Chapter 5: Waves Flashcards

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1
Q

What is a progressive wave?

A

A wave that travels through a substance or space, transferring energy

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2
Q

What is amplitude?

A

A wave’s maximum displacement from its equilibrium position

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3
Q

What is the wavelength?

A

The distance between two adjacent wave peaks

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4
Q

What is frequency?

A

The number of cycles per second, measured in Hz.

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5
Q

What is the period?

A

The time taken for one complete cycle, measured in seconds.

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6
Q

What does it mean if particles or points on a wave are in phase?

A

The particles move in the same direction with the same speed. Same displacement from the equilibrium position.
Separated by whole number of wavelengths, nλ

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7
Q

What does it mean if particles or points on a wave are in antiphase?

A

The particles move in opposite directions with the same speed. Opposite displacements from equilibrium position.
Separated by whole number plus a half wavelength nλ + 0.5λ

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8
Q

What does it mean if particles or points on a wave are out of phase?

A

The particles are at different points in their cycle at a particular time.

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9
Q

How does a wave change on reflection off a denser medium?

A

Has a phase change of 180 degrees, pi radians

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10
Q

What is a transverse wave?

A

A wave in which particles oscillate perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer, eg electromagnetic waves, secondary seismic waves

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11
Q

What is a longitudinal wave?

A

A wave in which particles oscillate parallel to the direction of energy transfer, eg sound waves, primary seismic waves

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12
Q

What are mechanical waves?

A

A wave that needs a medium to travel through so cannot travel through a vacuum, eg seismic waves, sound waves

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13
Q

What is polarisation?

A

The restriction of a wave so that it can only oscillate in one plane.

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14
Q

What is a polarised wave?

A

A wave in which the oscillations are confined to one plane

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15
Q

Why can longitudinal waves not be polarised?

A

The particles always oscillate along the direction of energy transfer

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16
Q

What is crossing the polarisers?

A

When a second polarising filter is held at right angles to the original filter (producing no wave)

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17
Q

What are some applications of polarisation?

A

Sunglasses (cut out reflecting light from horizontal surfaces, eg water and snow)
Aerials (must be correctly aligned for the best reception, plane-polarised EM waves generated by transmitters are picked up best by a receiver with same alignment)

18
Q

What is refraction?

A

The change in direction (and speed) at a boundary when a wave travels from one medium to another

19
Q

What changes and what does not change when a wave reaches a new medium?

A

The frequency does not change however wavelength and speed do

20
Q

What is the angle of incidence?

A

The angle between the incident ray and the normal

21
Q

What is the angle of refraction?

A

The angle between the refracted ray and the normal

22
Q

What is the refractive index?

A

The ratio of a wave’s speed in a vacuum to the wave’s speed in a medium

23
Q

What is the equation for refractive index?

A

n = c / cs

n= refractive index (no units)
c= speed of light in a vacuum
cs= speed of light in the material

24
Q

What are the refractive indices of air and water?

A

air: 1.0003 ≈ 1
water: 1.3333…

25
Q

What is Snell’s Law?

A

n1sinθ1 = n2sinθ2
n= refractive index of material 1 and 2
θ= angle of incidence and refraction

26
Q

What is total internal reflection?

A

The complete reflection of a wave at a boundary within a material that has a higher refractive index than its surroundings

27
Q

What is the critical angle?

A

The angle of incidence for which the angle of refraction is 90 degrees

28
Q

What is the equation used to find the critical angle?

A

Snell’s Law
θ=90 so sinθ=1 and so sinθc = n2/n1

29
Q

What is an optical fibre?

A

A thin glass (or plastic) fibre that transmits light

30
Q

What is a step index optical fibre?

A

An optical fibre with a uniform refractive index in the core and a lower uniform refractive index for the cladding.

31
Q

What is cladding?

A

A protective layer on an optical fibre to improve tensile strength, prevent scratching and prevent signal transfer between adjacent fibres.

32
Q

What is the purpose of cladding in a step index optical fibre?

A

Protects core from scratches which would allow light to escape and degrade the signal
Allows for TIR as it has a lower refractive index than the core

33
Q

What is pulse broadening?

A

When the received signal is wider than the original as the duration of a pulse increases due to dispersion. Can cause information loss.

34
Q

What is material dispersion?

A

The spreading of a signal cause by the variation of refractive index with wavelength.
Different wavelengths of light refract by different amounts and so arrive at different times, causing pulse broadening.

35
Q

How can material dispersion be reduced?

A

Using monochromatic light (smaller range of frequencies and wavelengths).

36
Q

What is modal dispersion?

A

The spreading of a signal caused by rays taking different paths in the optical fibre.
Rays taking longer paths take longer to travel through the fibre so arrive at different times, causing pulse broadening.

37
Q

How can modal dispersion be reduced?

A

Using monomode fibres with a very narrow core meaning light is almost confined to one single path down the optical fibre (used in communications).
Using cladding with refractive index slightly lower than core’s increasing critical angle.

38
Q

What is absorption in optical fibres?

A

When energy from a signal is absorbed by the optical fibre in which it travels. It is important to use materials with low absorption.

39
Q

How can absorption and dispersion be reduced?

A

Use an optical fibre repeater to regenerate the signal now and then.

40
Q

What is the equation linking phase difference, wavelength and the distance between two points along a wave?

A

Φ= 2πx / λ (radians)
Φ: phase difference
x: distance between two points along a wave
λ: wavelength