Wave Behavior

Wave Behavior:

Waves have different behaviors depending on what objects, or mediums, they interact with. Waves travel at different speeds in different mediums. For example, mechanical waves, such as sound waves, travel faster in water than they do in air. Electromagnetic waves, such as light, are the opposite: They travel faster in air than they do in water. When you stick a pencil into a glass of water, the pencil looks strange because the light waves reflecting off of the pencil are traveling faster in air than they are in water.

1. Reflection: Reflection is when a wave bounces off a surface. When you look into a mirror, you see yourself because the light waves have reflected off the mirror. An echo is a reflection of a sound wave. (Polar bear picture)
2. Law of Reflection: The law of reflection explains that waves get reflected in a particular way. The wave reflects at the same angle as the angle that it moved toward the surface. So, if a wave hits a wall at 90^o, it will also bounce off at 90^o.
3. Refraction: Refraction is the bending of waves as they travel through different mediums (like the distorted light waves of a pencil in a cup of water). Refraction is caused by waves traveling at different speeds in different mediums. (Pencil picture)
4. Diffraction: Diffraction is the bending of waves around a barrier or the spreading of waves pass small openings. You can see diffraction when ocean waves come through a jetty.