Waves
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Threads
Why this why now
This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Making images, where they explored how light interacts with materials through reflection, refraction, and the use of lenses to form images. It deepens their understanding by examining the broader properties of waves, including sound and light, and their behaviours. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Measuring waves, where they will apply their knowledge to quantify wave properties such as amplitude, wavelength, and frequency, enhancing their understanding of wave dynamics in various contexts.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Hard surfaces reflect sound because air particles bounce off them.
- Soft surfaces absorb a lot of sound because sound waves transfer energy by making the particles in them vibrate.
- A light source can emit light in every direction.
- Light moves in straight lines.
- A light ray is just a line that shows the direction light travels in.
- The angle of incidence is the angle at which light hits a mirror.
- The angle of reflection is the angle at which light is reflected off a mirror.
- For mirrors, the angle of reflection is the same size as the angle of incidence.
Threads
Why this why now
This unit builds on pupils’ prior learning from Making images, where they explored how light interacts with materials through reflection, refraction, and the use of lenses to form images. It deepens their understanding by examining the broader properties of waves, including sound and light, and their behaviours. This prepares pupils for the next unit, Measuring waves, where they will apply their knowledge to quantify wave properties such as amplitude, wavelength, and frequency, enhancing their understanding of wave dynamics in various contexts.
Prior knowledge requirements
- Hard surfaces reflect sound because air particles bounce off them.
- Soft surfaces absorb a lot of sound because sound waves transfer energy by making the particles in them vibrate.
- A light source can emit light in every direction.
- Light moves in straight lines.
- A light ray is just a line that shows the direction light travels in.
- The angle of incidence is the angle at which light hits a mirror.
- The angle of reflection is the angle at which light is reflected off a mirror.
- For mirrors, the angle of reflection is the same size as the angle of incidence.
Physics
Waves
This unit explores the nature of sound and water waves, including transverse and longitudinal motion, wave reflection, superposition, and the speed of sound in various media. It covers sound production, detection, and auditory ranges, emphasising data interpretation, and basic calculations.
5 lessons in unit
slide decks, worksheet PDFs, quizzes and lesson overviews. You can select individual lessons from the Waves unit and download the resources you need, or download the entire unit now. See every unit listed in our secondary science curriculum and discover more of our teaching resources for secondary science programmes.