Waves

Waves have characteristic properties that do not depend on the type of wave. As a
basis for understanding this concept:
a. Students know waves carry energy from one place to another.
b. Students know how to identify transverse and longitudinal waves in mechanical
media, such as springs and ropes, and on the earth (seismic waves).
c. Students know how to solve problems involving wavelength, frequency, and
wave speed.
d. Students know sound is a longitudinal wave whose speed depends on the properties
of the medium in which it propagates.
e. Students know radio waves, light, and X-rays are different wavelength bands in
the spectrum of electromagnetic waves whose speed in a vacuum is approximately
3Ê´Ê108 m/s (186,000 miles/second).
f. Students know how to identify the characteristic properties of waves: interference
(beats), diffraction, refraction, Doppler effect, and polarization.