1.

1
UNDERSTANDING
WAVES
(page 2 – text book)
 BILINGUAL CORNER :
WAVES » GELOMBANG
CREST » PUNCAK
TROUGH » LEMBANGAN
AMPLITUDE, a » AMPLITUD, a
FREQUENCY, f » FREKUENSI, f
PERIOD, T » TEMPOH, T
LONGITUNIDAL
WAVE
» GELOMBANG
MEMBUJUR
 BILINGUAL CORNER :
TRANVERSE GELOMBANG
WAVE
» MELINTANG
WAVEFRONT » MUKA GELOMBANG
WAVELENGTH, λ » PJG. GEL. (λ)
WAVE SPEED, v » LAJU GEL. (v)
VIBRATION » GETARAN
OSCILLATION » AYUNAN
PROPAGATION »PERAMBATAN
 BILINGUAL CORNER :
PLANE WAVE » GEL. SATAH
DAMPING » PELEMBAPAN
NATURAL
FREQUENCY
» FREKUENSI ASLI
RESONANCE » RESONAN
RIPPLE TANK » TANGKI RIAK
 BILINGUAL CORNER :
PLANE
WAVEFRONTS
» SATAH
MUKA GELOMBANG

CIRCULAR
WAVEFRONTS
» BULAT
MUKA GELOMBANG
THE NATURE OF WAVES
Waves are everywhere. Whether we
recognize or not, we encounter waves
on a daily basis.
Sound waves, light waves, radio waves,
microwaves, water waves, stadium waves,
telephone chord waves,
earthquake waves, and are just a few of
the examples of our daily encounters
with waves.
WAVES
• cause by vibrations or oscillations.
• *Transport energy without permanently
displacing the medium.
• An oscillating or vibrating system
acts as the source of waves which
transfer energy from one point to
another. (without transferring mass)
Example : Tsunami
WAVES
• Can either be Mechanical waves which
require a medium to travel.
Example : Sound wave
OR
• Can either be Electromagnetic waves
which do not require a medium to
travel.
Example : Light wave
 RIPPLE TANK
Used in lab to studying
phenomenon of water waves.
 lamp
rubber band
motor
dipper
water
ripper tank
white piece of
Crest paper / screen
Side Top
view view

Trough dark light

band band
Example SPM 2005, Paper 2 Section B no.2
Figure shows the arrangement of the
apparatus for an experiment to study
a wave phenomenon.
Lamp
Ripple

Screen

(a) (i) Explain how the dark and light

bands are formed on the screen.
[4 marks]
ANSWER :
Light from lamp

crest
trough

water
dark bright dark bright dark bright
• shape of the crest is convex.
• the crest converge the light rays to
form the bright bands.
• shape of the trough is concave.
• the trough diverge the light rays to
form the dark bands.
WAVEFRONTS is a line or plane on
which the vibrations of every points on it
are in phase and are at the same
distance from the source of the wave.
WAVEFRONTS - 2 types :
(1) Plane Wavefronts
dipper moved
up and down PLANE
by motor WAVEFRONTS

straight
dipper

direction of
wave propagation
Figure shows that wavefronts are
perpendicular to the direction of
propagation.

Top
view
Ripple
Tank

Crest Trough Plane wavefronts

(2) Circular Wavefronts
dipper moved
up and down
spherical by motor
dipper

CIRCULAR
direction of WAVEFRONTS
wave propagation
Figure shows that wavefronts are
perpendicular to the direction of Top
propagation. view

Crest Trough Circular wavefronts

TWO TYPES OF WAVES
(a) Transverse waves
(b) Longitudinal waves
Transverse waves - is a wave in which
the vibration of particles in the medium
is at perpendicular to the direction of
propagation of the wave.
Example of transverse waves
• Water waves
• Light waves
• Electromagnetic waves (EM)
 direction of
wave propagation
direction of Q
vibrations

• Figure : the movement of waves produced

from the vibration of the spring at right
angles with the slinky spring.
• A point Q on the spring is displaced in an
UP and DOWN direction which is
PERPENDICULAR to the direction of the
propagation of the waves.
Example SPM 2006, Paper 1 no.35
Diagram shows two situations where a ball
floats and moves on the surface of the water.
The direction of the movement of the
ball is
A parallel to the direction of the wave
propagation.
B perpendicular to the direction of the
wave propagation.
C the same as the direction of the
wave propagation.
D the opposite to the direction of the
wave propagation.
Longitudinal waves - is a wave in which
the vibration of particles in the medium
is parallel to the direction of
propagation of the wave.
Example of Longitudinal waves
• Sound waves
 direction of
direction of wave propagation Q
vibrations

• Figure : the slinky spring is vibrated back

and forth along the direction of propagation
of the wave at a fixed rate.
• A point Q on the spring is oscillating
TO and FRO PARALLEL with the direction
of the propagation of the waves.
Conclusion:
Amplitude, Period and Frequency of
a wave.
Amplitude, a - The MAXIMUM displacement
of the oscillator from its equilibrium position.
• SI unit : metre (m)
Period, T - is the TIME TAKEN to complete
ONE oscillation.
• SI unit : second (s)
Frequency, f - is the NUMBER OF COMPLETE
OSCILLATIONS made in ONE SECOND.
• SI unit : Hertz (Hz) or s-1
Oscillating System - A simple pendulum

Pendulum
bob
A C
B
a a
From figure :
• the distance AB or BC is the amplitude,
where B is the equilibrium position.
• A complete oscillation : A – B – C – B – A
in a time x second - Period
Relationship between period, T and
frequency, f

