PUSAT TUISYEN NEWTON

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Part 1: Understanding Waves (cont.)

Wave Speed
 Speed (v), wavelength (λ) and frequency (f)
 Wave speed:
 distance moved by a wave in one second
 depends on the medium through which the
wave is travelling
 Vsolid > Vliquid > Vgas
 If frequency of waves is 10Hz, it mean it produces
10 complete waves in 1 second
 How to determine 1 complete wave?
2 oscillations 3 oscillations

1 1
2 oscillations 3 oscillations
2 4
Important to Understand
 Example 5
A vibrating system produces
waves at a frequency of 25 Hz. If
the wavelength of the waves is 1.0
cm, what is the wave speed?
Example 6
James Bond dropped a rock into a
pool produces waves with a speed
of 0.8 ms-1 and wavelength of 0.20
m. Calculate the frequency of the
waves.
 Example 7
A tuning fork produces sound
waves with a frequency of 170 Hz.
If the speed of sound in air is 350
ms-1, find the wavelength of the
sound waves.
Example 8
Figure below shows the pattern of
sea waves striking the coast with a
speed of 16 ms-1. Calculate the
frequency of the sea waves.
 Example 9 Solution
Figure shows the displacement-
time graph and displacement-
distance graph of a source of wave.
Find the value of wave speed.
 Damping
 Ideal situation – no energy is lost from the
oscillating system Energy

-A A Displacement
Ideal oscillating system

 The energy alternates between potential energy and

kinetic energy with no energy loss to the
surroundings. This is not possible in real life.
 Damping
 Actual situation – a system
undergoes damping and is
energy is lost to the
surroundings.

 Amplitude of oscillation
will gradually decrease and
finally becomes zero when
oscillation stops.
 This is caused by air resistance and frictions

 An oscillating system undergoes damping when

the system losses energy to the surrounding in the
form of heat energy.
Real Life Application (Damping)
 Damping (Actual Situation)
Displacement / cm

T1 T2 T3 Time / s

Used in shock absorbers in cars so

that passengers won’t bounce
for too long
 Damping – a process where oscillations die down
due to loss of energy

 Two types;

 Internal – caused by compression and

rarefaction of molecules

 External – caused by friction between

oscillation system and air
 Resonance occurs when a system is made to
oscillate at a frequency equivalent to its natural
frequency by an external force.

 The resonating system will oscillate at maximum

amplitude
 Resonance Experiment
2. Oscillating motion is transmitted along supporting string

Driver
pendulum

3. All pendulum starts to oscillate

1. Driver pendulum is
pulled back and released
 Factors of Natural Frequency
Oscillating Natural
Factors
System Frequency
Length of pendulum increases

Simple Mass of bob increases

Pendulum
Acceleration due to gravity
increases
Length of spring increases

Loaded Mass of load increases

Spring
Stiffness of spring increases