Lecture 2 Flashcards
What is the definition of oscillations
Movements or processes that, to one degree or another, repeat over time
When are oscillations periodic
if: x(t) = x(t+nT)
How is energy transferred in wave motion
Over a distance
The two main types of waves
Mechanical waves
Electromagnetic waves
Mechanical waves
-Some physical medium is being distributed
-The wave is the propagation of a disturbance through a medium
Electromagnetic waves
-No medium required
-For example; light, radio waves and x-rays
What is a wave/process?
The process of propagation of oscillations in a continuous medium
One fundamental property of all waves
The transfer of energy without the transfer of matter
What is the crest
The location of the maximum displacement of the element from its normal position
What is the amplitude (A)
The distance between the resting position and maximum displacement
What is the wavelength
The distance from one crest to the next crest
What is the period (T)
The time interval required for two identical points of adjacent waves to pass by a point
What is the frequency (v)
The number of crests (or any point on the wave) that pass a given point in a unit time interval
Longitudinal waves
Mechanical waves in which the oscillations of the particles are in the direction of propagation of the wave
Transverse waves
Waves in which the oscillations are in a direction perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave