Take the ripple that goes over a pond when you fling in a stone. The water by itself comes up and down where it is, while a circular agitation shoots away. This is a typical example of what waves are all about: moving disturbances, and not the movement of particles, which is simply a vibration around the resting points. This concept is explained in detail in the NCERT Notes of Class 11 Physics Chapter 14 Waves. The chapter of waves is an important bridge to subsequent study in optics, electromagnetism and even modern physics and as such is an important teaching target by the CBSE board and entrance exams like JEE and NEET.
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In this chapter you are going to study kinds of waves: transverse (e.g., light on a string ) and longitudinal (e.g., sound in air), wave parameters: frequency, wavelength, speed, amplitude and time period, superposition principle, standing waves and beats formation, transport and intensity of waves of energy, stretched strings and air columns: reflection, transmission and resonance. The NCERT Class 11 Physics Notes of Waves chapter includes brief recaps of significant concepts in a bulleted format to use in quick revision, important formulas (including $v=f \lambda$ and $v=\sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$, labelled diagrams of waveforms, nodes-antinodes, and resonance tubes and solved examples along with questions of different level of complexity to practice problem-solving. Learning these basics of Waves from the NCERT Class 11 Notes will help you better understand the chapter and prepare well for exams.
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Waves NCERT Notes by Careers360 is structured according to the latest CBSE syllabus and gives precise explanations of all the topics. Using these notes, students can prepare as well as revise for their exams.
Mechanical waves: Mechanical waves can only be created or propagated in a material medium. Newton's laws of motion apply to these waves. For example waves on the water's surface, waves on strings, sound waves, and so on.
Electromagnetic Waves: These are waves that are generated and propagated without the usage of a material medium, such as vacuum or any other material medium. Visible light, ultraviolet light, radio waves, and microwaves are examples of electromagnetic waves.
Matter waves: These waves are related with moving matter particles such as electrons, protons, and neutrons, among others.
Transverse wave motion: In transverse waves, the particles of the medium vibrate at right angles to the wave's propagation direction. String waves, surface water waves, and electromagnetic waves are examples of transverse waves. The oscillation of electric and magnetic fields at right angles to the wave's travel direction causes the disturbance that travels in electromagnetic waves (which includes light waves).
Longitudinal wave motion: In these types of waves, particles in the medium vibrate back and forth about their mean location along the energy propagation direction. Pressure waves are another name for them. Sound waves are mechanical waves that travel along a longitudinal axis.
(i) The particles in the medium traversed by a wave vibrate very slightly around their mean positions, but they are not permanently displaced in the propagation direction of the wave.
(ii) Each subsequent particle of the medium performs a motion that is nearly identical to its predecessors when viewed perpendicular to the wave's path of travel.
(iii) During wave motion, only energy is transferred, but not a piece of the medium.
Wavelength: The wavelength is the distance travelled by the disturbance in the time it takes a medium particle to vibrate once. In the case of a transverse wave, a wavelength can alternatively be defined as the distance between two subsequent crests or troughs. A longitudinal wave's wavelength is equal to the distance between the centres of two compressions (or refractions).
Amplitude: The largest displacement of the medium's particles from their mean position is the amplitude of a wave.
Frequency: Frequency is defined as the number of vibrations produced by a particle in one second.
Unit of frequency - Hertz(Hz)
Time Period: Time period refers to how long it takes a particle to complete one vibration.
Wave Velocity: The time rate at which wave motion propagates in a given medium is referred to as wave velocity. It's not the same as particle velocity. The type of the medium determines the wave velocity.
Wave velocity=frequency $\times$ wavelength
$v=\sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$
where T be the tension in the string and μ be the mass per unit length of the string,
$v=\sqrt{\frac{E}{\rho}}$
where E is the modulus of elasticity of the medium and ρ is the density of the medium
$v=\sqrt{\frac{B_{\text {isothermal }}}{\rho}}=\sqrt{\frac{P}{\rho}}$
(ii) If the temperature remains constant, the velocity of sound is unaffected by changes in gas pressure.
(iii) In a gas, sound velocity is proportional to the square root of the absolute temperature.
(iv) The sound velocity in moist air is larger than the sound velocity in dry air.
(v) If the wind is blowing at an angle θ to the sound propagation direction, the sound velocity is v+wcosθ, where w is the wind velocity.
$y(x, t)=A \sin (k x-\omega t+\phi)$
Relation Between Phase Difference And Path Difference
Phase difference= $(2 \pi / \lambda) \times$ path difference
The Principle of Superposition of Waves
The net displacement at a given time is the algebraic total of the displacements attributable to each wave at that moment when any number of waves meet concurrently at a point in a medium.
If y1 and y2 denote the movement of a particle caused by two separate waves. The resultant displacement at each point in the medium and at each instant of time is thus given by-
$y-y_1+y_2$
Standing waves or Stationary waves
A new set of waves is created when two sets of progressive wave trains of the same kind (both longitudinal or both transverse) with the same amplitude and time period/frequency/ wavelength traveling at the same speed in opposite directions superimpose. These are referred to as stationary or standing waves.
The equation of a standing wave can be represented as follows:
$y=2 A \sin k x \cos \omega t$
1. The disturbance continues to spread, passing from particle to particle. Each particle vibrates in the same way as the one before it, but at a different rate.
2. The waves have crests and troughs, which are sine/cosine functions that travel with a specified velocity.
3. Each particle has the same amplitude, which it achieves in its own time as the wave progresses.
4. Every particle's phase changes from 0 to 2π on a constant basis.
5. No particle can be said to be at rest indefinitely. The particles are momentarily at rest twice during each vibration. At different moments, different particles reach this point.
