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Theme C — Wave Behaviour

Theme C — Wave Behaviour — IB Physics HL Revision Notes & Topical Questions

10 min read 13 parts Lesson 1 of 37 Unit quiz

📚 IB Physics HL Hub / Topical Revision
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Curriculum Equation Key قوانين الرقم الهيدروجيني والاتزان الأيوني - pH & Acid-Base Equilibrium FormulasFast Exam Solution
pH = -log[H⁺] | pOH = -log[OH⁻] | pH + pOH = 14 | [H⁺][OH⁻] = 10⁻¹⁴
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Location & Specifications: الاتزان الأيوني، كيمياء 3 ثانوي، التحصيلي، و AP Chemistry.
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Lesson summary

Theme C — Wave Behaviour — IB PHYSICS HL notes: Summarise simple harmonic motion, wave properties, refraction, diffraction, interference, standing waves and the Doppler effect for IB Physics HL.SHM — oscillation in which the acceleration is proportional to the displacement from e…

  • Amplitude x0
  • Period and frequency
  • Angular frequency
  • Restoring force
  • Total energy
  • Potential energy

Part 1 of 11Simple harmonic motion

1SHM
  • SHM oscillation in which the acceleration is proportional to the displacement from equilibrium and always directed towards it
  • a = −ω2x
    What the symbols mean: a = acceleration (m s−2) · ω = angular frequency (rad s−1) · x = displacement from equilibrium (m); the minus sign means a always points back to the centre
2Amplitude x0
  • Amplitude x0 the maximum displacement
3Period and frequency
  • T is the time for one cycle and f = 1/T
4Angular frequency
  • ω = 2πf = 2π/T
    What the symbols mean: ω = angular frequency (rad s−1) · f = frequency (Hz) · T = period (s)
5Restoring force
  • F = −mω2x so a mass on a spring has k = mω2
6Phase
  • Phase x = x0 sin(ωt + φ) where the phase angle φ fixes the starting point of the motion

Part 2 of 11Energy in SHM

Total energy
  • ET = ½kx02 = ½mω2x02
  • It is constant for an ideal system
Potential energy
  • EP is zero at the centre and equals ET at x = ±x0
Kinetic energy
  • EK is zero at x = ±x0 and greatest at the centre
  • The two energy curves cross at half of ET
Against time
  • EK and EP are squared sinusoids in antiphase with half the period of the motion
  • The average of each over a cycle is ET/2
Speed at a position
  • EK = ET − EP then v = √(2EK/m)
Damping
  • Damping friction and air resistance transfer energy to thermal energy so the amplitude decays
  • Since ET ∝ x02, a 10% fall in amplitude per cycle is about a 19% fall in energy

Part 3 of 11The wave model

Wave
  • Wave transfers energy without transferring matter
  • Particles oscillate about fixed positions
Transverse wave
  • Transverse wave oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of travel
Longitudinal wave
  • Longitudinal wave oscillation is parallel to the direction of travel, giving compressions and rarefactions
Wavelength
  • Wavelength the distance between neighbouring points that are in phase
Wave equation
  • Wave equation v = fλ for all waves

Part 4 of 11Sound

Nature
  • Nature a longitudinal mechanical wave that cannot travel through a vacuum
Speed
  • Speed about 340 m s−1 in air at 20 °C, 1500 m s−1 in water and 5000 m s−1 in steel
  • In a gas it rises with temperature and does not depend on pressure at fixed temperature
Pitch
  • Pitch set by frequency, with human hearing about 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Loudness
  • Loudness related to amplitude and intensity, I ∝ amplitude2, where intensity is power per unit area in W m−2
Quality (timbre)
  • Quality (timbre) depends on the mixture of overtones present
Echo
  • Echo distinct if the delay exceeds about 0.1 s
  • The distance to a reflector is d = vt/2
Sonar and ultrasound
  • Sonar and ultrasound short wavelength resolves fine detail

