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Anatomy of a Wave
Anatomy of a Wave
Waves are energy and travel through space, but are not made of matter. Waves oscillate in place, but can have a direction of motion.
Anatomy of a Wave
Anatomy of a Wave
The crest is the top of the wave.
Trough is the bottom of the wave.
Amplitude is the distance between the crest and the trough, or the height of the wave.
Wavelength is the distance between two waves. Generally measured between two crests or two troughs.
Wave Equation
Wave Equation
The velocity, speed of a wave, is determined by its frequency, how often it oscillates up and down, and the wavelength. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) also known as "per second".
The speed of light is constant, 3 x 108 meters per second. It is also represented by the variable c.
Therefore frequency and wavelength are inversely related. The higher the frequency the shorter the wavelength, and the longer the wavelength the lower the frequency.
Types of Electromagnetic radiation
Types of Electromagnetic radiation
Again, light is energy and is not made of matter. It is a type of electromagnetic energy wave. There are many types of electromagnetic waves including radio waves, x rays, and others. Electromagnetic waves are defined by their frequency/wavelength.
Visible light is a very narrow range between 380 nanometers to 750 nanometers. (1 nm = 1x10-9 m)
Energy of Light
Energy of Light
Paradoxically, light also acts as discrete particles. (to learn more click here) A single packet of light is called a photon. The energy of a photon of light is directly related to it's frequency. To calculate the energy in a photon of light we use the following equation.
Since energy is related to frequency, higher frequencies of light have more energy. So blue light has more energy than green, and green has more than red, etc. Looking back at other types of EM waves, gamma radiation has the most energy and radio waves the least.
Practice
Practice
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