Name _________________________________ Date _________
Measuring and DRAWING WAVES
TRANSVERSE WAVES:
1. How many waves are in the diagram below? (count number of wavelengths): ______________
2. What is the wavelength of the waves above in cm?: _________________
3. What is the amplitude of the wave above in cm?: ________________
4. If the diagram above was taken during a 2 second interval, what is frequency of wave? _____ speed? ______
Vw=f x
your answer should be in cm/s)
f= # of waves /per second
= length of the wave
5. How many waves are in the diagram below? (count number of wavelengths): ______________
6. What is the wavelength of the waves above in cm?: _________________
7. What is the amplitude of the wave above in cm?: ________________
8. If the diagram above was taken during a 3 second interval, what is the frequency of wave? _____ speed? _____
Vw=f x
(your answer should be in cm/s) f= # of waves /per second
= length of the wave
Draw a transverse wave with an amplitude of 3cm, and a wavelength of 5 cm (draw at least two waves)
Name _________________________________ Date _________
Longitudinal Wave aka (compression wave)
1. How many waves are in the diagram below? (count number of wavelengths): ______________
1. What is the wavelength of the waves above in cm?: _________________
2. What is the compression of the wave above in cm?: ________________
3. If the diagram above was taken during a 1 second interval, what is frequency? _________ speed? ________
Vw=f x (your answer should be in cm/s) f= # of waves/ per second
= length of the wave
Draw a compressional wave with compression of 3cm, and a wavelength of 6 cm (at least 2 waves)
Follow along with the online simulation:
1. Set the both the frequency and the amplitude to 35. What happens to the string?
2. Set the frequency to 50 and adjust the amplitude to several different settings. What happens to the string
as you adjust the amplitude? Record your observations.
3. Adjust the frequency button to several different settings. What happens to the string as you change the
frequency? Record your observations.
4. You will now explore the relationship between frequency and wavelength. Set the amplitude to 50 and
calculate the frequency of the wave for 4 different settings of frequency. To calculate frequency use the
timer and count the number of peaks that pass through a given point per second. Measure the wavelength
at each frequency
Frequency #
#peaks per/s (frequency)
wavelength
________
__________
__________
________
__________
__________
________
__________
__________
________
__________
__________
5. Write down your observations about the relationship between wavelength and frequency. What happens when
frequency goes up? What happens when frequency goes down?