| Definition: | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Period, T is the time taken by each point on the wave to complete one oscillation SI unit is second (s) PhysicsDefinitions | period is equivalent to the time taken for the wave to travel through a distance equal to one wavelength (you can also use the distance between 1st time it hits the mean and the 2nd time it returns bac to the mean position) |
| Frequency f is the number of oscillations each point completes per second SI unit is hertz (Hz) PhysicsDefinitions Wavelength is the shortest distance between 2 successive crests of troughs SI unit is meter (m) | Frequency of a wave is also the number of crests (or troughs) that go past a point per second Frequency and period are also related by this equation physicsFormulae ⇒ T here is the period of the wave. 3 wave cycles are produced and move away from the source in 1s ![]() Frequency f = 3Hz Period T = |
| wave speed v is the distance travelled by the wave per second. SI unit is meter/second (m/s) | Recall that speed = . since every crest advances by 1 wavelength in one period, T the speed of the wave is given by where v = wave speed (m/s) = wavelength (m) T = period (s) physicsFormulae Since , in the above figure ⇒ wavelength of the wave is 0.5m Wave speed: to conclude, relationship between v, f and is physicsFormulae |
Wave speed v is determined by properties of the medium Wave speed on a rope is determined by factors like tension and thickness of rope. Therefore for a wave that stays in the same medium , v is fixed. equation tells us that if the frequency f of the wave generator is increased, will decrease
sometimes waves can travel into a diff medium and its speed in a new medium can be higher or lower however ⇒ frequency of wave will always remain the same as a wave travels from one medium to another if wave travels into a different medium such that v decreases, then will decrease since f remains the same
⇒ this is the figure to understand why frequency of wave remains the same as a wave travels from 1 medium to another.
At point J where 2 sections of ropes are joined ⇒ oscillation of first section is passed on to the next section.
⇒ hence frequency f of oscillation in the second rope must be the same as in the first rope.
compare the wavelength in the second section to the first section and applying the formula .
