What affects the intensity of a wave?

intensity and displacement. For simple mechanical waves like sound, intensity is related to the density of the medium and the speed, frequency, and amplitude of the wave.

How do different mediums affect the way a wave travels?

When waves travel from one medium to another the frequency never changes. As waves travel into the denser medium, they slow down and wavelength decreases. Part of the wave travels faster for longer causing the wave to turn. The wave is slower but the wavelength is shorter meaning frequency remains the same.

What happens to a medium when a wave moves?

Q: How do the particles of the medium move when a wave passes through them? A: The particles of the medium just vibrate in place. As they vibrate, they pass the energy of the disturbance to the particles next to them, which pass the energy to the particles next to them, and so on.

Does the medium in which a wave travels move with the wave?

The medium in which a wave travels does not move along with the wave itself. The medium is only a conduit for the transfer of energy the wave…

What is intensity in wave?

The intensity (I) of a wave is defined as the rate at which it transfers energy divided by the area over which the energy is spread. In other words, intensity is the rate of energy flow per unit area.

How does distance affect the intensity of light?

There is an inverse relationship between distance and light intensity – as the distance increases, light intensity decreases. This is because as the distance away from a light source increases, photons of light become spread over a wider area.

What mediums do waves travel through?

So, the disturbance caused by the particles can travel through a medium such as air, ocean water, land, violin strings, Slinky coils, etc. Sound waves can travel through solids, liquids, or gases. The speed of sound depends on the medium. The type of matter that a wave travels through determines the speed of the wave.

What type of medium are the waves traveling through?

Matter that waves are traveling through is called a medium. Water waves are formed by vibrations in a liquid and sound waves are formed by vibrations in a gas (air).

When a wave travels through a medium the particles of the medium are?

In transverse waves, particles of the medium vibrate to and from in a direction perpendicular to the direction of energy transport. 4. A transverse wave is traveling through a medium. See diagram below.

What mediums can waves travel through?

What type of wave needs a medium to travel?

Mechanical waves
Mechanical waves require a medium in order to transport their energy from one location to another. A sound wave is an example of a mechanical wave. Sound waves are incapable of traveling through a vacuum.

How do you find the intensity of a wave?

Intensity is defined to be the power per unit area carried by a wave. Power is the rate at which energy is transferred by the wave. In equation form, intensity I is I=PA I = P A , where P is the power through an area A. The SI unit for I is W/m2.

What is the relationship between intensity and density of sound waves?

For simple mechanical waves like sound, intensity is related to the density of the medium and the speed, frequency, and amplitude of the wave. This can be shown with a long, horrible, calculation.

What happens to a wave when it travels through a medium?

When the medium through which a wave travels suddenly changes, the wave often experiences partial transmission and partial refection at the interface. Reflection is a wave phenomenon that changes the direction of a wavefront at an interface between two different media so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated.

What is the relationship between amplitude frequency period period and wavelength?

Amplitude—distance between the resting position and the maximum displacement of the wave Frequency—number of waves passing by a specific point per second Period—time it takes for one wave cycle to complete In addition to amplitude, frequency, and period, their wavelength and wave velocity also characterize waves.

What is the relationship between air pressure and sound waves?

This relationship is consistent with the fact that the sound wave is produced by some vibration; the greater its pressure amplitude, the more the air is compressed in the sound it creates. Figure 2. Graphs of the gauge pressures in two sound waves of different intensities.