General Properties Of Waves COPY COPY Flashcards
In a transverse wave the oscillations are ………. To the direction of energy transfer
Perpendicular
In a longitudinal wave the oscillations are ………. To the direction of energy transfer
Parallel
What type of waves show areas of compression and rarefaction
Longitudinal
What type of waves are electromagnetic waves
Transverse
What type of waves are sound waves
Longitudinal
What type of waves are mechanical waves
They may be either transverse or longitudinal
What do waves transfer
Waves transfer energy and information without transferring matter
Waves can be …., ….. and ….
Waves can be reflected, refracted and diffracted
Reflection
The change in direction of a light ray or a wave at a boundary when the ray or wave stays in the incident medium
Refraction
The change in direction of a light ray when it passes across a boundary between two transparent substances (including air)
Diffraction
The spreading of waves when they pass through a gap or around the edges of an obstacle which has a similar size as the wavelength of the waves
What must be the case of appreciable diffraction to take place
For appreciable diffraction to take place, the wavelength of the wave must be of the same order of magnitude as the size of the obstacle or gap
What happens when two identical sets of waves overlap
they interfere with each other
What does the frequency of a wave mean
the number of wave crests passing a fixed point every second
What does the amplitude of a wave mean
the height of a wave crest or a wave trough of a transverse wave from the rest position
