Waves are disturbances of energy that occur all around us, all of the time. Examples of waves include ripples in water, hand waves, and even sound and light. Let's find out what makes them tick.
Setup Directions: Select "Oscillate" in the top-left toolbox, "No End" in the top-right toolbox, and slide the "Damping" slider all the way to the left in the bottom toolbox.
In the window to the right you should see a wave rippling. This type of wave is called a Transverse wave, because each of its segments MOVE VERTICALLY to the motion of the wave. Hence, the word Trans- (to move) Verse (vertically, or against). As the wave progresses from left to right, each of the little beads moves up and down perpendicularly to the direction the wave travels. Follow the activity below, answer the questions, and then move on to Longitudinal Waves.
Setup Directions: Select "Longitudinal" in the toolbox, and press the play button.
Longitudinal waves are also referred to as "compression" waves. Notice how the segments moving in the wave to the right COMPRESS together along the longitudinal axis of the wave. The segments or particles being disturbed by a compression wave move parallel to the direction the wave is moving. Follow the activity below, answering all questions. Press the PRINT button when you complete all of the questions.
Observe the transverse wave. Look closely at how the particles move up and down, yet the wave moves to the right.
Observe the Longitudinal wave. Look closely at how the particles from side to side, and how the wave moves to the right.
The doppler effect is a wave phenomena that occurs when a stationary observer encounters waves produced from a moving source. As the the moving wave source approaches the observer, the frequency of the wave produced by the moving source is observed to be higher than if the wave source was stationary. Also, as the moving wave source moves away from the stationary observer, the observed frequency is less.
A car passing by a pedestrian is probably the most common of the doppler effect. Whether the car's engine is the only thing producing sound or the car's horn is engaged, the stationary pedestrian "observer" will hear a high frequency sound as the vehicle approaches followed by a lower frequency sound as it departs. Hear It
Procede through the activities below to explore the doppler effect.
Set-up: After Java doesn't run, scroll down a little and click "Java Application". After it downloads, run it ("Open" in Internet Explorer, or in Chrome, click on the download at the bottom of the browser). Reposition the simulation window over the Activity space to the right.
The growing circles represent sound wave "compression" areas or wave crests as the sound from the siren travels away from the ambulance. Just because the ambulance is moving does not mean the waves "move" along with it. Waves travel from the point in space where they are created, and can only move as fast as the medium they are travelling through will allow them; in this case, sound travels through the air, so sound is limited to moving as fast as sound travels in the air. Sound travels at about 770 mi/hr through air, but even if the ambulance is moving at 30 mi/hr, sound will still travel outward from its source at 770 mi/hr. It will not travel at 800 mi/hr just because the ambulance is moving.
Make observations and record your responses to this activity in the box below.
The moving object represents a moving sound source traveling at Mach 0.43. If the dot is an aircraft, that means that it is traveling at 43% of the speed of sound. (The speeds at the bottom of the screen represent 10s of miles per hour; the speed of sound is roughly 700 miles per hour, so if the aircraft is set at 30, then its speed is 300 mph. 300/700 = Mach 0.43)
The growing circles eminating from the sound source, as in Activity 1, represent wave fronts. This simulation allow us to see how aircraft approaching the speed of sound create an intense "wall" of compressed air that is commonly called the sound barrier.
Introduction:
In this simulation, the top wave is produced by a wave source, and the bottom wave is what the observer of the wave receives. The wave could represent not only sound, but also light.
Doppler Effect on light - Redshift and Blueshift:
Activities 1 and 2 are based on waves created in the air through compressions, called longitudinal waves. The wave "fronts" represented the highly compressed regions of air as sound was produced and traveled through the air. In this activity, you are given a view of transverse waves and how they travel after being emitted by moving and stationary sources.
Light has wave-like properties that can be describe using transverse waves. Studying light waves from stars, galaxies, and other formations is the only way astrophysicists can discover information about them. In particular, by looking at the wavelengths of light emitted by a star, scientist is able to observe redshift and blueshift. Redshift and blueshift are the result of the Doppler effect applied to light waves. If light from a particular star is redshifted, the observed wavelengths of light are greater than they should be, making the light appear more toward the red end of the visible light spectrum. If light from a particular star is blueshifted, the observed wavelengths of light are less than they should be, making the light appear more toward the blue end of the visible light spectrum:
Observe the ambulance and the sound waves produced. Look closely at how the waves hit the observer as the ambulance approaches, and as the ambulance passes and departs.
Move the source away from the observer. This would be an example of how redshift is created.
Directions - Refer to the graphic below for help
Problems
The purpose of this exercise is two-fold: to explore the uses of technology for use in your studies, and to check your work on more involved momentum problems. For each problem below, YOU may select the masses of the two simulated collision carts, between 0.1 and 1.0 kg. Also, select a speed, for cart 1 (v1) in the range of 0.1 to 0.5 m/s, and a speed for cart 2 (v2) in the range of ?0.5 to 0.4 m/s. After selecting the values, solve the problem. Then, plug your values into the Applet and check your answers!
Problem 1: Inelastic collision of two carts
Select "Inelastic Collision" in the top-right corner of the applet. Select masses and initial velocities for the two carts that will have an inelastic collision, and solve for their final velocity and the amount of lost kinetic energy. When you are finished, check your work using the momentum applet.
