{"id":7708,"date":"2023-01-12T05:05:30","date_gmt":"2023-01-12T05:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/?p=7708"},"modified":"2023-08-01T11:21:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T11:21:05","slug":"definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves.htm","title":{"rendered":"Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\">Articles about Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">DEFINITION OF MECHANICAL WAVES<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">If you hold one end of the rope and vibrate it up and down, a wave appears that propagates along the rope. Or if you drop a stone into the water, waves will appear on the surface of the water. The rope and water only oscillate up and down, not moving horizontally. Waves on a rope and waves in water are examples of mechanical waves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Mechanical waves are waves that travel through a medium. Examples of mechanical waves are waves on ropes or strings, waves in water, sound waves that propagate in the air medium, and earthquake waves that propagate in the soil medium. Waves can travel long distances while the medium through which the waves vibrate is around the equilibrium point.<\/span><\/span><!--more--><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">TYPES OF MECHANICAL WAVES<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Based on their shape, mechanical waves consist of two types, namely transverse waves, and longitudinal waves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Transverse waves are waves that occur when the direction of the wave motion is perpendicular to the direction of the particle motion. For example, waves on a rope, waves on water.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">If the waves in the string move in the horizontal direction, the particles in the string move in the vertical direction. Likewise, if water waves move in a horizontal direction, water particles move in a vertical direction.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Longitudinal waves are waves that occur when the direction of the wave motion is parallel to the direction of the particle motion. For example, waves in springs, and sound waves in air.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">If the wave on the spring moves in a horizontal direction, then the density and strain that is formed in the spring also move back and forth in the horizontal direction.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Likewise, if the sound wave moves in the vertical direction, the air contracts and stretches in the vertical direction.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Earthquake waves consist of transverse waves (called shear waves) and longitudinal waves (called pressure waves).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><i><b>MECHANICAL WAVE FORMULA<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><i><b>Transverse Wave Formula<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7717 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-types-of-mechanical-waves-1.png\" alt=\"Definition formula and types of mechanical waves 1\" width=\"284\" height=\"174\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Several quantities are used to describe waves, namely Amplitude (A), Frequency (f), Period (T), and Wave speed (v).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The amplitude is the maximum deviation. The period is the time interval of two successive wave crests\/valleys that pass through the same point in space. Frequency is the number of peaks\/valleys that pass the same point per unit of time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Mechanical waves move at a certain speed. The wave speed formula is:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">v = \u03bb f = \u03bb\/T<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">v = wave speed, \u03bb = wavelength, f = frequency, T = period.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The international unit for wavelength is meters, the unit for frequency is Hertz, and the unit for period is Seconds. The unit for wave velocity is meters\/second.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Sample Problem:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">A transverse wave on a string has a frequency of 2 Hz (2 wave crests pass through the same point in space, for 1 second) and has a wavelength of 3 meters (the distance between the two nearest crests is 2 meters). What is the wave speed?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Known:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Frequency (f) = 2 Hz<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Wavelength (\u03bb) = 3 meters<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Wanted:<\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> Speed (v)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Solution:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">v = \u03bb f = 3 (2) = 6 m\/s<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The speed of a transverse wave in a medium depends on the nature of the medium through which it passes. For example, the wave speed on a string (rope, string, wire) depends on the tension in the string (FT) and the mass density of the string (the mass of the string per unit length).<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7723 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves-2.png\" alt=\"Definition, formula and the types of mechanical waves 2\" width=\"86\" height=\"54\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Sample Problem:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">A wave has a length of 1 meter and propagates on a string that is 100 meters long and has a mass of 2 kg. The tension in the rope is 200 N. What is the speed of the waves in the rope?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Known:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Wavelength (\u03bb) = 1 meter<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The length of the rope (L) = 100 meters<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The mass of the rope (m) = 2 kg<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The tension in the rope (T) = 200 N<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Wanted:<\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> Velocity of waves on a string (v)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Solution:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7722 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves-3.png\" alt=\"Definition, formula and the types of mechanical waves 3\" width=\"242\" height=\"137\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><b>The Formula of the Longitudinal Wave\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The speed of longitudinal waves in a medium depends on the nature of the medium through which it passes. The velocity of longitudinal waves that propagate on solid rods is calculated using the formula:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7721 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves-4.png\" alt=\"Definition, formula and the types of mechanical waves 4\" width=\"72\" height=\"50\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><i>v = wave velocity, E = Young&#8217;s elastic modulus, \u03c1 = density<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Sample Problem:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Calculate the speed of the sound wave traveling along the steel rail. Young Steel&#8217;s modulus of elasticity = 2 x 10<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">11<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> N\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">2<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> and the density of steel = 7.8 x 10<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">3<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> kg\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">3<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Known:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The elastic modulus of Steel (E) = 2 x 10<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">11<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> N\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">2<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Steel density (\u03c1) = 7.8 x 10<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">3<\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"> kg\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">3<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Wanted: <\/u><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Speed of sound waves<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Solution:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7720 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves-5.png\" alt=\"Definition, formula and the types of mechanical waves 5\" width=\"249\" height=\"117\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The speed of longitudinal waves that propagate in liquids and gases is calculated using the formula: <\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><i>v = wave velocity, B = bulk modulus, \u03c1 = density<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Sample Problem:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">What is the speed of longitudinal waves when they travel through water?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Modulus of bulk water (B) = 2 x 10<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">9 <\/span><\/span><\/sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">N\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">2<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">The density of water (\u03c1) = 1000 kg\/m<\/span><\/span><sup><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">3<\/span><\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><u>Solution:<\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"font-family: Times new roman, serif\"><span style=\"font-size: medium\">Longitudinal wave speed when propagating in water:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7718 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2023\/01\/Definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves-7.png\" alt=\"Definition, formula and the types of mechanical waves 7\" width=\"255\" height=\"96\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Articles about Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves DEFINITION OF MECHANICAL WAVES If you hold one end of the rope and vibrate it up and down, a wave appears that propagates along the rope. Or if you drop a stone into the water, waves will appear on the surface of the water. The &#8230; <a title=\"Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/definition-formula-and-the-types-of-mechanical-waves.htm\" aria-label=\"Read more about Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"2","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"Definition formula and the types of mechanical waves","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-basic-physics-tutorials"],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7708"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8410,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7708\/revisions\/8410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gurumuda.net\/physics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}