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A Level-Physics > Module 4 Part 2- Waves and Quantum Physics > Flashcards

Module 4 Part 2- Waves and Quantum Physics Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the difference between a transverse and a longitudinal wave

A

Transverse waves oscillate at 90° to the direction of energy transfer whereas longitudinal oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer.
Transverse waves can travel through a vacuum but longitudinal waves need a medium to travel through

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2
Q

Transverse waves have peaks and troughs whereas longitudinal waves have

A

Compressions and rarefactions

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3
Q

What is amplitude

A

Amplitude is the distance from the peak/trough to the equilibrium position

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4
Q

What is wavelength

A

Wavelength is the distance from one peak/trough to the next

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5
Q

Define period of oscillation (time period)

A

The time a wave takes to complete one full oscillation

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6
Q

Define frequency

A

The number of wavelengths that pass a given point per second-inverse to time period

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7
Q

What is phase difference and what is it measured in

A

Phase difference is the difference between the displacements of two particles along a wave
or the displacements of two waves-this is measured in degrees° or radians where a circle is a full oscillation

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8
Q

What is it called when two particles reach their peak at the same time

A

In phase

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9
Q

What is it called when one particle hits its peak while the other hits its trough

A

Antiphase

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10
Q

What is reflection

A

Reflection is when a wave changes direction at the border between two mediums therefore remaining in the original medium-wavelength and frequency remain the same

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11
Q

What is the law of reflection

A

Angle of incidence=angle of reflection

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12
Q

What is refraction

A

Refraction is when a wave changes direction towards/away from the normal as it enters a new medium due to a change in speed which occurs when entering a more/less dense medium

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13
Q

What is the photoelectric effect

A

The photoelectric effect is when photons of electromagnetic radiation are shone onto a metal and photoelectrons are emitted off the surface

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14
Q

What are the conditions that need to be in place for the photoelectric effect to take place

A

Incident radiations frequency must be above threshold frequency of the metal-f0

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15
Q

What is the name given to the minimum amount of energy to free an electron

A

Work function-different for each metal

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16
Q

What is the equation that links energy, Planck constant and frequency

A

Energy = h x f

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17
Q

What happens to the spare energy after the photoelectric effect occurs

A

A certain amount of energy is used to overcome the work function, the rest is then transferred into to the kinetic energy of the electron

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18
Q

What is the idea of wave-particle duality

A

It is a theory that de broglie proposed which states that all matter has both wave and particle properties

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19
Q

What is the de broglie equation

A

(De broglie) Wavelength = Planck constant / momentum

20
Q

What is superposition

A

Superposition is when two waves meet and experience either constructive or destructive interference

21
Q

What is constructive interference

A

Constructive interference is when the amplitudes of the two waves interfering add to one another to create a larger total amplitude

22
Q

What is destructive interference

A

Destructive interference is when two waves meet and have opposing amplitudes (one up one down) and the amplitudes subtract from one another giving a smaller total amplitude

23
Q

What is path difference and what is it measured in

A

Path difference is the distance between a point on a diffracted wave and the source of that diffraction
it is measured in λ which is the wavelength of the wave

24
Q

What is phase difference

A

Phase difference is the difference between two waves in the cycle of the wavelength and it is measured in degrees or radians-1 wavelength = 360° or 2pi radians

25
Q

What is the equation for the young double slit experiment

A

Wavelength= slit separation (a) x fringe distance (x) / distance from the slits (D)

26
Q

What is a standing (stationary) wave

A

A standing wave is when two progressive waves superimpose oppositely and form a wave which doesn’t transfer any energy and has nodes and anti-nodes

27
Q

What is diffraction

A

Diffraction is a phenomenon unique to waves and it is when the wave is spread out after passing through a gap the same size as its wavelength-wave speed, wavelength and frequency are not altered

28
Q

What is polarisation

A

Polarisation is unique to transverse waves and it is when a wave is confined to a single plane meaning that it only oscillates on one plane (up and down) rather than many

29
Q

What is the intensity of a wave

A

The intensity of a wave is defined as the power passing through a surface per unit area and in any progressive wave the intensity decreases as distance from the source increases

30
Q

What is the equation for intensity

A

I = Power / Area

31
Q

What is the order of the electro magnetic waves (biggest to smallest)

A

Radio waves, micro waves, infra red, visible light, ultraviolet, x rays, gamma rays

32
Q

What is refractive index and what is the equation for it

A

Refractive index is the level to which a material refracts a wave when it passes through it
Equation: refractive index (n)= speed of light in a vacuum (c) / speed of light in the material (v)

33
Q

What is total internal reflection and what are the conditions for it

A

Total internal reflection is when all of the light on the incident boundary is reflected back into the original medium
It happens when:
-the original material has a higher refractive index
-the angle of incidence is higher than the critical angle

34
Q

What are the two equations for energy of a photon

A

E=hf
E=hc / lambda

35
Q

What fact supports the particulate nature of a photon

A

When the photoelectric effect occurs, the emission happens instantly rather than taking time as the wave theory suggests

36
Q

What is the equation that links energy, planck constant, speed of light and wavelength

A

E=hc/ lambda

37
Q

What is the Planck constant

A

6.63x10^-34

38
Q

How many joules is one electron volt

A

1eV=1.6x10^-19 J

39
Q

What is Einsteins photoelectric effect equation

A

E (energy) = φ (work function) + KE max

40
Q

What is a piece of evidence for the wave behaviour of an electron

A

Electron gets diffracted when passed through a graphite film

41
Q

What is fundamental frequency

A

Minimum frequency of a stationary wave possible on an instrument (double length of string)
It is dependent on the length, diameter, density and tension (if it’s on a string)

42
Q

What does coherent mean

A

When two waves have both
-same frequency
-same phase difference

43
Q

What is the relationship between the refractive index of a material and the angle between the wave and the normal

A

n is inversely proportional to sin θ

44
Q

What is the relationship between path difference and phase difference

A

Phase difference is double path difference (for coherent waves)

45
Q

What is a node

A

A node is a point in a stationary wave of zero displacement

46
Q

What is an anti-node

A

An anti-node is a point in a stationary wave with maximum displacement

A Level-Physics (8 decks)

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