The wave model of radiation

21st Century Physics

6.1 What is a wave?April 12, 2023

How many types of wave have you

heard of in everyday use?

Do they have anything in common?

Aims

• Introduce waves as disturbances that transfer energy

• Introduce software used in the unit to revise the link between pitch and frequency

• Demonstrate transverse and longitudinal waves

Introduction to waves

What is a wave?

A wave is a disturbance

moving through a material

What causes a wave?

• The source of a wave is always something that vibrates

• The material that the wave travels through is called the medium

phet.colorado.edu

Low frequency, high period

High frequency, low period

Transverse

T

Transverse

• The particles of the medium vibrate at right angles (perpendicular) to the direction in which the wave moves

LongitudinalaLong

Longitudinal

• The particles vibrate (oscillate) back and forth creating a continuing wave of pulses

Water waves

Homework