Chapter 1 Sound Waves

1. Introduction to
WAVES

2. You have seen many types of waves in everyday
life. Some of these waves are easily seen, such as the
waves in a pond or in an ocean. Others you can feel
but cannot see, such as the winds during a storm or
the sensation of riding in a car on a bumpy road. You
may have been told that light is a wave, and while you
can see light you can’t see the wave nature of the
light. You also may know that sound is a wave.
In this section you will learn what all of these types
of waves have in common and what distinguishes
them from each other. You will also learn the
terminology that applies to all waves, so that a
discussion of the specific properties of sound can be
related to waves in general. Finally, you will learn
about the sources of waves and how the waves travel
from one place to another.

3. Pre discussion Question 1.
The term “wave” has more than on meaning in everyday language. List
as many different meanings of the word wave as you can.

4. Pre discussion Question 2
What is a wave? Describe a wave in your own words.

5. Pre-discussion Question 3
List as many types of waves and/or examples of waves as you can.
What, if any, things do all of your examples have in common?

6. Pre-discussion Question 4
Now consider the specific example of a sound wave. List all the ways
you can think of to make a sound wave.

7. Pre-discussion Question 5
• How do you think sound gets from one place to another? That is,
how do you think sound travels? What types of materials do you think
sound travels through?

8. Pre-discussion Question 6
• When a thunderstorm is overhead what have you noticed about the
time it takes for you to see the lightning and to hear the thunder?
What does this suggest about the differences between light and
sound?

9. Motion in a Transverse Wave
What are the crest, trough, and rest position?
What Are Waves?

10. Motion in a Longitudinal Wave
Which are the areas of compression and rarefaction in the diagram?
What Are Waves?

11. A Picture of a Sound Wave
The picture shows an area of air as the compressions and rarefactions
of a sound wave pass through it. The dots represent air particles.
Where are the rarefaction and the compression areas?
What Are Waves?

12. Waves Transfer
Energy
A wave moves
the bottle in a circular
motion. After the wave
passes, the bottle
returns to where it
started. How will the
bottle look in the
bottom picture?
What Are Waves?