5.1 Waves Basics Flashcards
What is a Wave?
A wave is a transfer of energy by oscillations.
What is the displacement of a wave?
The position of a particular point on a wave at a particular instant of time, measured from equillibrium position.
What is the amplitude of a wave?
The magnitude of the maximum displacement reached by an oscillation in the wave.
What is the frequency of a wave ?
The number of complete wave cycles per second, numbr of complete waves passing a point per second. f
f = 1 / Time period (s)
What is the wavelength of a wave?
The distance between a point on a wave and th esame point on the next wave cycle , λ
What is the period ?
Period is the time taken for one complete oscillation at one point of a wave. T
period(s) = 1 / Frequency(Hz)
what is the wave equation?
Wave speed = frequency x wavelength
v = f λ
Where is the crest and trough on a graph
the crest is at the top and the trough is at the bottom.
What is a transverse wave?
A transverse wave oscillate perpendicularly to the directions of a wave energy.
What is a longitudinal wave?
oscillations occur paralle to the direction of the movement of the wave enrgy.
longitudinal wave in a slinky spring?
A longitudinal wave generated in a slinky spring by repeatedly squahsing and stretching one end. Areas of high pressures are called compression and low pressure rarefractions.
What is rarefraction?
an areas in a logitudinal wave where particle oscillations put them further apart from each other than in equillibrium state.
