Chapter 7 - Waves and Sound Flashcards
Sinusoidal waves
Particles oscillate back and forth with a displacement that follows sinusoidal pattern
Transverse waves
Direction of particle oscillation is perpendicular to propagation of wave
- Electromagnetic waves
Longitudinal waves
Particles of wave oscillate parallel to the direction of propagation
- sound waves
Wavelength
Distance from one crest (maximum) of wave to the next
Frequency
of wavelengths passing fixed point per second
Displacement
How far a particular point on the wave is from the equilibrium position
Amplitude
maximum magnitude of displacement in a wave
Phase difference
How “in step” or “out of step” waves are
- In phase: crests/troughs coincide
Principle of Superposition
States that when waves interact with each other, the displacement of the resultant wave at any point is the sum of the displacements of the 2 interacting waves
Constructive interference
Waves perfectly in phase; resultant wave has amplitude equal to the sum of the amplitudes of the 2 waves
Destructive interference
2 equal waves are exactly 180 degrees out of phase; resultant wave has 0 amplitude
Traveling wave
Moving wave
Standing wave
Waveforms with steady nodes and antinodes formed from the interference of incident and reflected waves at a boundary
Nodes
Points that remain at rest
Antinodes
Midway between nodes that fluctuate with maximum amplitude