What is a transverse wave?

A wave whose vibrations are at right angles to the direction of travel, e.g. light and water waves.

What is a longitudinal wave?

A wave whose vibrations are parallel to the direction of travel, e.g. sound.

The maximum distance a point on the wave moves from its rest position.

Define wavelength and give its unit.

The distance between the same point on two neighbouring waves (crest to crest). Measured in metres (m).

Define frequency and give its unit.

The number of complete waves passing a point each second. Measured in hertz (Hz).

What is the period of a wave?

The time taken for one complete wave, in seconds.

State the wave speed equation.

v = f × λ (wave speed in m/s = frequency in Hz × wavelength in m).

Name two ways to improve the accuracy of timing a wave over a distance.

Use a longer distance, repeat and take a mean, or use electronic timing instead of a stopwatch.

Properties of wavesIB MYP Sciences: Flashcards

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What does a wave transfer?

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What does a wave transfer?: Energy, without transferring matter.
What is a transverse wave?: A wave whose vibrations are at right angles to the direction of travel, e.g. light and water waves.
What is a longitudinal wave?: A wave whose vibrations are parallel to the direction of travel, e.g. sound.
Define amplitude.: The maximum distance a point on the wave moves from its rest position.
Define wavelength and give its unit.: The distance between the same point on two neighbouring waves (crest to crest). Measured in metres (m).
Define frequency and give its unit.: The number of complete waves passing a point each second. Measured in hertz (Hz).
What is the period of a wave?: The time taken for one complete wave, in seconds.
What is the link between period and frequency?: T = 1 ÷ f
State the wave speed equation.: v = f × λ (wave speed in m/s = frequency in Hz × wavelength in m).
A wave has f = 50 Hz and λ = 0.4 m. What is its speed?: v = 50 × 0.4 = 20 m/s.
What does a bigger amplitude mean for a wave?: The wave carries more energy.
Name two ways to improve the accuracy of timing a wave over a distance.: Use a longer distance, repeat and take a mean, or use electronic timing instead of a stopwatch.

Exam questions on Properties of waves

A buoy floats on the sea off the coast of Portugal. As waves pass, the buoy bobs up and down but stays in almost the same place. An oceanographer counts 12 wave crests passing the buoy in 60 seconds.
Calculate the frequency of the waves and state their period.2 marks
A student in Nairobi uses a dipper that vibrates 8 times every second to make ripples in a shallow water tank. The ripples have a wavelength of 3.0 cm.
Calculate the speed of the ripples. Give the unit.2 marks
Students in Singapore investigate how the depth of water affects the speed of waves. In a long, shallow channel they make a single wave at one end and use a stopwatch to time how long it takes to travel 2.0 m to the far end. Each depth is tested three times. At a depth of 2 cm the times are 4.6 s, 4.4 s and 4.5 s. At a depth of 4 cm the times are 3.3 s, 3.1 s and 3.2 s.
State the independent variable, the dependent variable and one control variable in this investigation.3 marks

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Written by the Exaim team, led by Shaun Daswani (Head of Upper Secondary, Improve ME Institute; MSc Financial Mathematics, Imperial College London; BSc, UCL) and Jason Daswani (operational lead, Improve ME Institute; LSE).