Waves Vibrations and Oscillations

The microphone reacts to changes in air pressure and creates corresponding AC electical waveforms.

The oscilloscope takes the AC waveforms and deflects a moving electron beam in a cathode ray tube, thus producing a moving display of the electrical waveform.

Seismic waves can reveal information about Earth's interior structure by traveling at different speeds and being reflected and refracted by different layers of rock. By studying how seismic waves travel through the Earth, scientists can determine the composition, density, and temperature of various layers and help understand processes like earthquake formation and plate tectonics. This data is crucial for understanding Earth's dynamic processes and for assessing geological hazards.

Scientists discovered S and P waves through the study of earthquake waves. S waves (secondary waves) are slower and travel through solids only, while P waves (primary waves) are faster and travel through solids, liquids, and gases. These waves are used to determine the internal structure of the Earth's layers and to locate the epicenter of an earthquake.

If the pitch of the sound increases, the frequency of the sound wave also increases. This means that the sound wave is oscillating at a faster rate, creating a higher pitch.

Refraction occurs for any waves, where there's a change in the medium.

No, gamma rays have the shortest wavelength.

the intensity of radiation emitted at that wavelength, giving a characteristic spectral distribution that depends only on the temperature of the object emitting the light.

The frequency of a sound wave does not affect the speed at which the wave moves. The speed of sound in a medium is determined by the properties of that medium, such as its density and elasticity. However, frequency does impact the pitch of the sound we hear.

As the frequency of sound increases, the perception of loudness may also increase if the amplitude of the sound wave remains constant. This is because our ears are more sensitive to higher frequencies. However, if the amplitude of the sound wave is kept constant, the loudness would not change, as loudness is primarily determined by amplitude.

A microphone is a device that converts sound vibrations into electrical signals in a telephone. When you speak into a phone, the microphone picks up the sound waves and converts them into electrical signals that can be transmitted through the telephone system.

The internal structure of the Earth, including the composition of its layers and the presence of geological features like fault lines and magma chambers, can be determined by studying seismic waves. Seismic waves provide valuable information about how they travel through different materials, helping scientists understand the Earth's subsurface.

An offshore wave breaker is a structure built in the ocean to reduce the intensity of waves and protect a coastline or harbor from wave erosion. It works by dissipating wave energy before it reaches the coast, thus reducing the impact of waves on beaches or structures.

The wavelength of a sound wave can be calculated by dividing the speed of sound in air (around 343 m/s) by the frequency of the sound wave. For a 18 kHz sound wave, the wavelength would be approximately 19.1 cm.

S waves are transverse waves, which means the particles in the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation. This is in contrast to P waves, which are longitudinal waves where the particles vibrate parallel to the wave direction.

Pros: Sound waves are efficient for communication, can travel through various mediums, and are essential for language, music, and signaling in nature.

Cons: Sound waves can be easily disrupted by obstacles, lose energy over distance, and can cause noise pollution in high concentrations.

Primary waves (P-waves) have the highest velocities in earthquakes, typically traveling at speeds of 6-7 kilometers per second through the Earth's interior. These waves are the fastest seismic waves and are the first to be recorded on seismographs during an earthquake.

Gamma waves have the highest frequency (and energy) of all the electromagnetic waves.

Gamma Ray Bursts (GRB) from outer space (and that's about all we know of them!) have extraordinary high energies, and hence frequencies.

A soft sound is produced by a wave with a low amplitude. Amplitude refers to the maximum displacement of particles caused by the wave. In the case of a soft sound, the amplitude of the wave is relatively small compared to a louder sound.

Well you know when you write a sentence, the paper stays in one place while your hand moves the pen. But in a seismograph, it's the pen that remains stationary while the paper moves. Why is this? All seismographs make use of a basic principle of physics: Whether it is moving or at rest, every object resists any change to its motion. A seismograph's heavy weight resists motion during a quake. But the rest of the seismograph is anchored to the ground and vibrates when seismic waves arrive.

The only reason that the p wave arrives faster than an s wave is because the p wave comes first in the chain. Thus, depending on the type of earthquake, the s wave tends to come 1-3 hours after the p wave.

Wave A takes a more direct route to the receiving station as it travels through the Earth's interior, while wave B experiences more reflection and refraction as it travels along the Earth's surface.

No, surface waves move slower than P-waves and S-waves. P-waves are the fastest seismic waves, followed by S-waves, and then surface waves. Surface waves travel along the Earth's surface and are responsible for the most damage during an earthquake.

The natural frequency of the spring refers to its frequency when hit or struck. Its lowest frequency is called fundamental frequency. For a spring, the 1st mode of natural frequency is fundamental frequency.