Ch 9 General Wave Properties: Introduction Flashcards
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)
What is the formula for the speed of wave?
v = fλ
