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Waves and water dynamics
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What comes to mind when someone says the word wave? Maybe you picture yourself waving your hand to say hello, or a wave on the ocean. In physics, a wave can be defined as a a repeating and periodic disturbance that travels through a medium and transfers energy from one point to another. This disturbance, or variation, can move up, down, forward or back, just think of the waves in the ocean. The medium is the substance or material that carries the wave, for instance, with ocean waves the medium would be the water itself. Wave motion transfers energy from one point to another, often without permanently moving the particles of the medium. Waves are made up of oscillations (movements back and forth at a regular speed) or vibrations. All waves have an equilibrium position, which is when all the acting forces are canceled or balanced, just picture the surface of the water completely flat and smooth.
The crest of a wave is the point on the medium that exhibits the maximum amount of positive or upward displacement from the rest position, they are the uppermost points of the wave. The trough of a wave is the point on the wave that exhibits the maximum amount of negative or downward displacement from the rest position, it is the lowest position of the wave.
There are many different kinds of waves. Two kinds of waves are transverse waves and longitudinal waves. A transverse wave is a wave that has its disturbance perpendicular to its direction of propagation; the particles do not move along with the wave; they simply vibrate up and down about their individual equilibrium positions as the wave passes by. A good way to visualize a transverse wave is a string or a rope being moved up and down. The rope is moving, but it is not going anyw...
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wave to form, the surging tide must meet an obstacle. When the ocean meets the
walking across them. The lines and pulleys and some parts of the waves are example of
The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether if the sound is affected when it travels through different length pipes. The method used to do this experiment was created by using 5 different PVC pipes in the lengths of 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 centimeters. Then, using a tuning fork, sound will be produced on one end of the PVC pipe and measured with a decimeter on the other end. This experiment was recorded using 5 trials for each independent level and the average decibels (dB) for each pipe length were recorded.
Rough waves are an open water phenomenon, in which winds, currents, nonlinear phenomena cause a wave to briefly form that is far larger than the "average" large occurring wave of that time and place. rogue waves can form in large bodies of freshwater as well as the ocean. The first rogue wave confirmed with scientific evidence,it has a maximum height of 25.6 metres (84 ft).rogue waves can also reach up to about 30 meters or 100 feet high. A rogue wave estimated at 18.3 meters (60 feet) in the Gulf Stream off of Charleston, S.C.
If you put your finger gently on a loudspeaker you will feel it vibrate - if it is playing a low note loudly you can see it moving. When it moves forwards, it compresses the air next to it, which raises its pressure. Some of this air flows outwards, compressing the next layer of air. The disturbance in the air spreads out as a travelling sound wave. Ultimately this sound wave causes a very tiny vibration in your eardrum - but that's another story.
Ultrasound is sound waves that have a frequency above human audible. (Ultrasound Physics and Instrument 111). With a shorter wavelength than audible sound, these waves can be directed into a narrow beam that is used in imaging soft tissues. As with audible sound waves, ultrasound waves must have a medium in which to travel and are subject to interference. In addition, much like light rays, they can be reflected, refracted, and focused.
As said above, both light and sound waves have to do with interference. In sound, interference affects both the loudness and amplitude. When two waves’ crests overlap, the amplitude increases. The same is true with the troughs of the waves, which decrease the amplitude.
The vibration of the strings of a guitar causes the sound wave, but is not actually what you are hearing. The amplification of the sound wave is what is actually heard. The differences in the tension of the stings and the mass of the strings affect the pitch of the sound produced. The ends of each string are nodes, or where the wave does not travel from its initial position. The note you hear from the string is actually the first harmonic of the wave; other harmonics created when plucking a string form the undertones and overtones of a note. The waves on a guitar string are transverse waves, meaning they travel perpendicular to the original position. The waves are also standing waves, because they remain in the same position.
Electromagnetic waves are waves that can propagate even though there is no medium. A magnetic field that changes with time can generate an electric field that also changes with time, and an electric field that changes with time can also produce a magnetic field. If the process is continuous it will produce a magnetic field and electric field continuously. If these magnetic fields and electric fields simultaneously propagate (spread) in space in all directions then this is a symptom of the wave. Such a wave is called an electromagnetic wave because it consists of an electric field and a magnetic field that travels in space.
... middle of paper ... ... Designs, C. & B. 2013. ProSonic Acoustic Cubes -. [online] Available at: http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/acoustic-cubes.htm [Accessed: 1 Dec 2013].
Some physical entities such as light can display some characteristics of both particles and waves. Before the early 20th century, scientists believed that light was in the form of an electromagnetic wave. It wasn’t until the 20th century onwards that scientists found that light has properties of waves and particles. Scientists discovered different properties of light through experimentation and allowed them to determine that light actually has a wave-particle duality.
Nature of wave: It is an electromagnetic wave as it does not necessarily require a medium for p...
There are a few parts of sounds waves that we should be familiar with to better be able to understand the physics of music. The crest is the highest point of a wave, while the trough is the lowest. The wavelength of a wave is the distance between two adjacent ...