PHYS.8.C

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The student is expected to investigate and analyze characteristics of waves, including velocity, frequency, amplitude, and wavelength, and calculate using the relationships between wave speed, frequency, and wavelength;
1666 TEKS header image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Science concepts. The student knows the characteristics and behavior of waves.

The further explanation is designed to be a resource for educators that helps them better understand the topic their students are learning. Further explanations may be written at a more complex level than would be expected for students at the grade level.

Note that the wave speed is only determined by the medium the wave is traveling through, not the frequency or the wavelength. The velocity of the wave will remain constant in a specific medium. Increasing the frequency of a wave will decrease its wavelength. 

Glossary terms and definitions are consistent across kindergarten through high school in the TEKS Guide. The definitions are intended to give educators a common understanding of the terms regardless of what grade level they teach. Glossary definitions are not intended for use with students.

the height of a wave measured from rest to the top of the crest or bottom of the trough of the wave; often used to describe volume of sound or intensity of light

the number of waves that pass a given point in a specified amount of time (usually 1 second), measured in hertz (Hz); the pitch of a sound or the color of light

a vector quantity (magnitude and direction) that is the directional speed of an object in motion; indicates the rate of change in position of the object measured from a particular frame of reference in a particular standard of time

a disturbance or variation that transfers energy progressively from point to point with or without a medium, without transferring matter

the distance traveled by a given point on the wave (such as a crest) in a given interval of time, in the direction of wave propagation

distance between the same point on two successive waves; distance from crest to crest or trough to trough for two consecutive waves

Research

Enderle, Patrick, Natalie King, and Lauren Margulieux. "What's in a Wave? Using Modeling and Computational Thinking to Enhance Students' Understanding of Waves." The Science Teacher 88, no. 4 (2021):24-28. https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10221223

Summary:  The authors developed a series of instructional activities that deepen students' conceptual understanding of waves by engaging in computational thinking while developing and using scientific and mathematical models. They designed this instructional sequence as an example of how to engage students in computational thinking while they learn about the concept of waves and their properties; several recurring themes and concepts; and other practices, such as modeling.