Momentum/waves Flashcards
a disturbance that transfers energy from one location to another.
Wave
This is the substance that transfers energy (air, water, glass, etc.)
Medium:
This is the middle of the wave and would be the rest position of the medium if there was no energy moving
Equilibrium:
The highest point of a wave above the equilibrium
Crest:
The lowest part of a wave below the equilibrium
Trough:
Maximum displacement from a position of equilibrium (to a crest or trough). Also the energy of the wave.
Amplitude:
This is the middle of the wave and would be the rest position of the medium if there was no energy moving
Equilibrium:
The time it takes for one complete wave to pass through a certain location.
Period (T):
number of waves that pass a given location in a second
Frequency (f)
distance between a point on a wave and a similar point on the next successive wave, such as the distance from one wave crest to the next wave crest. Measured in meters.
Wavelength (λ):
is defined as “The ratio of the sine of the angle of incidence to the sine of the angle of refraction is a constant, for the light of a given colour and for the given pair of media”.
snells law
the change in direction of a wave passing from one medium to another caused by its change in speed.
refraction
the spreading out of waves as they pass through an aperture or around objects.
diffraction
it is the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum, c, to the speed of light in a medium
index of refraction
strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.
momentum.
