffraction
The spreading of the waves at the edges of obstacles is called diffraction

In figures a, b, straight waves in a ripple tank are falling on gaps formed by

obstacles.
a)

In a, the gap width is about the same as the wave-length of the waves (1cm):
these passing through are circular and spread out in all directions.

b)

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In b, the gap is wide (10cm) compared with the wave-length and the waves
continue straight on; some spreading occurs but it is less obvious.

Interference
Interference is the combination of waves to give a larger or smaller wave.
a)

b) c)

 When two sets of continuous circular waves cross in a ripple tank, a

pattern like that in the figure above a. is obtained.
 At points where a crest from S1 arrives at the same time with a crest
from S2, a bigger crest is formed and the waves are said to be in
phase (constructive interference) as shown in figure b.
 At points where a crest and a trough arrive together, they cancel out
(if their amplitudes are equal); the waves are exactly out of phase
(destructive interference) ( due to traveling different distances
from S1 and S2) and the water is undisturbed, figure c.

Red Sunset and Blue sky

 The wave-length of red light is about twice that of blue light. The longer the
wave-length, the more penetrating is the light, while the shorter the wave-
length, the more easily it is scattered.

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 When the sun is setting, the light from it has to travel through greater
thickness of the earth’s atmosphere and only the longer wave-length red
light is able to get through.
 Sunsets are therefore red
 The shorter wave-lengths, like blue light are scattered in all directions by
the atmosphere, which is why the sky looks blue.

TEST 7.1
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SECTION A

1.

Figure above shows a wave produced in a string. If the frequency is 2Hz, at

what speed do the waves travel along the string?

a. 0.5ms-1 b. 1.0ms-1 c. 2.0ms-1 d. 4.0ms-1

2. A longitudinal wave is one in which the

a) direction of propagation is parallel to that of the vibration producing it.

b) particles of the medium through which it travels move opposite to the
direction of propagation.
c) direction of propagation is perpendicular to that of the vibration
producing it.
d) particles of the medium through which it travels move together with it.

3. The number of complete oscillations made per second is referred to as

(a) periodic time (b) amplitude

(c) wave length (d) frequency

4. A source producing waves which travel a distance of 140cm in 0.08 s. If the

distance between successive crests is 20cm, find the frequency of the
source.

(a) 0.875Hz (b) 8.750Hz

(c) 87.500Hz (d) 8750Hz

5.

The diagram in the figure shows parallel wavefronts approaching a narrow

gap. Waves passing through the gap are likely to under go

(a) Reflection (b) refraction

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 (c) diffraction (d) interference

6. Figure 3 shows waves spreading out from a point. The wavelength of the
waves is

A. 3cm B. 6cm C. 9cm D. 12cm

7.
Vibrator Wave Frequen
Length cy
Wave P 1,500 m 0.2 MHz
Wave Q 500 m ………….

The table above shows readings obtained by using a vibrator which

produces waves of a constant velocity. Find the frequency of the wave Q.

A. 0.07MHz. B. 0.3 MHz. C. 0.6 MHz. D.1.2 MHz.

8. Which of the following statements is true about the wave traveling from
one medium to another
(i) its frequency and wave length change
(ii) its frequency and velocity change
(iii) its velocity and wave length change
(iv) only the frequency remains unchanged

A. (i) only B. (i) and (ii) only

C. (i) and (iii) only D. (iii) and (iv) only

9. Water waves travel a distance of 36cm in 6s and the separation of

successive troughs is 3.0cm. Calculate the frequency of the waves

A. 2Hz B. 12Hz. C. 18Hz D. 72Hz

10. The figure below shows circular waves incident on a plane reflector. Which of
the following patterns represents the reflected waves.

