MCAT Physics 2014 Flashcards by M V

Which waves consist of both longitudinal and transverse waves?

water waves;

earthquake waves

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T/F:

Longitudinal waves can’t be polarized.

tru

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There are traveling waves, and there are also _____ waves.

standing

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What is a standing wave?

wave that is trapped in a cavity

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What is the main difference between standing waves and traveling waves?

(hint: frequencies)

Standing waves have only certain allowed frequencies

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What is a fundamental?

(waves)

The lowest possible frequency for a given standing wave.

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The 2nd lowest frequency achievable by a given standing wave is called:

second harmonic

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If the spring constant for a given spring is K, then what is the frequency of that spring’s oscillation?

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T/F:

The speed of a wave is determined by its frequency.

fals

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When a wave passes from one medium into another, its _____ changes, but its _______ does not.

speed;

frequency

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What determines the velocity of a wave traveling thru a given medium?

The type of wave
the characteristics of the medium

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The MCAT may refer to Potential Energy as ____ energy.

mechanical

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An oscillating electrict charge generates a/n ______.

electromagnetic wave.

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Describe the wave-particle duality.

EM radiation travels liek a wave, but interacts with matter like a particle.

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The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum, to the speed of light in a given medium, is called:

Index of refraction

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What is the Index of Refraction?

The ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum, to the speed of light in a given medium, is called:

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The higher an object’s Index of Refraction, the [faster / slower] light travels thru that object:

slower

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A ray of light travels from one medium into another. The light bends (refracts) when it enters the 2nd medium.

If the 2nd medium has a higher index of refraction than the incident (first) medium, then the ray will bend [away from / towards] the normal.

towards

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A ray of light travels from one medium into another. The light bends (refracts) when it enters the 2nd medium.

If the 2nd medium has a [higher / lower] index of refraction than the incident (first) medium, then the ray will bend away from the normal.

lower

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What is Snell’s Law?

n₁ * sin θ₁ = n₂ * sinθ₂

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How do you figure out the critical angle for total internal reflection?

sinθ_crit =

(n of the medium beyond the boundary / n of the medium through which “incident” ray is traveling)

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When light passes from one medium into another, there can be a critical angle for total internal reflection ONLY if:

if the n (index of refraction) of the original medium through which the “incident” ray travels, is GREATER than the n of the other medium beyond the boundary.

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When white light is split into its monochromatic individual colors, _____ light bends the least, while ______ light bends the most.

RED the least;

VIOLET the most

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When talking about lenses and mirrors, what does f stand for?

focal length

In optics, what is **focal length**?

distance, *from* mirror/lens, *to* focal **point**

**[concave / convex]** mirrors have an *imaginary* focal point

con**VEX**

What is a *real* image?

An image is real if light rays focus at the position of the image.

What is a ***virtual*** image, as opposed to a *real* image?

an image is virtual if light rays don't focus at the apparent location of the image

Based on the Mirror Equation (*oif*) , how do we know that an image is **real** or **virtual**?

A **positive** value for **i** → image is in front of mirror and is **real** A **negative** value for i → image is behind mirror and is **virtual**

In optics, What does it mean if **i** is positive?

image is **real**

T/F: Virtual images can sometimes be upright

fals (technically) **Virtual** images are ALWAYS **upright**.

In optics, _____ images are inverted.

real

In optics, _____ images are upright.

virtual

T/F: In optics, if **i** is *postive*, then **m** is *negative*.

tru And if i is *negative*, then m is *positive*.

For mirrors, **f** is positive if:

the mirror is con**_cave_**.

In optics, **f** is *negative* for mirrors when:

the mirror is con**VEX**.

T/F: Real images are always inverted.

tru

Lenses that are thicker in the middle are called _____ lenses.

converging

When switching between mirrors and lenses, which value(s) switch from positive to negative? (o, i, f)

**f** is positive for a _____ lens.

convex / converging

A convex lens is the same thing as a _____ lens.

converging

For lenses, ______ images are formed on the same side of the lens as the object

virtual

What is the relationship between a lens's **f** (focal length) and its power.

the **shorter** the focal length (f), the **greater** the power

What is a diopter?

a unit that measures lens power in 1/meter, or meter^-1

What is the image-drawing method for a converging/convex **lens**?

see p. 231, MCAT PHYSICS

What is the image-drawing method for a diverging/concave **lens**?

p. 231 of MCAT Physics

1. What is the image tracing method for a con**cave** _mirror_? 2. For a con**vex** mirror?

see p 235 of MCAT Physics

Two *identical* electronic devices are connected to the *same* electrical circuit, in **parallel** to each other. Compared to the voltage generated by a single device, the total **voltage** supplied by the 2 parallel devices will be:

the same.

Two *identical* electronic devices are connected to the same electrical circuit, in **series** to each other. Compared to the voltage generated by a single device, the total **voltage **supplied by the 2 devices will be:

the **sum** of the two individual voltages. So add the two individual voltages together.

T/F: ## Footnote *Identical *voltage sources, connected in **parallel**, produce the same output (total) **voltage **as a *single* source.

tru

T/F: ## Footnote *Identical *voltage sources, connected in **series**, produce the same output (total) **voltage **as a *single* source.

fals

State **Pascal's Law**

if you apply **pressure on a liquid**, the pressure is **transmitted equally** to all parts of the liquid.

Give the formula for Pascal's Law

If given a point that is *deep inside* a body of water, how do we calculate the **pressure** of water exerted on that given point?

guage Pressure = ρ\*g\*h ## Footnote ρ → density of water/fluid g → acceleration from gravity h → how deep, under water,

State **Archimedes' Principle**

**buoyant force** on an object **=** **weight of the fluid** that is ***displaced ***by the object.

Give the **eqn** for **Archimedes' Principle**:

**F_B **= weight_displaced = (mass_displaced)\*(g) = (ρ_fluid)\*(V_submerged)\*(g)

Give the **eqn**s for finding **Buoyant Force** on an object.

**F_B **on object = weight_{displaced fluid} = (**mass**_{displaced fluid})\*(**g**) = (**ρ**_fluid)\*(**V**_submerged)\*(**g**) If the object is **COMPLETELY submersed**: **F_B** = [(**mass**_object)\*(**g**)] \* (**ρ**_fluid) **÷** (**ρ**_object) **F_B **= (**weight**_object) \* (**ρ**_fluid) **÷** (**ρ**_object)

When talking about **Floating** objects, what is the important **ratio** to remember?

Volume_displaced **÷** Total Volume of Object **=** Density_object **÷** Density_fluid