Course Outline
Completion requirements
Unit 1: Wave Fundamentals
Build a strong understanding of what waves are, how they transfer energy, and the properties used to describe and analyze them.
- What Are Waves?
- Wave Properties
- Wave Speed
- Representing Waves
- Wave Energy
Unit 2: Mechanical Waves
Explore waves that require a material medium, including sound, water, and seismic waves, and discover their importance in science and technology.
- Transverse Waves
- Longitudinal Waves
- Water Waves
- Seismic Waves
- Applications of Mechanical Waves
Unit 3: Light Waves
Investigate light as an electromagnetic wave and learn how reflection, refraction, mirrors, and lenses are used to form images and power optical technologies.
- Nature of Light
- Reflection and Mirrors
- Refraction and Lenses
- Focal Length, Images, and Magnification
- Color and Optical Instruments
Unit 4: Wave Behavior
Examine how waves interact with boundaries, obstacles, and one another through reflection, refraction, diffraction, interference, and superposition.
- Superposition
- Reflection and Refraction of Waves
- Diffraction
- Interference
- Applications of Wave Behavior
Unit 5: Doppler Effect
Understand how relative motion affects the observed frequency of waves and explore practical applications ranging from radar to astronomy.
- Relative Motion and Frequency
- Moving Sources and Observers
- Doppler Effect for Sound
- Doppler Effect for Light
- Applications of the Doppler Effect
Last modified: Tuesday, 30 June 2026, 3:02 PM