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11. Which one of the following does not change when water waves travel
through deep to shallow water

a) frequency
b) amplitude
c) velocity
d) wave length

12. Which of the following statements are true about refraction of waves
(i) the speed of waves changes
(ii) the wave-length changes
(iii) the direction of travel changes
(iv) the frequency changes

(a) (i) only

(b) (i) and (iii) only
(c) (ii) and (iv)
(d) (i), (ii) and (iii) only

13. Water waves are produced at a frequency of 5Hz and the distance between
10 successive crests is 18cm. calculate the velocity of the waves in ms -1

(a) 9ms-1 (b) 0.09ms-1

(c) 0.1ms-1 (d) 1ms-1

14. Which of the following change(s) when water waves travel from a deep to a
shallow region

1. Velocity
2. Amplitude
3. Wavelength
4. Frequency

A. 1 only
B. 2and 3 only
C. 1, 2 and 3 only
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 D. All

15. A vibrator produces waves which travel a distance of 12m in 4s. If the
frequency of the vibrator is 2Hz, what is the wavelength of the waves?

a) 1.5m b) 3m c) 6m d) 24m

16. A vibrator produces waves which travel a distance of 35cm in 2s. If the
distance between successive wave crests is 5cm, what is the frequency of
the vibrator

A. 3.5Hz B. 7.0Hz C. 14.0Hz D.87Hz

SECTION B

1. (a) (i) Describe how the speed of waves in a ripple tank can be
decreased
(ii) Explain the effect of decreasing the speed of the wave in (a) (i)
on frequency
(b) With the aid of sketch diagrams, explain the effect of size of a gap on
diffraction of waves

2. (a) With the aid of a diagram, explain the terms amplitude and
wavelength as applied to wave motion.
(b) Derive an equation relating velocity, V, frequency, F and wave length
of a wave.

3. (a) What is meant by a standing wave?

(b) Figure 11 shows plane waves approaching a gap in a barrier.

(i) Show the diagram, the appearance of the waves after the barrier.
(ii) What is the effect of reducing the size of the gap?

4.

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 The diagram in the figure shows a section of a transverse wave of wave-
length 4.0cm. find its
(i) frequency (ii) amplitude (iii) velocity

5. (a) The end Q of a rope is tied to a pole while the end P is moved up
and down as shown in the figure below.

Sketch the resultant wave pattern between P and Q

(b) (i) Name the type of wave produced in (a) above.
(ii) Name one musical instrument which produces this type of
wave.

6. (a) Describe how a straight wave is produced in a ripple tank.

(b) State the conditions of the occurrence of destructive interference of
waves.

7. (a) What is a transverse wave?

(b) The diagram in figure 10 represents a wave traveling in water.

(i) Name the part labeled B .

(ii) If the distance represented by A is 20cm and the speed of the
wave is 8.0 ms-1, what is the frequency of the wave?

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8. (a) Explain the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves.
Give one example of each
(b)

The diagram in the above figure represents a place view of horizontal ripple
tanks set up to study characteristics of water waves. The vibrators were set
up to produce plane waves
(i) Draw diagrams to show the wave patterns in A and B
(ii) Explain what happens to the plane waves in each case.

9. A vibrator in a ripple tank vibrates at 5Hz. If the distance between 10

successive crests is 37.8cm, calculate
(i) the wavelength of the waves
(ii) the velocity of the waves

10. The figure shows waves propagating towards a concave reflector.

(i) Draw a diagram to show
how the waves will be reflected.
(ii) If the velocity of
the waves is
320ms-1 and the
distance
between two
successive crests
is 10cm, find the period of the waves.

(b) Straight water waves travel from deep to shallow water as shown in the
figure below

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 Copy and complete the wave front pattern in the shallow water.
ELECTROMANGETIC SPECTRUM

This is a family of waves which are made up of electric and magnetic

vibrations of very high frequency. An electromagnetic wave such as light from
the sun travels most places of its journey through a vacuum before it reaches the
earth. This implies that, an electromagnetic wave does not need a material
medium for its transmission.

The table below shows the whole range of an electromagnetic wave. Any
electromagnetic range of wave length is referred to as a band.

Typical wavelength:
1nm =10-9m
1 = 10-6m

Properties of electromagnetic waves

 Can travel through a vacuum
 Posses energy
 Travel with a speed of 3.0 x 108ms-1 in a vacuum
 Are transverse
 Undergo interference.
 Do not need a material medium for its transmission.

Effects of each band of the spectrum on matter

Gamma rays:
 Gamma rays destroy the body tissue especially when the body is
exposed to it for a long time or many times.
 Gamma rays cause rubber solution to harden and lubricating oil to
thicken when the rubber solution and lubricating oil are exposed to it.

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X-rays:
 It destroys body tissue especially when they are exposed to it for a
long time.
 X-rays may cause certain metals to emit electrons.

