WAVES

1. Transverse and Longitudinal Waves

If you drop a stone into a pond, ripples spread across the surface.
The tiny waves carry energy, as you can tell from the movements,
they cause at the waters edge. But there is no flow of water across
the pond. The wave effect is just the result of up-and-down motions
in the water.

Waves are not only foundOscillations

on water. Sound
travels
asregularly
waves, somoving from one position to anoth
is the
act of
does light. Waves can also travel along stretched springs like those
in the experiments below. These show that there are two main types
of waves

Examples of:
Transverse waves
Electromagnetic waves (radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, light, u

Figure 1. (a) Longitudinal waves, (b) transverse wave

Longitudinal waves
Soundand
waves
When the oscillations are backwards
forwards like figure (1a), the

waves are called longitudinal waves. The oscillations are in the direction
of travel.
When the oscillation are up and down or from side to side like figure 1b,
the waves are called transverse wave.

2. Waves Quantity
1. Speed
The speed of waves is measured in meters per second (m/s)
2. Frequency
This is the number of waves passing any point per second. The
unit of frequency is the hertz (Hz).
3. Period
Periods is the time for oscillation. Its equal to 1/frequency. The
unit of period is second.
4. Wavelength
This is the distance between any point of a wave and the
equivalent point on the next.
5. Amplitude
This is the maximum distance a point moves from its rest
position when a wave passes.

Physics for IGCSE level/ Rohma Wati, S.Pd

Waveleng
th
Amplitu
de

Waveleng
th

3. The wave equation

The speed, frequency and wavelength of any set of waves are
linked by this equation:
v = f
4. Wave Phenomena
- Reflection
Reflection of wave happen if the wave strike the flat surface of
the barrier.

Refraction
When the waves slow, they change their direction. The effect is called refraction.

Diffraction
The diffraction waves happen if the wave through the narrow
slit.

a. Do this exercise!
1. The waves in A below are travelling across water.
a) Are the waves transvers or longitudinal?
b) What is the wavelength of the waves?
c) What is the amplitude of the waves?
d) If 2 waves pass the flag every second, what is the
frequency and the period?
e) Calculate the speed of the wave in A

2. The waves in B below are travelling across water

a) What is the wavelength of the waves in diagram B
below?

Physics for IGCSE level/ Rohma Wati, S.Pd

b) If the waves in figure B is 8 m/s, what is its

frequency?

3. Look at the wave shown. The horizontal and vertical scales

are in cm.

a) What is the wavelength?

b) What is its amplitude?
c) If this wave is moving at a speed of 10 cm/s, what is
the frequency?
4. Complete this table by writing transverse and longitudinal in
the correct boxes in the first column.
Describes a wave that varies from
side to side, at right angles to the
direction of travel
Describes a wave that varies back
and forth along the direction of
travel
5. A particular sound wave has a frequency of 100 Hz. How
many waves pass a point in 1 s?
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
If each wave has a wavelength of 3.3 m, what is the total
length of the waves that pass a point in 1 second?
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
So, what is the speed of the sound wave?
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
6. Seismic waves are caused by earthquakes. They travel out
from the affected area and can be detected around the world.
They have low frequencies (mostly too low to hear and travel
at the speed of sound.
A particular seismic wave is travelling through granite with a
speed of 5000 m/s. its frequency is 8.0 Hz. Calculate its
wavelength!
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
If the wave is detected 12.5 minutes after the earthquake,
estimate the distance from the detector to the site of the quake.
...............................................................................................
...............................................................................................
Physics for IGCSE level/ Rohma Wati, S.Pd

Explain why your answer can only be an estimate

7. Which rows show an example of a transverse wave and an example of a
longitudinal wave?
Transverse
Longitudinal
A
light
radio
B
radio
sound
C
sound
water
D
water
light
8. A boy throws a small stone into a pond. Waves spread out from where
the stone hits the water and travel to the side of the pond.
The boy notices that eight waves reach the side of the pond in a time of
5.0 s. what if the frequency of the waves?
A 0.20 Hz B 0.63
C 1.6 Hz
D 40 Hz
9. (a) Figure below shows the surface of water in a tank.

Straight wavefronts are produced at the left-hand end of the tank and
travel towards a gap in a barrier. Curved wavefronts travel away
from the gap.
(i)
Name the process that causes the spread out the gap.
(ii)

Suggest a cause of the reduced spacing of the wavefronts to

the right of the barrier.

(iii)

State how the pattern of wavefronts to the right of the barrier

changes when the gap is made narrower.

10. Figure below shows a travelling, in the direction of the arrow, along a
rope.

Explain why the wave shown in figure is described as a transverse wave.

The speed of the wave along the rope is 3.2 m/s.

Calculate the frequency of the wave.

Physics for IGCSE level/ Rohma Wati, S.Pd