THE FINAL PROJECT - BY ANDY NGUYEN
Physical Science - 8th Grade
WHAT ARE WAVES?
Waves are disturbances that transfer energy through space or mass. Waves are catergorized into two different ways, forms and types. Forms of waves are based on its direction. Transerve waves' direction of oscillation is perpendicular to the direction that the waves transfer energy (water and light waves). Concurrently, as the disturbance's route is parallel with the course that energy took to be transfered (sound waves). Types of waves depend on its characteristics. Mechanical waves could only move with a medium (water and sound wave), while the electromagnetic waves could transmit through anywhere.
PARTS OF A WAVE
Look at the diagram on the left. It shown differents elements that a wave comprised. The most fundamental factors are the crests and troughs. Crest is the highest point while trough is the lowest point. Wavelength is distance between crests/troughs. Frequency is how many waves moved through a specific distance/second. Amplitude is the displacement from the crest/trough to its resting spot or equilibrium. In tranverse waves, the higher the point, the higher amplitude, while in longitudinal waves, the more particles condensed together, the higher the amplitude.
AMPLITUDE RELATED TO ENERGY
Amplitude is an word that describe the amount of energy that waves transfer and this related to displacement. Let's me explain through a very common example. Rex and Khoi have a competition between who have the strongest voice (the voice that have more force). Rex always lost because his throat could not generate energy to violently dislocated the air molecules' like Khoi can. Therefore, if you could create more energy, the amplitude of the waves would show it thoroughly as the energy would displace particles' position..
REFLECTION - ABSORPTION
TRANSMISSION
Reflection is the concept that involve change of direction, started at one medium and travel to another. Then, the waves bounced off that surface and returned to its originated medium. In terms of reflect, I meant that when the waves touched it, the waves don't absorb nor moving through that barrier. An obvious example happen when you saw a boat sail by. The boat's engine generate waves on the water surface and accordingly, as those waves colidding to the boundaries. Thus, the water waves reflected back. That's reflection on water surface. The most useful device that employ the sound waves reflecting are sonar. Via sending of ultrasound waves, and when the waves hit at something and strike back, these beneficial device will assist human depict the surface of water. Lastly, the most famous of reflection of lightwaves are mirrors. Lightwave meet at the smooth mirror's covering. As a result, the lightwave reflected at the same angle as it entered, due to the Law of Reflection, and interpret the similar image in front of of it.
Absorption, a phrase which explain the disappearance of waves to a medium. In other words, energy in waves will be lost if encounter specific materials. More particularly, absorption will be occur in all water, sound and light waves in the subsequent examples. Let's return back to the boat sailing by. As the water wave hitted to barrier, a part of its energy change into heat (due to friction). The loss of energy in waves only convert to another type of energy, which meant absorption. Nextly, during the Spring Art Festival concert, carpets and curtains was placed to decreased the sound intensity. We could realized that porous materials act as a soundproof textile, as it absorb the energy of the soundwaves. Our eyes vitally contigent on lightwaves. It is also lightwaves that determine all the color of each object we see in our daily activities. Imagine a cherry. What color does it have? red, of course. Lightwave when strike to the cherry, this delicious food absorb all the color that it could not reflected. In this case, the banana couldn't reflect the color purple, but could with red.
Transmission is no doubt an expression for the possibilities that waves could transfer to the far side of a medium. As I have already mentioned, sound are mechanical waves. Therefore, a medium will be necessary to in order for this type of wave to transfer energy. Opposite with everyone's expectation, sound wave moved amazing faster than in solid form than any other forms. Moreover, mediums with thermal energy will be able to transfer energy faster due to the fact that the matter inside its have already move aggresively. You could still heard all sounds produced around you, going through different state of matter until it reach your ear. Similarly, lightwaves could also through anything that is transparent or translucent. Transparent are clear glass, where light could freely transfer through. Meanwhile translucent will be fabric such as lamps as it scatter the lightwaves out & the object couldn't see thoroughly.