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Amplitude

The amplitude is the maximum displacement of a particle from its equilibrium position.

Investigation : amplitude

Fill in the table below by measuring the distance between the equilibrium and each peak and troughs in the wave above. Use your ruler to measure the distances.

Peak/Trough Measurement (cm)
a
b
c
d
e
f
  1. What can you say about your results?
  2. Are the distances between the equilibrium position and each peak equal?
  3. Are the distances between the equilibrium position and each trough equal?
  4. Is the distance between the equilibrium position and peak equal to the distance between equilibrium and trough?

As we have seen in the activity on amplitude, the distance between the peak and the equilibrium position is equal to the distance between the trough and the equilibrium position. This distance is known as the amplitude of the wave, and is the characteristic height of wave, above or below the equilibrium position. Normally the symbol A is used to represent the amplitude of a wave. The SI unit of amplitude is the metre (m).

If the peak of a wave measures 2 m above the still water mark in the harbour, what is the amplitude of the wave?

  1. The definition of the amplitude is the height of a peak above the equilibrium position. The still water mark is the height of the water at equilibrium and the peak is 2 m above this, so the amplitude is 2 m .

Investigation : wavelength

Fill in the table below by measuring the distance between peaks and troughs in the wave above.

Distance(cm)
a
b
c
d
  1. What can you say about your results?
  2. Are the distances between peaks equal?
  3. Are the distances between troughs equal?
  4. Is the distance between peaks equal to the distance between troughs?

As we have seen in the activity on wavelength, the distance between two adjacent peaks is the same no matter which two adjacent peaks you choose. There is a fixed distance between the peaks. Similarly, we have seen that there is a fixed distance between the troughs, no matter which two troughs you look at. More importantly, the distance between two adjacent peaks is the same as the distance between two adjacent troughs. This distance is called the wavelength of the wave.

The symbol for the wavelength is λ (the Greek letter lambda ) and wavelength is measured in metres ( m ).

The total distance between 4 consecutive peaks of a transverse wave is 6 m . What is the wavelength of the wave?

  1. From the sketch we see that 4 consecutive peaks is equivalent to 3 wavelengths.

  2. Therefore, the wavelength of the wave is:

    3 λ = 6 m λ = 6 m 3 = 2 m

Points in phase

Investigation : points in phase

Fill in the table by measuring the distance between the indicated points.

Points Distance (cm)
A to F
B to G
C to H
D to I
E to J

What do you find?

In the activity the distance between the indicated points was the same. These points are then said to be in phase . Two points in phase are separate by an integer (0,1,2,3,...) number of complete wave cycles. They do not have to be peaks or troughs, but they must be separated by a complete number of wavelengths.

Questions & Answers

what is microbiologist
Muhammad Reply
what is errata
Muhammad
is the branch of biology that deals with the study of microorganisms.
Ntefuni Reply
What is microbiology
Mercy Reply
studies of microbes
Louisiaste
when we takee the specimen which lumbar,spin,
Ziyad Reply
How bacteria create energy to survive?
Muhamad Reply
Bacteria doesn't produce energy they are dependent upon their substrate in case of lack of nutrients they are able to make spores which helps them to sustain in harsh environments
_Adnan
But not all bacteria make spores, l mean Eukaryotic cells have Mitochondria which acts as powerhouse for them, since bacteria don't have it, what is the substitution for it?
Muhamad
they make spores
Louisiaste
what is sporadic nd endemic, epidemic
Aminu Reply
the significance of food webs for disease transmission
Abreham
food webs brings about an infection as an individual depends on number of diseased foods or carriers dully.
Mark
explain assimilatory nitrate reduction
Esinniobiwa Reply
Assimilatory nitrate reduction is a process that occurs in some microorganisms, such as bacteria and archaea, in which nitrate (NO3-) is reduced to nitrite (NO2-), and then further reduced to ammonia (NH3).
Elkana
This process is called assimilatory nitrate reduction because the nitrogen that is produced is incorporated in the cells of microorganisms where it can be used in the synthesis of amino acids and other nitrogen products
Elkana
Examples of thermophilic organisms
Shu Reply
Give Examples of thermophilic organisms
Shu
advantages of normal Flora to the host
Micheal Reply
Prevent foreign microbes to the host
Abubakar
they provide healthier benefits to their hosts
ayesha
They are friends to host only when Host immune system is strong and become enemies when the host immune system is weakened . very bad relationship!
Mark
what is cell
faisal Reply
cell is the smallest unit of life
Fauziya
cell is the smallest unit of life
Akanni
ok
Innocent
cell is the structural and functional unit of life
Hasan
is the fundamental units of Life
Musa
what are emergency diseases
Micheal Reply
There are nothing like emergency disease but there are some common medical emergency which can occur simultaneously like Bleeding,heart attack,Breathing difficulties,severe pain heart stock.Hope you will get my point .Have a nice day ❣️
_Adnan
define infection ,prevention and control
Innocent
I think infection prevention and control is the avoidance of all things we do that gives out break of infections and promotion of health practices that promote life
Lubega
Heyy Lubega hussein where are u from?
_Adnan
en français
Adama
which site have a normal flora
ESTHER Reply
Many sites of the body have it Skin Nasal cavity Oral cavity Gastro intestinal tract
Safaa
skin
Asiina
skin,Oral,Nasal,GIt
Sadik
How can Commensal can Bacteria change into pathogen?
Sadik
How can Commensal Bacteria change into pathogen?
Sadik
all
Tesfaye
by fussion
Asiina
what are the advantages of normal Flora to the host
Micheal
what are the ways of control and prevention of nosocomial infection in the hospital
Micheal
what is inflammation
Shelly Reply
part of a tissue or an organ being wounded or bruised.
Wilfred
what term is used to name and classify microorganisms?
Micheal Reply
Binomial nomenclature
adeolu
what's microbiome?
john Reply
Microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms
Ibra
the microorganisms in a particular environment (including the body or a part of the body).
Ibra
describe the bacterial cell
Akello
The biggest populations of microbes reside in the gut.other popular habitats include the skin genitals.The microbial cells and their genetic material ,the microbiome ,live with human from birth .
Zahreen
can agriculture be integrated into biology
David
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Source:  OpenStax, Siyavula textbooks: grade 10 physical science [caps]. OpenStax CNX. Sep 30, 2011 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11305/1.7
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