Physics Made Simple : Properties of waves:

Properties of waves:

1.Refraction :

When a ray of light enters from one transparent medium to another transparent medium,it bends away from its path.This bending of waves from their incident path is called refraction.

This occurs due to change in speed of light in the other medium.

Refraction is the phenomenon of a wave changing its speed. Mathematically, this means that the size of the phase velocity changes. Typically, refraction occurs when a wave passes from one medium into another. The amount by which a wave is refracted by a material is given by the refractive index of the material. 

2.Reflection :

When a wave strikes a reflective surface, it changes direction, such that the angle made by the incident wave and line normal to the surface equals the angle made by the reflected wave and the same normal line.

3.Interference :

Waves that encounter each other combine through superposition to create a new wave called an interference pattern.

4.Absorption :

 When a wave comes in contact with matter,it becomes absorbed by the matter. If a wave of a given frequency strikes a material with electrons having the same vibrational frequencies, then those electrons will absorb the energy of the wave and transform it into vibrational motion.

5.Diffraction :

A wave exhibits diffraction when it encounters an obstacle that bends the wave or when it spreads after emerging from an opening.

Diffraction effects are more pronounced when the size of the obstacle or opening is comparable to the wavelength of the wave.

6.Polarization :

A wave is polarized if it oscillates in one direction or plane. A wave can be polarized by the use of a polarizing filter.

Longitudinal waves such as sound waves do not exhibit polarization. For these waves the direction of oscillation is along the direction of travel.

7.Dispersion :

A wave undergoes dispersion when either the phase velocity or the group velocity depends on the wave frequency. Dispersion is most easily seen by letting white light pass through a prism, the result of which is to produce the spectrum of colours of the rainbow.