Sound Wave Behaviors

Getting Started

➢Complete the notes in your composition

notebook.
Write definitions
Write Star Tips
Draw your examples
Add at least 4 COLORS

Waves

➢Remember there are two types of waves:
➢Mechanical Waves

Require a medium to travel
Sound is the best known example.

➢Electromagnetic Waves

Do not require a medium to travel
Light is the best known example.

Matter can Transmit Light

• Light is a type of electromagnetic wave, so it can travel through empty space

• When light meets with a material, it can be passed through the material – we call this transmission

• Transparent – Matter that transmits light; you can see through them

• Translucent – light is scattered in different directions; you can't see all the way through

Wave Behaviors

➢There are 5 types of wave behaviors we will

explore this week:
 Reflection
 Refraction
 Diffraction
 Absorption
 Transmission

Matter can Absorb Light

• Opaque – materials do not let any light pass through; they can reflect, absorb, or both

• Absorption – transfer of light energy to matter (think like how a sponge soaks up water)

Matter Can Reflect Light

• Reflection – the bouncing of light off a surface; The Law of Reflection states that a light way striking a mirror will bounce off the mirror at the same angle

• When light bounces off a smooth surface it reflects in a uniform way

• When light bounces off a rough surface it scatters in many different directions

Reflection

➢Reflection

when a wave hits

an object and
bounces off

Always remember, the
angle of the reflected

beam will ALWAYS
EQUAL the angle of

the incident beam.

Multiple Choice

What type of wave interaction is being described - The road becomes hot on a summer day due to matter taking in light waves.

• absorption

• reflection

• refraction

• scattering

Examples of Reflection

Reflected

Light

Reflected

Sound

Echo

Multiple Choice

What type of wave interaction has to take place for an object to appear opaque?

• Light waves are reflected

• Light waves are refracted

• Light waves are diffracted

• Light waves are transmitted

Absorption

➢When a traveling wave (sound/light) hits

another object and loses energy and taken
in by the object.

Dark colors absorb
more energy than

lighter colors.

Multiple Choice

For an object to appear transparent, what type of wave interaction must take place?

• Light waves are transmitted

• Light waves are absorbed

• Light waves are diffracted

• Light waves are reflected

Multiple Choice

Which of the figures represents reflection?

• A

• B

• C

• D

What determines what colors we see?

• Remember the colors we can see are called visible light – Roy G. Biv

• Light can be reflected or absorbed. Objects that appear a specific color are because those are the light waves that are reflected

• Objects that are translucent or transparent can absorb, reflect, and transmit light waves.

Multiple Choice

What type of wave behavior is pictured above?

• Refraction

• Reflection

• Absorption

• Diffraction

Black and White Objects

• When an object absorbs all light waves, it appears black

• When an object reflects all light waves, it appears white

• Any other color that you see is due to reflection of light waves

Multiple Choice

What is the definition reflection?

• The bending of waves as they enter a new medium

• Bouncing back of waves from a surface that it can’t pass through

• The bending of waves as they pass through openings or around corners

• When two interfering waves have a displacement in the same direction, two crests and two troughs overlap. Increased amplitude.

Multiple Choice

How are we able to perceive an object as being the color white?

• All colors of visible light are absorbed by an object and then reflected into our eye.

• All colors of visible light are reflected off an object and then to our eye.

• All colors of visible light are absorbed by an object and no light is being reflected into our eye.

Multiple Choice

Which of the figures represents absorption?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Multiple Choice

How are we able to perceive an object as being the color black?

• All colors of visible light are absorbed by an object and then reflected into our eye.

• All colors of visible light are reflected off an object and then to our eye.

• All colors of visible light are absorbed by an object and no light is being reflected into our eye.

Transmission

➢Transmission

when a wave

passes through
an object.

Waves transmit

differently when they
travel through objects.

Multiple Choice

Ray C represents __.

• reflection

• refraction

• transmission

• absorption

Examples of
Transmission

Transmitted

Light

Transmitted

Sound

Airplane
Window

Multiple Choice

Ray B represents __.