Ultra Violet
 It causes;
 Certain metals to emit electrons
 Sun burn
 Blindness when too much of it falls into the eye
 Photosynthesis in green plants to take place.
 It can penetrate and kill certain bacteria and it is used in bacteriology.

Visible Spectrum
 The visible spectrum;
 May change the apparent colour of an object
 Enable one to see
 May make an object appear bent

Infrared
 It is produced by all hot bodies such as the sun, red-hot or white-hot
metals, furnace, electric fires and so on…..
 The eye does not respond to this radiation but sense organs in the
skin detect it as heat.
 It can cause the body temperature to rise.

Radio Waves
 They are used in radar and in new methods of cooking food right
through quickly VHF (very high frequency).
 Radio waves are transmitted due to electric and magnetic fields
oscillating perpendicular to direction of the wave propagation. It is
sent into space, and the wave is refracted away from the normal,
until the critical angel is reached, when the wave undergoes total
internal refraction, only to be received on the other side of the earth.

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 Origin and source of electromagnetic waves

WAVE - BAND ORIGIN SOURCES

GAMMA RADIATION Energy changes in nuclei Radioactive substances
of atoms
X – RADIATION a. High energy changes in X-ray tubes
electron structure of
atoms
b. Decelereted electrons
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION Fairly high energy a. Very hot bodies, e.g.,
changes in electron electric arc
structure of atoms b. Electric discharge
through gases, e.g.,
mercury vapur
VISIBLE RADIATION Energy changes in Various lamps, flames
electron structure of and anything at or above
atoms the temperature at which
it begins to emit red light
INFRARED RADIATION Low energy changes in All matter over a wide
electron structure of range of temperature
atoms from absolute zero
upwards
RADIO WAVES a. High-frequency Radio transmitting
oscillatory electric circuits and associated
currents aerial equipment
b. Very low energy
changes in electron
structure of atoms

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 TEST 7.2
SECTION A

1. Which of the following can be detected by an ordinary antenna?

A. Microwaves B. Infrared rays

C. Ultra violent rays D. Gamma rays

2. Which of the following are transverse waves only?

A. Radio, sound, ultra-violet.

B. ultra-violet, x-rays, water waves.
C. Infrared, gamma rays, sound wave.
D. Sound waves, ultra-violet, x-rays.

3. Which of the following are not electromagnetic waves?

A. X-rays B. radar waves

C. Microwaves D. Sound waves

4. Which of the following radiations has the longest wave-length?

(a) Gamma rays (b) Radio waves

(c) visible light (d) X-rays

5. The components of electromagnetic spectrum have

1. the same velocity
2. different wavelength
3. different frequencies
4. the same refractive index for a given media

A. 2 only B. 1 and 3 only

C. 1, 2 and 3 only D. All

6. Which of the following shows the order in increasing wave length of the
members of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

(a) Ultra-violet, X-ray, radio waves, infra-red.

(b) radio waves, infra-red, X-rays, Ultra-violet
(c) X-rays, ultra-violet, infra-red, radio waves
(d) Gamma rays, ultra-violet, radio waves, radio waves

7. X-rays are

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 (a) electrons of high velocity.
(b) particles of negative charge
(c) neutrons of high velocity
(d) electromagnetic waves.

SECTION B

1. a) List 4 properties of electromagnetic waves

b) State two properties of electromagnetic radiation

2. (a) state two similarities between water waves and electromagnetic

waves
(b) Describe a simple method of detecting ultra violet radiations.

3. A radio station broadcasts on 49m band.

(i) What is meant by the above statement?
(ii) Calculate the frequency of the broadcast.
(iii) Explain how radio waves are transmitted
(ii) Explain what happens to the plane waves in each case.

4. A vibrator in a ripple tank vibrates at 5Hz. If the distance between 10

successive crests is 37.8cm, calculate
(i) the wavelength of the wave
(ii) the velocity of the waves

5.
Increasing wave-length

A B C D
The above figure shows part of the electromagnetic spectrum consisting of
gamma rays, radio waves, infrared and visible light.
(a) Identify the bands to which the radiations A, B, C and D belong?

(b) State one application of the radiation in

(i) B and A
(ii) B and B

TEST 7.1
1.D 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.C 6.A 7.C 8.D
9.A 10.A 11.A 12.D 13.C 14.C 15.A 16.A
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TEST 7.2
1. A 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.C 6.C 7.D

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