Ch 9 General Wave Properties: Introduction# Flashcards
What is a wave?
A wave is a disturbance that travels through a medium.
What is a medium?
This medium carries the wave.
The substance or material which carries the wave.
Can be solid, liquid or gas
What do waves transfer?
energy
Name the two types of waves.
transverse wave and longitudinal wave
Define transverse wave.
Waves which travel in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the vibrations.
Define longitudinal wave.
Waves which travel in a direction parallel to the direction of the vibrations.
Define the crest/trough of a wave.
Highest and lowest points of a wave that characterise transverse waves only.
Define the amplitude of a wave.
distance from the rest or central position in either direction to the furthest point.
Define the wavelength of a wave.
distance between any two consecutive crests or troughs (transverse wave)
OR
distance between any two consecutive compressions or rarefactions (longitudinal wave)
Define the period of a wave.
Time taken to generate one complete wave/vibration.
OR
Time taken for the crests or any given point on the wave, to move a distance of one wavelength.
Define the frequency of a wave.
Number of crest/trough that pass a point per second.
OR
Number of complete waves/vibrations generated per second.
What is the SI unit for frequency?
Hertz (Hz)
Define compression.
Region of a wave where the air particles move closer together.
Define rarefaction.
Region of a wave where the air particles move further apart.
Define wavefront.
The line that joins all the peaks of a wave or all identical points on a wave is called the wavefront.
What is the name of the quantity for the distance between 2 consecutive wavefronts?
wavelength (λ)
