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Instructions: Read the passage discussing waves with varying wavelengths, frequencies, and amplitudes.

A student is curious about the reasons behind the differences in volume and pitch among sounds. To explore this, he embarks on research to uncover the wave properties responsible for these variations.

Initially, he grasps that a wave constitutes a recurring pattern characterized by specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. The amplitude of a wave represents the maximum distance above or below the equilibrium point. The energy of a wave is determined by squaring its amplitude. Frequency denotes how often the wave pattern repeats, and the energy transferred by the wave is proportional to its frequency. For instance, in sound waves, the amplitude correlates with loudness, while frequency correlates with pitch.

During his investigation, the student encounters graphs that aid his comprehension of how wave properties influence their energy.

Graph 1 depicts the amplitudes (measured in meters) of three waves (labeled wave 1, 2, and 3) as they travel through a medium over time (measured in seconds).

Graph 2 displays an alternative set of three waves (labeled as wave X, Y, and Z) traversing through a medium.



Which option organizes the waves presented in Graph 1 in ascending order of energy?

1 answer

To determine the ascending order of energy for the waves presented in Graph 1 based on their amplitudes, we can recall that the energy of a wave is proportional to the square of its amplitude. Therefore, waves with smaller amplitudes will have less energy compared to those with larger amplitudes.

Assuming you have data or visual representations of the amplitudes for waves 1, 2, and 3, you would:

  1. Identify the amplitude of each wave.
  2. Square each amplitude to find the energy associated with each wave.
  3. Arrange the waves in order of their squared amplitude (energy) values from lowest to highest.

If you provide the specific amplitude values for waves 1, 2, and 3, I can help you organize them in ascending order of energy.