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Physics SL

SLHL

Chapter 13: The Wave Model

Build wave fluency from mechanical pulses to electromagnetic and gravitational waves, with strong graph interpretation and wave-equation problem solving.

Estimated chapter time: 164 minutes

IB syllabus: C.2 · SL and HL

Chapter Topics

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  1. 1How to Read This Wave Model Chapter
    1. 1.1Why Waves Unify So Many Physics Topics
    2. 1.2Learning Goals for This Chapter
    3. 1.3How to Work Through Wave Graphs
  2. 213.1 Mechanical Pulses and Waves
    1. 2.1From Single Pulse to Periodic Wave
    2. 2.2Wavelength, Frequency, Period, and Speed
    3. 2.3Energy Transfer Without Bulk Transport
  3. 313.2 Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
    1. 3.1Transverse Particle Motion
    2. 3.2Longitudinal Particle Motion and Sound
    3. 3.3Reading Displacement-Distance and Displacement-Time Graphs
  4. 413.3 Electromagnetic Waves
    1. 4.1Maxwell's Picture of Electromagnetic Waves
    2. 4.2In-Phase E and B Fields
    3. 4.3Electromagnetic Spectrum and Energy Scales
  5. 513.4 Waves Extension: Gravitational Waves
    1. 5.1Why Gravitational Waves Were Predicted
    2. 5.2What LIGO Actually Measures
    3. 5.3Similarities and Differences: EM vs Gravitational Waves
  6. 6Chapter 13 Wrap-Up
    1. 6.1A Wave-Solving Routine for Exams

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