Problem 2: Elastic collision, head-on
Select "Elastic Collision" in the top-right corner of the applet. Select masses and initial velocities for two carts that will have an elastic collision, making sure that the velocity of cart 1 is positive and the velocity of cart 2 is negative. Solve for their final velocities.
If you haven't learned how to solve systems of equations in algebra, plug in one of the values from the applet labeled "Velocities after the collision" and solve for the velocity value to check your work; otherwise, follow the instructions below.
Solving with systems of equations: This situation is more complicated than you are used to. You will have to apply the law of conservation of momentum AND the law of conservation of (kinetic) energy to solve a system of two equations with two unknowns. When you are finished, check your work using the momentum applet.
Problem 3: Elastic rear-end collision
Select masses and initial velocities for two carts that will have an elastic collision, making sure that the velocity of cart 1 is positive and the velocity of cart 2 is positive. Solve for their final velocities. This situation is similar to that of problem 2. When you are finished, check your work using the momentum applet.
Questions:
This website presents information about nuclear fission and fusion, and describes how atomic nuclei fuse with other nuclei during fusion reactions in stars. You will learn about the Proton-Proton cycle that takes place in our own star - the Sun - as well as the C-N-O cycle (carbon - nitrogen - oxygen) that takes place in star that are larger than our own.
You will begin reading this webpage under the gold The Nuclear Atom - Fission and Fusion heading.
In the last activity, you were able to see two fusion cycles that occur in stars of different size. Larger stars fuse even heavier elements, such as Silicon-28 with Helium-4.
As you scan through this document, you will see most of the different classifications of stars in our universe. In general, you will observe that the bigger stars burn heavier elements.
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram places all the known stars on a graph according to their Luminosity and Effective Temperature.
The diagram reveals that stars tend to group together, and the likely cause is their size and types of fusion reactions occurring in their cores
On many HR-Diagrams, other information about the stars is labeled too, but luminosity vs. temperature are the main quantities described.
All luminosities are compared to that of our Sun, so our Sun has a luminosity of "1" and a star 100 times brighter has a luminosity of "100."
The "Effective Temperatures" do not refer to the core temperatures discussed earlier in this activity that are required for fusion, so do not be confused by that.
Look carefully! The luminosities are sometimes labeled on the left side of the diagram, and sometimes on the right side. Temperature can be found at the top or at the bottom of the diagram, and it is not labeled in the standard fashion for a graph! Values of temperature increase from left to right.
Your Mass = [your weight in pounds] / 2.2
RSch = (1.48 x 10-27) * Mass
In the last activity, you were able to see two fusion cycles that occur in stars of different size. Larger stars fuse even heavier elements, such as Silicon-28 with Helium-4.
As you scan through this document, you will see most of the different classifications of stars in our universe. In general, you will observe that the bigger stars burn heavier elements.
The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram places all the known stars on a graph according to their Luminosity and Effective Temperature.
The diagram reveals that stars tend to group together, and the likely cause is their size and types of fusion reactions occurring in their cores
On many HR-Diagrams, other information about the stars is labeled too, but luminosity vs. temperature are the main quantities described.
All luminosities are compared to that of our Sun, so our Sun has a luminosity of "1" and a star 100 times brighter has a luminosity of "100."
The "Effective Temperatures" do not refer to the core temperatures discussed earlier in this activity that are required for fusion, so do not be confused by that.
Look carefully! The luminosities are sometimes labeled on the left side of the diagram, and sometimes on the right side. Temperature can be found at the top or at the bottom of the diagram, and it is not labeled in the standard fashion for a graph! Values of temperature increase from left to right.
Your Mass = [your weight in pounds] / 2.2
RSch = (1.48 x 10-27) * Mass
Waves are disturbances of energy that occur all around us, all of the time. Examples of waves include ripples in water, hand waves, and even sound and light. Let's find out what makes them tick.
In the window to the right you should see a wave rippling. This type of wave is called a Transverse wave, because each of its segments MOVE VERTICALLY to the motion of the wave. Hence, the word Trans- (to move) Verse (vertically). As the wave progresses from left to right, each of the little beads moves up and down perpendicularly to the direction the wave travels. Follow the activity below, answer the questions, and then move on to Longitudinal Waves.
Observe the transverse wave. Look closely at how the particles move up and down, yet the wave moves to the right.
Observe the Longitudinal wave. Look closely at how the particles from side to side, and how the wave moves to the right.
Waves are disturbances of energy that occur all around us, all of the time. Examples of waves include ripples in water, hand waves, and even sound and light. Let's find out what makes them tick.
In the window to the right you should see a wave rippling. This type of wave is called a Transverse wave, because each of its segments MOVE VERTICALLY to the motion of the wave. Hence, the word Trans- (to move) Verse (vertically). As the wave progresses from left to right, each of the little beads moves up and down perpendicularly to the direction the wave travels. Follow the activity below, answer the questions, and then move on to Longitudinal Waves.
Observe the transverse wave. Look closely at how the particles move up and down, yet the wave moves to the right.
Observe the Longitudinal wave. Look closely at how the particles from side to side, and how the wave moves to the right.