6. All particles have the same maximum velocity, which they achieve one by one as the wave progresses.
7. Energy flows in a predictable pattern across all planes in the wave's propagation path.
1. The disturbance is stationary, as the wave does not move forward or backward. Each particle has its own set of vibrational properties.
2. In each vibration, the waves resemble a sine/cosine function that shrinks to a straight line twice. It never moves forward.
3. Each particle has a specific amplitude. Some have no amplitude (nodes), whereas others constantly have maximum amplitude (anti nodes). This is consumed by each participant at the same time.
4. One-half of the waves' particles have a fixed phase, while the other half of the waves' particles have the same phase in the opposite direction at the same time.
5. There are particles that are always at rest (nodes), and all other particles have a maximum movement that they all reach at the same time. In each vibration, these particles are momentarily at rest twice, all at the same time.
6. At the same time, all of the particles achieve their individual assigned velocities based on their positions. Two particles (nodes) in a wave form have constant zero velocities.
7. There is no energy movement in any direction across any plane. Each particle is given its own amount of energy. They all reach their RE. values at the same moment, and all energy becomes KB. at a later time.
8. Closed pipe and open pipe: In a closed pipe, one end is closed while the other is open. In an open pipe, both the ends are open, having anti nodes.
In a closed pipe, frequency of nth harmonic is fn=nv/4L where v is velocity, L is length
In a open pipe, frequency of nth harmonic is fn=nv/2L
$v=\frac{P}{2 L} \sqrt{\frac{T}{\mu}}$
Law of Length: $v \propto \frac{1}{L}$
Law of Tension: $v \propto \sqrt{T}$
Law of Mass: $v \propto \frac{1}{\sqrt{\mu}}$
$v_b=\left(v_1-v_2\right)$
Q1: Which of the following statements are true for a stationary wave?
a) every particle has a fixed amplitude which is different from the amplitude of its nearest particle
b) all the particles cross their mean position at the same time
c) all the particles are oscillating with the same amplitude
d) there is no net transfer of energy across any plane
e) there are some particles which are always at rest
Answer:
In a stationary wave, the particles between two nodes vibrate with different amplitude, which increases from node to antinode (0 to maximum) and decreases from antinode to node. The amplitude of particles varies with $\lambda$. The particles at a node are at rest, and hence there is no net transfer of energy. The particle between two nodes is in the same phase. The motion of particles between two nodes will be either upward or downward crossing the mean position at the same time. Hence, statements a,b,d and e are correct.
Q2: The speed of sound waves in a fluid depends upon
(a) directly on the density of the medium.
(b) square of the Bulk modulus of the medium.
(c) inversely on the square root of density.
(d) directly on the square root of the bulk modulus of the medium.
Answer:
The speed of sound wave in the fluid of bulk modulus K and density $\rho$ is given by
$
\begin{aligned}
& v=\sqrt{\frac{K}{\rho}} \\
& v \propto \sqrt{K} \text { (if } \rho \text { is constant) } \\
& v \propto \sqrt{\frac{1}{\rho}} \text { (if } \mathrm{K} \text { is constant) }
\end{aligned}
$
Hence, (c) and (d) options are correct.
Q3: A transverse harmonic wave on a string is described by $y(x, t)=3.0 \sin \left(36 t+0.018 x+\frac{\pi}{4}\right)$ where x and y are in cm and t is in s. The positive direction of x is from left to right.
(a) The wave is travelling from right to left.
(b) The speed of the wave is $20 \mathrm{~m} / \mathrm{s}$.
(c) The frequency of the wave is 5.7 Hz.
(d) The least distance between two successive crests in the wave is 2.5 cm.
Answer:
The standard form of a wave propagating in a positive direction
$
\begin{aligned}
& y=a \sin (\omega t-k x+\phi) \text { and } \\
& y=3.0 \sin \left(36 t+0.018 x+\frac{\pi}{4}\right)
\end{aligned}
$
A positive sign in the equation shows that the wave is travelling from right to left.
$\omega=36 ; 2 \pi \nu=36 \\$
$or \ v=\frac{36}{2 \pi}=\frac{18}{3.14}=5.7 \mathrm{~Hz} \\$
$ k=0.018=\frac{2 \pi}{\lambda} \\$
$ \lambda=\frac{2 \pi}{0.018} \\$
$ v=\nu \lambda=\frac{18}{\pi} \times \frac{2 \pi}{0.018}=\frac{2000 \mathrm{~cm}}{s}=\frac{20 \mathrm{~m}}{s}$
Distance between two successive crests $=\lambda=\frac{2 \pi}{0.018}=\frac{\pi}{0.009}=3.14 \times \frac{1000}{9}=\frac{3140}{9} \mathrm{~cm}=348.8 \mathrm{~cm}$
Hence, (a), (b) and (c) are the correct options.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Transverse waves move with the particle motions orthogonal to the wave propagation direction (e.g. waves along a rope), whereas longitudinal have the particle motions along the wave propagation direction (e.g. sound in the air).
It assists us understand the overlapping of two or more waves to create resultant wave patterns such as interference and beats as well as standing waves.
In this chapter, the, properties and behavior of mechanical waves such as the sound wave and water waves and the specific concepts of waves such as frequency, wavelength, amplitude, and speed were e
Yes, this chapter is very relevant to the popular topics in JEE and NEET questions such as wave mechanics, sound and oscillations principles.
Resonance happens when the frequency of a forced vibration corresponds to the natural frequency of the medium in a manner that causes the maximum amplitude motions in its oscillation.
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