Part 5 of 11Refraction and total internal reflection

1Refraction
  • Refraction when a wave enters a medium where its speed changes, the frequency stays constant while speed and wavelength change
2Refractive index
  • Refractive index n = c/v
    What the symbols mean: n = refractive index (no unit) · c = speed of light in a vacuum (3.00 × 108 m s−1) · v = speed of light in the material (m s−1)
3Snell's law
  • Snell's law n1 sin θ1 = n2 sin θ2 with angles measured from the normal
4Total internal reflection
  • Total internal reflection needs light going from a denser to a less dense medium and an angle of incidence above the critical angle
  • sin c = n2/n1
5Critical angle
  • Critical angle at c the refracted ray travels along the boundary
6Reflection
  • Reflection a smooth surface gives specular reflection while a rough surface scatters light

Part 6 of 11Diffraction

Diffraction
  • Diffraction the spreading of a wave as it passes through a gap or around an obstacle
  • Wavelength, frequency and speed are unchanged
Size of effect
  • Size of effect greatest when the gap is about the same size as the wavelength
  • A narrower slit or a longer wavelength gives more spreading
Single slit
  • Single slit the first minimum is at θ = λ/b in radians for slit width b
  • The central maximum is by far the brightest and its angular width is 2λ/b
Low-frequency sound
  • Low-frequency sound diffracts around corners much more than high-frequency sound

Part 7 of 11Two-source interference

Two-source interference
Superposition
  • Superposition waves from two coherent sources overlap and their displacements add
Path difference
  • Path difference the difference in distance travelled to a point
Constructive interference
  • Constructive interference path difference nλ gives a bright fringe
Destructive interference
  • Destructive interference path difference (n + ½)λ gives a dark fringe
Central fringe
  • Central fringe the path difference is zero so it is bright
Double slits
  • Double slits bright fringes where nλ = d sin θ
  • Fringe spacing s = λD/d for small angles and D much greater than d
Dependence
  • Dependence fringes are wider for longer wavelength, larger D or closer slits
White light
  • White light a white central fringe with coloured outer fringes, blue inside and red outside
Envelope
  • Envelope each slit's single-slit pattern reduces the fringe intensity away from the centre
  • A fringe is missing where an interference maximum meets a diffraction minimum

Part 8 of 11Standing waves and harmonics

Formation
  • Formation two waves of equal amplitude and frequency travel in opposite directions
Nodes
  • Nodes points of permanent zero displacement where the waves are in antiphase
Antinodes
  • Antinodes points of maximum amplitude, up to twice that of either wave, where the waves are in phase
Spacing
  • Spacing adjacent nodes are λ/2 apart and a node and neighbouring antinode are λ/4 apart
FeatureTravelling waveStanding wave
EnergyTransferred along the mediumNot transferred, stored in oscillations
AmplitudeSame for all pointsZero at nodes to maximum at antinodes
PhaseChanges steadily along the waveSame within a segment, opposite in neighbouring segments
WavelengthDistance between points in phaseTwice the distance between adjacent nodes
1String fixed at both ends or pipe open at both ends
  • String fixed at both ends or pipe open at both ends f1 = v/2L and all harmonics occur, fn = nf1
2Pipe closed at one end
  • Pipe closed at one end f1 = v/4L and only odd harmonics occur
3First overtone
  • First overtone the second harmonic in a string or open pipe but the third harmonic in a closed pipe
4Resonance tube
  • Resonance tube resonance when the air column is λ/4, 3λ/4 and so on
  • The difference between successive lengths is λ/2, which cancels the end correction

Part 9 of 11The Doppler effect

Moving source
  • Moving source wavefronts ahead bunch together and spread out behind
    • (shorter wavelength, higher frequency)
  • The wave speed in the medium is unchanged
Moving observer
  • Moving observer an observer moving towards a stationary source crosses wavefronts more often so the observed frequency rises
Light and low speeds
  • Δλ/λ ≈ v/c
Spectral lines
  • Spectral lines lines shifted to longer wavelengths (red shift) show the source is receding
  • Opposite shifts from the two sides of a galaxy reveal rotation

Part 10 of 11Hubble's law and the age of the universe

Hubble's law
  • Hubble's law galaxies recede at speeds proportional to distance, v = H0d
    What the symbols mean: v = recession speed of the galaxy (km s−1) · H0 = Hubble constant (km s−1 Mpc−1) · d = distance (Mpc)
  • H0 is about 70 km s−1 Mpc−1
Graph
  • Graph v against d is a straight line through the origin with gradient H0
Expansion
  • Expansion the pattern is due to the expansion of space itself, so no galaxy is at the centre
  • Light is stretched too (cosmological redshift)
Hubble time
  • Hubble time t = 1/H0 = 4.3 × 1017 s, about 13.8 billion years
  • This approximates the age of the universe and supports the Big Bang model

Part 11 of 11More from the specification

1
Simple Pendulum Restoring Force
  • In a simple pendulum, the restoring force is the tangential component of gravitational force.
    • (F = -mg sin θ ≈ -mg x/L)
2
Kinematic Graphs of SHM
  • Graphs of displacement, velocity,
  • and acceleration against time show sinusoidal waveforms;
    • velocity is the gradient of displacement, shifted by π/2 radians.
3
Phase Relations and Negative Sine/Cosine Graphs
  • If displacement starts at maximum amplitude (x = A cos ωt), velocity follows a negative sine curve and acceleration follows a negative cosine curve (a = -ω² x).
4
Mass-Spring Systems in Horizontal vs Vertical Planes
  • A horizontal mass-spring oscillator vibrates without gravitational influence,
  • while vertical oscillations occur about an equilibrium position where spring tension balances gravity.
5
Simple Pendulum Restoring Force
  • In a simple pendulum, the restoring force is the tangential component of gravitational force.
    • (F = -mg sin θ ≈ -mg x/L)
6
Kinematic Graphs of SHM
  • Graphs of displacement, velocity,
  • and acceleration against time show sinusoidal waveforms;
    • velocity is the gradient of displacement, shifted by π/2 radians.
7
Phase Relations and Negative Sine/Cosine Graphs
  • If displacement starts at maximum amplitude (x = A cos ωt), velocity follows a negative sine curve and acceleration follows a negative cosine curve (a = -ω² x).
8
Mass-Spring Systems in Horizontal vs Vertical Planes
  • A horizontal mass-spring oscillator vibrates without gravitational influence,
  • while vertical oscillations occur about an equilibrium position where spring tension balances gravity.
9
Pendulum
  • A weight swinging on a string, exchanging GPE and KE.
10
Velocity
  • Rate of change of displacement.
11
Simple pendulum
  • A small bob on a light string of length L
12
Gravitational potential
  • Work done per unit mass in bringing a test mass from infinity to the point.
13
Displacement-time graph
  • A graph of displacement against time whose gradient is velocity.
14
Velocity-time graph
  • A graph of velocity against time whose gradient is acceleration and area is displacement.

Key terms

TermMeaning
AmplitudeThe maximum displacement from the equilibrium position.
Restoring forceA force directed towards equilibrium and proportional to displacement in SHM, F = −mω2x.
Path differenceThe difference in distance travelled by two waves from their sources to a point.
Critical angleThe angle of incidence in the denser medium that gives a 90° angle of refraction.
NodeA point of permanent zero displacement in a standing wave.
AntinodeA point of maximum amplitude in a standing wave.
Hubble constantThe constant of proportionality H0 between recession speed and distance, v = H0d.
Fringe separationThe distance between adjacent bright fringes, s = λD/d.

Avoid these mistakes

1
Saying a wider slit gives a wider diffraction pattern — it gives a narrower pattern because θ = λ/b.
2
Quoting λ/b as the full width of the central maximum — the full angular width is 2λ/b, and θ = λ/b needs radians.
3
Confusing slit width b with slit separation d, or assuming all double-slit maxima are equally bright.
4
Saying the wave carries particles along or that sound travels in a vacuum — particles only oscillate about fixed positions and sound needs a medium.
5
Confusing harmonics with overtones, or using the open-pipe formula for a closed pipe.

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