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Water Wave

Theme C - Wave Behaviour 

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Rocket

Theme A - Space, Time & Motion

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Thermometer

Theme B - The Particulate Nature Of Matter

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Magnifying Glass Tilted Right

Theme D - Fields

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Microscope

Theme E - Nuclear & Quantum Physics

Hello future physicists! 🌟 Let&#39;s dive into the wonderful world of displacement-time graphs. It&#39;s an exciting topic that shows the displacement of a particle in a medium as it changes with time.

🔍 A displacement-time graph shows how a particle in a medium (such as water, air, or a solid) moves up and down as time goes by. This gives us the time period and amplitude of the motion, which are the same for all particles in a medium (think about why this is the case!). Imagine you&#39;re at a concert and everyone is bobbing their heads to the beat. The time it takes for one full head bob is the period, and how far they move their heads is the amplitude!

Now, let&#39;s examine a worked example

📉 A wave is traveling from left to right. Particle P&#39;s displacement changes with time t.

<ul>
	<li>To calculate the frequency of the wave, you need to find the period (T) first. Here, T = 20ms. The formula for frequency (f) is f = 1/T. So, f = 1/20&times;10-3 = 50Hz. It&#39;s like counting how many times the audience claps in a minute at a concert. If there are 50 claps in 1 second, the frequency of clapping is 50Hz!</li>
	<li>Particle Q is right next to P, and they&#39;re separated by 1/4 of the wavelength. They have the same amplitude and period. Q&#39;s oscillation lags behind P&#39;s by 1/4 of the period. For any position of P, Q will be in the same position 5ms later. It&#39;s like two people on a seesaw, where one person is slightly delayed in following the other&#39;s movements!</li>
</ul>

🚀 Let&#39;s go through some practice questions

<ul>
	<li>Displacement-position graph of a transverse wave

	<ul>
		<li>For particles P, Q, and R, you need to check the slope of the graph at their positions. If it&#39;s upward, the velocity is positive; if downward, the velocity is negative; if flat, the velocity is zero. It&#39;s like watching cars on a roller coaster - when they&#39;re going up, they&#39;re positive, when down, negative, and when at the peak or trough, zero.</li>
		<li>To draw the displacement-position graph a time T/2 later, you need to shift the graph half a wavelength. It&#39;s like taking a photo of the roller coaster halfway through the ride!</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>Displacement of particles in a medium with a longitudinal wave
	<ul>
		<li>The amplitude of the wave is the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position.</li>
		<li>The center of a compression is where the displacement is highest (to the right of equilibrium). It&#39;s like a spring that&#39;s been squeezed the most!</li>
		<li>A quarter of the period later, P&#39;s displacement is zero. For Q, R, and S, look at their positions relative to P on the graph. It&#39;s like watching several springs bounce back from being squeezed or stretched!</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Displacement-position graph of a traveling wave

	<ul>
		<li>The phase difference between particles X and Y is calculated based on their relative positions in the wave. It&#39;s like comparing the movements of two dancers in a choreography!</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

<ul>
	<li>Displacement-time graph for two particles on a string

	<ul>
		<li>Frequency is calculated the same way as in the worked example.</li>
		<li>The phase difference is determined from the time difference in their oscillations.</li>
		<li>The smallest possible distance between the particles is related to the wavelength. It&#39;s like measuring the distance between two people doing the wave in a stadium!</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

Now, let&#39;s keep surfing these waves of knowledge and become masters of displacement-time graphs! 🌊🏄&zwj;♂️📘

Unlocking Displacement-Time Graphs: Dive Into Wave Mechanics!

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Standard Level

Physics SL

Theme C - Wave Behaviour

Unlocking Displacement-Time Graphs: Dive Into Wave Mechanics!

Table of content

Understanding displacement-time graphs

Unlock the Full Content!

Theme C - Wave Behaviour

Unlocking Displacement-Time Graphs: Dive Into Wave Mechanics!

Table of content

Understanding displacement-time graphs

Unlock the Full Content!