T= 1 1
____
OR f = ____

f T
Therefore,
T is inversely proportional to f
Example : Ali observes that a simple
pendulum completes 20 oscillations in
5.0 s. What is
(a) The period of oscillation?
(b) The frequency of oscillation?
Solution :
(a) T = Time taken
Number of complete oscillation
5.0 s
=
20
= 0.25 s
(b) The frequency of oscillation?
Solution :
1
f = ____
T
1
=
0.25 s
= 4.0 s-1 OR 4.0 Hz
Graphical Representation of Waves
Transverse and longitudinal waves are
called periodic waves because of their
repetitive patterns produced by the
source of vibration.
2 type of graph:
(a) Displacement – Time Graph
(b) Displacement – Distance Graph
(a) Displacement – Time Graph
Displacement, Sinusoidal
s / cm Graph
A T
+ve ‘s’ A a
Time,
B t/s
Mean B 0
C
-ve ‘s’ C -a
T
Infomation :
(1) Amplitude, a – represented by the height
of the crest or trough of the graph.
(2) Period, T – the time taken for one cycle.
Example 1 : Figure shows the s-t graph of
the oscillation of a mass on a spring.
Displacement,
s / cm

5
Time,
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 t/s
-5
From the graph,
(a) State the amplitude,
(b) Calculate the period of the oscillation
(c) Calculate the frequency of the
oscillation
Solution :
(a) Amplitude, a = 5 cm
(b) Period of oscillation, T = 0.04 s
(c) Frequency of oscillation,
1
f = ____
T
1
=
0.04 s
= 25 Hz
Example SPM 2004, Paper 1 no.31
Which graph represents a wave with
amplitude of 4.0 cm and period of 0.05 s?
(b) Displacement – Distance Graph
Displacement, Sinusoidal
s / cm Graph
λ
a

Distance
0 x / cm

-a
λ
Infomation : (1) Amplitude, a
(2) Wavelength, λ – is the distance between
successive points of the same phase in
a wave. SI units : metre (m)
Figure shows sound waves produced by
a speaker.

C R C R C R C R

λ λ
C : compression R : rarefaction
The wavelength of the sound waves
Example 1: Figure shows the s-x graph
of a wave.
Displacement,
s / cm

6
distance
0 x / cm
3 6 9 12 15 18
-6
(a) Find the amplitude,
(b) The wavelength of the wave.
Solution :
(a) Amplitude, a = 6 cm
(b) Wavelength, λ = 12 cm
Example 2 :

Indicate the interval which represents

one full wavelength.
A A to C
B B to D
C A to G
D C to G
Relationship between Speed (v),
Wavelength, (λ) and Frequency (f)
Wave speed, v =f λ
SI unit : m s-1, cm s-1

v
f λ
Example 1:
A wave of frequency 120 Hz has a
wavelength of 5.0 m. What is the speed
of the wave ?
Solution :
f = 120 Hz, λ = 5.0 m
Wave speed, v =f λ
= 120 x 5
= 600 m s-1
Example 2 : Figure shows the pattern of
wavefronts produced by a bar vibrating
at a frequency of 20 Hz in a ripple tank.
10 cm Solution : v = f λ
f = 20 Hz,
1 2 3 4 5 λ=?
5 λ = 10
wavefronts λ = 10 = 2 cm
What is the speed 5
of the wave ? v =f λ
= 20 x 2
= 40 cm s -1
Damping in an Oscillating System
Page : 8
• The decrease in the amplitude of an
oscillation system is called DAMPING.
2 types of damping
(1) External damping of the system is
the loss of energy to overcome
frictional forces or air resistance.
(2) Internal damping is the loss of
energy due to the extension and
compression of the molecules in
the system.
Displacement,
s / cm
Amplitude gradually decrease

0 Time
t/s
* f and T - constant
Displacement,
s / cm

Amplitude gradually decrease

Time
t/s
Figure : Damping Graph
Natural Frequency and Resonance
• To enable an oscillating system to go
on continuously, an external force
must be applied to the system.
• The external force supplies energy to
the system.
• The frequency of a system which
oscillates freely without the action
of an external force is called
Natural Frequency.
* Look at page 8 :photograph 1.6
• Resonance occurs when a system is
made to oscillate at a frequency
equivalent to its natural frequency by
an external force.
The resonating system oscillates at its
maximum amplitude.
* Carry out activity 1.3 B page 6 of the
PRACTICAL BOOK.
Resonance can be observed using a
Barton’s Pendulum.

F
A
B
C E
D
The driving pendulum forces six
pendulums of different lengths to vibrate.
Which of the pendulums oscillates with
the BIGGEST AMPLITUDE ? C and E
same length, same natural frequency
Example 1: page 8 Physic Digest.
If an Opera sings at
same frequency as
the natural frequency
of a glass, the glass
tends to absorb more
and more energy and
eventually will break.
Example 2: Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Disaster in 1940 (USA)

The action of the wind caused the bridge

to vibrate with a large amplitude as a
result of resonance.
Example SPM 2004, Paper 1 no.30
A system is oscillating at its natural
frequency without damping. What
happens to the total energy of the
oscillating system?
A It remains constant
B It decreases
C It increases
Example SPM 2006, Paper 1 no.31

S U

T
Which of the following statements is TRUE
about the water waves?
A T and U have the same phase.
B Wave energy is transferred from position
S to U.
C The wave length is the distance between
S and U.
D The particle at U oscillates in a direction
parallel to the direction of wave propagation.
HOMEWORK
Text book : page 9
MASTERY PRACTICE 1.1
NO. 1, 2 AND 3
 Resonance: A phenomenon
that happens when a
vibration system is forced to
vibrate with its natural
frequency.

* Carry out activity 1.3 B page 6 of the

PRACTICAL BOOK.
In figure, a girl is moving to and fro on
a swing.This type of motion is called an
Oscillation.
Figure shows sound waves produced by
a speaker.

C R C R C R C R

R : rarefaction C : compression

Conclusion: