Outline:

A. General Wave Information
B. Sound Wave Information
C. Light Wave Information
D. Electromagnetic Spectrum
E. Special applications of waves

Vocabulary: vibrations longitudinal waves compression/rare faction transverse crests/troughs wavelength frequency/hertz amplitude ultrasound doppler effect noise sonar loudness pitch decibel electromagnetic spectrum

Sources: Wave Energy Text pages 26-51 College Physics pages 435-446 The Way Things Work pages 230-249 Basic Physics pages 113-138 Web Links: useful links page pcds Rader's Physics4Kids:Light How Things Work: Sunlight Eric's Treasure Trove of Physics Optics for Kids Light and Optics Modules

overview

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web activities

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Concepts:

A. General Wave Information

1.) Energy is never created or destroyed it just changes form.
Examples.
a) book has potential energy, dropped it becomes kinetic and sound is produced
b) radiometer

2.) When a medium is disturbed E is transferred through it.
Creating Amplitude and Frequency, depending on size of object and force it hits the medium.
Example. dominoes or a rock dropped in a pond.
newtonian demonstrator

3.)If it can, the medium will want to restore itself to original position.
Example : slinky

4.) Wave phenomena: Shared by both light and sound waves.

superposition
reflection
refraction
diffraction
harmonics
resonance
Examples : sound tubes, light sensor, laser in smoked lenses, phase model

5.) Wave parts and definitions, (review ocean wave notes from the fall)

wavelenght
amplitude
frequency
crest
trough
compression
rarefaction

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B. Sound Wave Information.

1.) How are Sound waves produced? (demo page 28 WE text).
example: Tuning forks

2.) Vibration is the back and forth movement of matter
the frequency of that movement effects pitch. (demo page 41, 43 WE text)
example: glass bottles, sound tubes

the amplitude of that movement can rupture your eardrum and is detected as loudness. and measured in decibels

3.) waves travel fastest in a dense media why? Where are the atoms?

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C. Light Wave Information

• Light's discovery
  wave or particle? a debate for many years
  Newton first to observe that light did not obey the properties of waves
  did not go around corners and could be separated and put back together
• Einstein finally puts the photon idea together
  light / radiation is emitted when a electron falls an energy level
• Light can be separated into the colors of the visible spectrum (picture of spectrum) In nature we can see rainbows of color Optics in Nature
• Color and the Spectrum when light waves are added together we percieve color (additive color)
• Light is absorbed by different colors or pigments to make paints (subtractive color)
• Light can be reflected and refracted allowing us to use it for tools and machines for more about these topics see below.
  Lenses, Mirrors, and Prisms
  Light, Reflection & Refraction
  refraction and reflection of waves

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D. Electromagnetic Spectrum
picture of spectrum

• The electromagnetic spectrum consists of transverse waves produced by the motion of electrically charged particles
• The range of waves is defined by their wavelenght and frequencies from Gamma to Radio waves
• Humans use the special properties of these waves for everything from warfare to art and communication
  
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E. Special applications of Waves

LIGHT

• Light bulbs
• Lasers
• Cameras
• CD players
• Telescopes

SOUND

• Radio
• Ultra- sound
• sonar
• musical instruments

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useful links

sci 8 website