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Physics > 11.1 - 11.9 > Flashcards

11.1 - 11.9 Flashcards

Waves

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1
Q

define progressive wave

A

a wave that transfers energy, but not matter, through a medium

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2
Q

define Transverse wave

A

a wave in which the particles in the medium oscillate perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

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3
Q

define longitudinal wave

A

a wave in which the particles in the medium oscillate parallel to the direction of energy transfer

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4
Q

examples of transverse waves

A

EM waves,

S- waves

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5
Q

examples of longitudinal waves

A

sound waves,

P- waves

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6
Q

what’s the range of human hearing

A

20 - 20k Hz

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7
Q

define displacement

A

distance from the equilibrium position in a particular direction

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8
Q

define amplitude

A

maximum displacement from the equilibrium position

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9
Q

define wavelength

A

the minimum distance between two points oscillating in phase

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10
Q

define wave period

A

the time taken for a wave to complete one oscillation

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11
Q

define frequency

A

the number of wavelengths that can pass a single point per unit time

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12
Q

define wave speed

A

the distance travelled per unit time

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13
Q

define phase difference

A

the difference between the displacements of particles along a wave or on different waves. measured in degrees or radians

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14
Q

define the term ‘antiphase’

A

when particles along a wave have a phase difference of 180 degrees

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15
Q

why are longitudinal waves faster in a solid?

A

the particles are closer together so the transfer of energy is faster.

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16
Q

define reflection

A

when a wave changes direction at the boundary between two different media and remains in the original medium

17
Q

what is the law of reflection

A

the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection

18
Q

what is the angle of incidence/reflection

A

the angle between the normal and the ray of incidence/reflection

19
Q

define refraction

A

when a wave changes speed and direction as it passes from one medium to another

20
Q

what does refraction change about a wave

A

the speed and wavelength. it can not change the frequency

21
Q

define diffraction

A

when waves pass through a gap or around an object they spread out. The speed, wavelength and frequency of diffracted waves remain the same.

22
Q

what affects diffraction

A

the size of the wavelength compared to the size of the gap. if they are similar then diffraction is most significant.

23
Q

define polarisation

A

when the oscillations of a transverse wave are limited to one plane

24
Q

what is a plane polarised wave

A

a transverse wave which has its oscillations limited to a single plane

25
Q

why can’t longitudinal waves be polarised

A

their oscillations happen parallel to the direction of energy transfer which means they are already limited to one plane

26
Q

define ‘partially polarised’

A

when there are more oscillations in one particular plane but the wave is not completely polarised

27
Q

define wave intensity

A

the power passing through a surface per unit area

28
Q

how are wave intensity and distance from the source linked

A

intensity is inversely proportional to the distance from the source^2

29
Q

how are wave intensity and amplitude linked

A

intensity is directly proportional to the amplitude^2

30
Q

which end of the EM spectrum has the highest frequency

A

Gamma

31
Q

why can gamma rays and X-rays have the same wavelength

A

the type of wave is not determined by the wavelength. it’s determined by the source.

32
Q

whats the wavelength range of each type of EM Wave in meters

A 
Gamma- >10^-16
X-ray- 10^-8 to 10^-13
UV- 4*10^-7 to 10^-8
VL- 400-700nm
IR- 7*10^-7 to 10^-3
Microwave- 10^-3 to 0.1
Radiowave- <10^6
33
Q

what is a use of polarised waves?

A

communication transmitters. a horizontally and a vertically polarised wave will have minimal interference with each other

34
Q

what is a refractive index

A

the ratio of the speed of light in a material to the speed of light in a vacuum

35
Q

define total internal reflection

A

the reflection of all light hitting the boundary between two media, back into the original medium. the original medium must have a higher refractive index and the angle of reflection must be greater than the critical angle

36
Q

define critical angle

A

the angle of incidence between two media that will cause an angle of refraction to be 90 degrees.

Physics (22 decks)

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