5.1 The Nature of Waves Flashcards
Name the 4 different characteristics/type of waves
- transverse
- longitudinal
- electromagnetic
- mechanical
What direction is the oscillation of the particles for a transverse wave?
Perpendicular to the direction that the wave is travelling
What direction is the oscillation of the particles for a longitudinal wave?
Parallel to the direction in which the wave travels
What is a longitudinal wave made up of?
Compressions and rarefactions
What type of wave are all electromagnetic waves?
Transverse waves
What type of wave is a sound wave?
A longitudinal wave
When a longitudinal wave travels through air, what happens to the air particles at a compressions?
They are pushed closer together
Which type of waves can travel through a vacuum?
Electromagnetic waves
Which type of wave is there no particles moving in and why?
There are no particles moving in an electromagnetic wave, as these type of waves are oscillations in electric and magnetic fields
What do we use waves to transfer?
Energy and information
Why are all electromagnetic waves transverse?
The oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of the wave because there are no particles in an electromagnetic wave