• reflection

• refraction

• transmission

• absorption

Refraction

➢Refraction

bending of waves when passing

from one medium (solid, liquid,
gas) to another

caused by a change in speed

SLOWER

FASTER
• slower (more dense)  light or sound

bends toward the original wave

• faster (less dense)  light or sound

bends away from the original wave

Multiple Choice

If you see an object as orange,

• it is absorbing orange light and reflecting all other colors.

• it is reflecting all colors.

• it is absorbing all colors.

• it is reflecting orange light and absorbing all other colors.

Refraction of Light

➢Example:

View explanation.

Light waves change when interacting with matter

Refraction - is the change in direction of a wave as it passes from one medium into another at an angle.

-Examples: shining white light through a prism creates a rainbow

Refraction of Light

Light waves change when interacting with matter

Diffraction - occurs when a wave bends as it passes through an opening or around an object

Example - sunlight shining around a cloud

Refraction of Sound

Multiple Choice

A student placed a pencil in a cup of water. The pencil appears broken because light

• always travels in a straight line.

• bends when it passes through water.

• makes the water in the glass evaporate.

• reflects the pencil on the water's surface.

Multiple Choice

This image best depicts which of the following wave behaviors?

• Reflection

• Refraction

• Diffraction

• Resonance

Mirrors and Lenses

Concave vs. Convex

Concave is curved inward like a bowl or a spoon

Convex is curved outward like the back of a spoon

Multiple Choice

Refraction occurs when _____________

• the wave's speed changes by entering a new medium

• a wave bounces off of a boundary

• waves parts meet each other

• waves bend around a barrier

Multiple Select

A mirror that gives a wider view field making bigger objects appear to be smaller than their original form.

• concave

• convex

Multiple Choice

Which of the following represents refraction?

• A

• B

• C

• D

Diffraction

➢Diffraction

Bending (divides) of

waves around a
barrier

Diffraction of Light

Sound Wave Interactions

What affects the speed of sound?

• Two main factors affect the speed

  of sound: the type of medium that the sound travels through, and

  the temperature of the medium.

• Sound travels fastest through solids because solids are denser than liquids or gases

• Sound travels faster through hot air than through cold air.

Diffraction of Sound

Multiple Choice

The speed of a sound wave depends on

• the frequency
• the medium
• both air temperature and medium
• the air temperature

Combination of all

behaviors

Matter Can Reflect Sound Waves

• Reflection is the bouncing back of a wave when the wave hits a barrier

• Example - an echo

Multiple Choice

This image depicts which of the following wave behaviors?

• Reflection

• Refraction

• Diffraction

• Resonance

​Matter Can Absorb Sound Waves​

• A rough wall will absorb sound better than a smooth wall will.

  And soft materials absorb sound better than hard materials do

Multiple Choice

• absorption

• diffraction

• reflection

• refraction

• transmission

Diffraction

Diffraction is how a wave changes when it interacts with an obstacle or an opening.​

​If a wave hits an object it cannot pass through, it bends to move around the object.

Multiple Choice

• absorption

• diffraction

• reflection

• refraction

• transmission

Multiple Select

People often put noise-cancelling earmuffs on babies when they bring them to loud places. This is to help protect their ears. How do you think this works? Select TWO answers.

• Sound waves are striking the earmuffs and bouncing off of them.

• Sound waves are striking the earmuffs, going into them, but not passing through them.

• Sound waves are striking earmuffs and going through them.

• Sound waves are striking the earmuffs and being bent as they pass through.

Multiple Choice

What is a medium?

• something between a small and a large?

• the substance through which a wave can travel

• a pattern of vibration that simulates when a wave is standing still

• the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave

Multiple Choice

Listen to the recording of someone yelling in a tunnel. Why do we hear something after each yell?

• Sound waves are striking the walls of the tunnel and bouncing off of the walls.

• Sound waves are striking the walls of the tunnel and going into the walls (they are not passing all the way through).

• Sound waves are striking the walls of the tunnel and going all the way through the walls.

