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AQA Physics: 6 Waves > 6.1 Waves in air, fluids and solids > Flashcards

6.1 Waves in air, fluids and solids Flashcards

1
Q

What are the types of waves? (2)

A
  • Longitude
  • Transverse
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2
Q

What is an example of a longitude wave? (1)

A

Sound waves travelling in air.

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3
Q

What is an example of a transverse wave? (1)

A

Ripples on a water surface.

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4
Q

What is a transverse wave? (1)

A

A wave in which the direction of energy transfer is perpendicular to the oscillations.

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5
Q

What is a longitudinal wave? (1)

A

A wave in which the direction of energy transfer is parallel to the oscillations.

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6
Q

What does a wave transfer? (2)

A

Energy

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7
Q

What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves? (1)

A

Transverse waves require a medium to travel in, whilst not all longitudinal waves require one.

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8
Q

What are the parts of a longitudinal wave called? (2)

A
  • Compressions (tight areas)
  • Rarefactions (loose areas)
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9
Q

How do you describe the evidence that the waves, and not the air or water itself travels for both ripples on a water surface and sound waves in air? (2)

A

Water surface: a boat bobs up and down, like the water molecules do in a localised motion, but they don’t move along with the wave.
Air: small polystyrene beads move back and forth, like air particles do in their equilibrial position, but they don’t move along with the sound wave.

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10
Q

What is the amplitude of a wave? (1)

A

The maximum displacement of a point on a wave away from its undisturbed position.

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11
Q

How do you measure the amplitude? (1)

A

Distance between crest or tough or a wave and the undisturbed point (middle of waves).

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12
Q

What is the wavelength of a wave? (1)

A

The distance from a point on one wave to the equivalent point on the adjacent wave.

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13
Q

How do you measure the wavelength? (2)

A
  • Distance between one point and the same point on the next wave wave (e.g: trough, crest or middle)
  • Distance between area of compression or rarefactions to the next same area.
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14
Q

What is the frequency? (1)

A

The number of waves passing a point each second

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15
Q

What is the unit of frequency? (1)

A

Hertz, Hz (waves per second).

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16
Q

What is the period? (1)

A

The time (in seconds) for one wave to pass a point.

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17
Q

What is the word and symbol equation for period? (2)

A

period (s) = 1 / frequency (Hz)
T = 1 / f

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18
Q

What is the wave speed? (1)

A

The speed at which energy is transferred (or the wave moves) through a medium.

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19
Q

What is the word and symbol equation for period? (2)

A

wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) × wave length (m)
v = f × λ

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20
Q

Describe a method to measure the speed of sound waves in air. (5)

A
  1. Separate two people with a distance <100m (e.g. 500m)
  2. Person A holds cymbals whilst Person B has a stopwatch.
  3. Person B should start the timer when they see Person A clash the cymbal together.
  4. Person B stops the timer when they hear the cymbals clash.
  5. Calculate speed of sound waves by dividing the distance travelled by the time taken.
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21
Q

What are the problems and solutions with the simple method of measuring the speed of sound waves in air? (2)

A
  • Reaction times differ → include large number of observers with timers, remove anomalies and calculate a mean.
  • Small time difference between seeing and hearing → increase distance between Person A and B.
22
Q

What can happen to waves at the boundary between two different materials? (3)

A
  • Transmitted (no change occurs)
  • Absorbed (may not pass through)
  • Reflected
23
Q

Draw or state steps to construct a ray diagram to illustrate the reflection of a wave at a surface. (4)

A
  1. Draw incident ray from object to mirror.
  2. Draw a normal line where object and mirror meet
  3. Draw an angle between incident and normal line
  4. Draw a reflected ray using the reflection angle.
    Diagram
24
Q

Draw or state steps to use a ray diagram to work out where the image will appear in the mirror. (5)

A
  1. Draw incident ray (with arrow) from object to mirror.
  2. Draw normal (with arrow) at right angle to the mirror surface, and reflected line.
  3. Repeat this anywhere.
  4. Extend the two reflected rays back into the mirror (dotted lines).
  5. Object reflected where the lines meet.
    Diagram
25
Q

What happens when a sound wave changes medium - air to solid? (1)

A

The transition causes the solid to vibrate.

26
Q

How does a microphone process sound? (2)

A

It vibrates when sound waves hit the paper cone, converting it into electrical signals.

27
Q

How does a human ear drum process sound? (3)

A
  1. Sound waves funnelled into ear
  2. The hit the ear drum, causing it and other part of the inner ear to vibrate.
  3. causing the sensation of sound.
28
Q

To what extent do sound waves to vibration conversions work? What effect does this have?

A

Over a limited range of frequencies; it affects the range of human hearing.

29
Q

What is the normal human hearing range?

A

20 Hz - 20 KHz

30
Q

What medium do solids move fastest in? (1) Why? (2)

A

Solids; particles in solids are closer together so vibrations can pass more easily between them.

31
Q

As wave speed increases, wavelength…

A

Increases;

32
Q

As wave speed increases, frequency…

A

Doesn’t change.

33
Q

How does the frequency and wavelength of a wave change the way it sounds? (4)

A
  • High frequency: high pitch
  • Low frequency: low pitch
  • Large wavelength: loud
  • Small wavelength: quiet
34
Q

Why do sound waves only move through a medium? (1)

A

They move by particles vibrating.

35
Q

Can sound waves move through a vacuum, why? (2)

A

No; there are no particles in a vacuum.

36
Q

What can sound waves do that is similar to light, what is this called?

A

Reflect; echo.

37
Q

What is ultrasound?

A

Sound waves with a higher frequency than that of the human hearing range.

38
Q

What happens to ultrasound waves when they meet a boundary between two different media? (1) What can this be used for? (1)

A

They are partially reflected; the time taken for the reflections to reach a detector can be used to determine how far the boundary is.

39
Q

What are the uses of ultrasound?

A
  • Medical imaging
  • Industrial imaging
40
Q

How can ultrasound scanners be used medically? (1) Give an example.

A

To produce images of internal organs which are not covered by bone (e.g. kidney, heart, foetus).

41
Q

What are the advantages of ultrasound?

A

Safer than X-ray: do not cause mutations or increase risk of cancer.

42
Q

How can ultrasound be used industrially? (2)

A

To detect hidden defects or problems with welds.

43
Q

How can echo-sounding be used? (2)

A

To detect objects in deep waters and water depths (using high frequency sound waves).

44
Q

What are the properties of P-waves? (3)

A
  • Longitudinal seismic waves.
  • Pass through solids and liquids
  • Move faster than S-waves
45
Q

What are the properties of S-waves? (3)

A
  • Transverse seismic waves
  • Pass through only solids
  • Move slower than n P-waves.
46
Q

How are earthquakes detected?

A

Seismometers, detecting seismic waves, in different countries

47
Q

What are the parts where earthquakes can’t be detected called?

A

(“_-wave”) shadow zones

48
Q

What proved to scientists that the earth’s outer core is liquid? (2)

A
  • S-waves moved in curves to the sides and did not pass through the middle of the earth.
  • P-waves could move through the middle of the earth but were refracted once they entered and left the outer core.
49
Q

What proved to scientists that the earth’s inner core was solid? (1)

A

Faint P-waves could be detected in the P-wave shadow zones.

50
Q

What have scientists used Seismic waves to calculate? (1)

A

The thickness of the crust, mantle, inner and outer crust.

51
Q
A

AQA Physics: 6 Waves (4 decks)

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