11 Waves Flashcards
What happens in a reflection?
the wave changes direction while remaining in the same median
Why does refraction happen?
there is a change in wave speed between medians
What type of wave moves faster in a denser material?
sound waves
What is intensity?
power per unit area, WM(-2)
What is the inverse square law in relation to wave intensity?
The wave intensity decreases as the distance from the source increases.
What is the volume of a circle?
4 x pie x radius squared
What is diffraction?
When a waves curves round an object
What happens when a waves goes through a smaller gap compared to a large one?
The waves is more curved and becomes tighter to the object that is went through
What has to be true for diffraction to happen?
gap = wavelength (roughly)
This is why light doesn’t refract
List the EM waves from longest wave length to shortest
radio
Microwave
Infrared
Visible light
Ultraviolet
X-ray
Gamma
Does polarisation happen to transverse or longitudinal waves?
transverse
What is polarisation?
When waves oscillations are only on 1 plane
