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Chapter 17 Mechanical Waves and Sound

Summary
17.1 Mechanical Waves
A mechanical wave is created when a source of energy causes a
vibration to travel through a medium.
• A mechanical wave is a disturbance in matter that carries energy from
one place to another.
• The material through which a wave travels is called a medium.
The three main types of mechanical waves are transverse waves,
longitudinal waves, and surface waves.
• A transverse wave causes the medium to vibrate at right angles to the
direction in which the wave travels.
• The highest point above the rest position is the crest of a
transverse wave.
• The lowest point below the rest position is the trough.
• A longitudinal wave causes the medium to vibrate parallel to the
direction the wave travels.
• In a longitudinal wave, an area where the particles in a medium are
spaced close together is called a compression.
• An area where the particles in a medium are spread out is called a
rarefaction.
• A surface wave is a wave that travels along a surface separating
two media.
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• In a surface wave, particles of the medium move up and down, and

back and forth. When these two motions are combined, the particles
move in circles.

17.2 Properties of Mechanical Waves

A wave’s frequency equals the frequency of the vibrating source
producing the wave.
• Any motion that repeats at regular time intervals is called
periodic motion.
• The time required for one cycle, a complete motion that returns to its
starting point, is called the period.
• Any periodic motion has a frequency, which is the number of
complete cycles in a given time.
• Frequency is measured in cycles per second, or hertz (Hz).
Increasing the frequency of a wave decreases its wavelength.
• Wavelength is the distance between a point on one wave and the
same point on the next cycle of the wave.

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• The wavelength of a transverse wave is the distance from one crest or

trough to the next. The wavelength of a longitudinal wave is the
distance from one compression or rarefaction to the next.
If you assume that waves are traveling at a constant speed, then
wavelength is inversely proportional to frequency.
The more energy a wave has, the greater is its amplitude.
• The amplitude of a wave is the maximum displacement of the
medium from its rest position.

17.3 Behavior of Waves

Reflection does not change the speed or frequency of a wave, but the
wave can be flipped upside down.
• Reflection occurs when a wave bounces off a surface that it cannot
pass through.
When a wave enters a medium at an angle, refraction occurs because
one side of the wave moves more slowly than the other side.
• Refraction is the bending of a wave as it enters a new medium at an
angle.
A wave diffracts more if its wavelength is large compared to the size
of an opening or obstacle.
• Diffraction is the bending of a wave as it moves around an obstacle

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or passes through a narrow opening.
Two types of interference are constructive interference and destructive
interference.
• Interference occurs when two or more waves overlap and
combine together.
• Constructive interference occurs when two or more waves combine
to produce a wave with a larger displacement.
• Destructive interference occurs when two or more waves combine to
produce a wave with a smaller displacement.
A standing wave forms only if half a wavelength or a multiple of half
a wavelength fits exactly into the length of a vibrating cord.
• A standing wave is a wave that appears to stay in one place—it does
not seem to move through the medium.
• A node is a point on a standing wave that has no displacement from
the rest position.
• An antinode is a point where a crest of trough occurs midway
between two nodes.

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17.4 Sound and Hearing

Many behaviors of sound can be explained using a few properties—
speed, intensity and loudness, and frequency and pitch.
• Sound waves are longitudinal waves—compressions and rarefactions
that travel through a medium.
• Sound is carried by longitudinal waves.
• Speed is how fast sound travels. Sound waves travel fastest in solids,
slower in liquids, and slowest in gases.
• Intensity is the rate at which a wave’s energy flows through a given
area. It depends on the wave’s amplitude and the distance from the
sound source.
• Sound intensity levels are measured in decibels. The decibel (dB) is a
unit that compares the intensity of different sounds.
• Loudness is a physical response to the intensity of sound, modified by
physical factors.
• The frequency of a sound wave depends on how fast the source of the
sound is vibrating.
• Pitch is how high or low a sound seems to a listener.
Ultrasound is used in a variety of applications including sonar and
ultrasound imaging.
• Sonar is a technique for determining the distance to an object under
water.
• The Doppler effect is a change in sound frequency caused by motion
of the sound source, motion of the listener, or both.
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As a source of sound approaches, an observer hears a higher

frequency. When the sound source moves away, the observer hears a
lower frequency.
The outer ear gathers and focuses sound into the middle ear, which
receives and amplifies the vibrations. The inner ear uses nerve endings to
sense vibrations and send signals to the brain.
• The ear is the organ that responds to sound.
• The ear has three main regions: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the
inner ear.
Sound is recorded by converting sound waves into electronic signals
that can be processed and stored. Sound is reproduced by converting
electronic signals back into sound waves.
Most musical instruments vary pitch by changing the frequency of
standing waves.
• Musical instruments often use resonance to amplify sound.
• Resonance is the response of a standing wave to another wave of the
same frequency. Resonance can dramatically amplify sound.

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