2.4 Nature of waves/ 2.5 Wave properties Flashcards
What are the two main types of waves?
Transverse and longitudinal waves
What is a transverse wave?
A waves where the oscillations are perpendicular (at 90 degrees) to the direction of wave travel
What is a longitudinal wave?
A wave where the oscillations are in parallel to the direction of travel
Give three examples of a transverse wave.
Electro-magnetic waves
Water waves
S-waves in Earthquakes
Give three examples of a longitudinal wave
Pressure waves
Sound waves
P-waves in Earthquakes
What is the formula for wave period?
T = 1/F
period (time for one wave cycle) = 1/Frequency
What is the formula for velocity of a wave?
V = fλ
Velocity = frequency x wavelength
What is reflection?
When a wave is deflected from a surface. It is the change in direction of a wave front.
What is name of oscillations in a longitudinal wave?
Compression (peaks) and rarefactions (troughs)
What is the priciple of superpossion?
If waves from two sources occupy the same region then the total displacement at any one point is the vector sum of their individual displacements at that point
What is the frequency of a wave?
This is the number of cycles of a wave that pass a given point every second
What is phase difference?
The difference in position of 2 points within a cycle of oscillation which is given as a fraction of the cycle
What is coherence?
Waves or wave sources which have a constant phase difference between them and thus the same frequency.
What us a stationary wave?
A pattern of disturbances in a medium in which energy is not propagated. The amplitude of particle oscillations is zero at equally-spaced nodes rising to maxima at antinodes midway between the nodes