• Sound waves are striking the walls of the tunnel and being bent as they go through the walls.

Multiple Choice

What is the main difference between refraction and diffraction?

• refraction is a phenomenon that affects light; diffraction is a phenomenon that affects sound

• refraction involves the bending of light; diffraction involves the bending and spreading of light, usually around an obstacle

Multiple Choice

What type of wave behavior is pictured above?

• Refraction
• Reflection
• Absorption
• Diffraction

Multiple Choice

Rainbows are made by...

• By the reflection of light off of clouds.

• By the scattering of light by raindrops.

• By the diffraction of light through water vapor in the air.

• By the refraction, dispersion, and reflection of sunlight in water droplets in the atmosphere.

Multiple Choice

When a sound wave experiences reflection, we hear

• a louder sound
• an echo
• a quieter sound
• nothing

Sound

​Sound travels fastest in solids, and slowest in gases.

The closer the atoms in the medium, the FASTER the sound wave will travel.  Takes less time to transfer to surrounding atoms.

Light

​

• A denser medium provides more matter from which the light can scatter, so light will travel more slowly in a dense medium. 

• A slower speed means a higher index of refraction

Multiple Choice

According to the data, which media does light travel fastest through?

• Air because it has the highest refractive index which means it is the most dense. The denser a medium is the faster the light wave will travel.

• Air because it has the lowest refractive index which means it is the least dense. The less dense a medium, the faster the light wave will travel.

• Diamond because it has the lowest refractive index which means it is the least dense, which means the wave will move the fastest.

• Diamond because it has the highest refractive index which means it is the most dense. The denser a medium is the faster the light wave will travel.

Multiple Choice

Which two media does light waves travel the same in?

• Air and Water because it travels at 300,000,000 m/s through these media.

• Water and Perspex because it travels at 230,000,000 m/s through these media.

• Perspex and Glass because it travels at 230,000,000 m/s through the media.

• Glass and Diamond because it travels at 242,000,000 m/s through the media.

Multiple Choice

Light waves travels fastest through the air because air is a gas, which means it is less dense than the other media, which are solids and liquids.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

Light travels slower in the Perspex than in the water because Perspex is more dense than the water, meaning it has more molecules that are attempting the block the light waves from passing through.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Air has more molecules than the glass, therefore, light will travel slower in the air than in the glass.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The speed of light through water is 230,000,000 m/s per second. Refer to the data table to see the speed of a sound wave through water. What conclusion can I draw from the information?

• Waves move at the same speed regardless of the type of wave

• Mechanical waves (sound) move faster than Electromagnetic waves (liquid)

• Electromagnetic waves (light) move faster than Mechanical waves (sound)

• There is not enough data to answer the question

Multiple Choice

Sound does not travel in space because

• Space is too far away.
• There is no matter in space.
• Space is the final frontier
• Space has planets.

Multiple Choice

Sound waves travel the fastest in

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• vacuum of empty space

Multiple Choice

Sound waves travel the slowest in

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• vacuum of empty space

Multiple Choice

Light waves travel the fastest in

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• vacuum of empty space

Multiple Choice

Light waves travel the slowest in

• solid

• liquid

• gas

• vacuum of empty space

Multiple Choice

If a sound waves moves from a solid to a liquid, the sound wave will

• speed up

• slow down

• not change speed

Multiple Choice

If a sound waves moves from a gas to a liquid, the sound wave will

• speed up

• slow down

• not change speed

Multiple Choice

If a light waves moves from a gas to a liquid, the light wave will

• speed up

• slow down

• not change speed

Multiple Choice

If a light waves moves from a solid to a liquid, the light wave will

• speed up

• slow down

• not change speed

Multiple Choice

When comparing sound traveling through the air, I can tell from the chart, it travels faster at 1,127 ft/sec because...

• the temperature is 68 degrees, which means the molecules are able to transfer the waves faster.

• the temperature is 32 degrees, which means the molecules are able to transfer the waves faster.

• the temperature is always the same for air, so the temperature does not make a difference

• air is a gas that is spread out and allows the sound waves to travel through it faster