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GCSE AQA Physics 9-1 > P12 Wave properties > Flashcards

P12 Wave properties Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the categories for waves?

A

transverse
or
longitudinal

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2
Q

what do waves do?

A

transfer energy from one place to another

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3
Q

what are transverse waves?

A

a wave where the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

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4
Q

what are rarefractions?

A

regions in a longitudinal wave where particles are spread out

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5
Q

what is a longitudinal wave?

A

a wave which has oscillations parallel to the direction of energy transfer

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6
Q

what do all longitudinal waves need to travel?

A

a medium

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7
Q

what travels, the medium or the wave?

A

the wave
the medium does not travel along the wave

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8
Q

what is the amplitude of a wave?

A

the maximum displacement of a point on a wave from its undisturbed position

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9
Q

what is the wavelength of a wave?

A

the distance from a point on one wave to the equivalent point on the adjacent wave

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10
Q

what does lambda mean?

A

wavelength

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11
Q

what is frequency?

A

the number of wave passing a point each second

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12
Q

what is the unit of frequency?

A

the Hertz (Hz)

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13
Q

what is the period of a wave?

A

the time (in seconds) for one wave to pass a point

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14
Q

what is wave speed?

A

the speed at which a wave moves through a medium

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15
Q

what is the equation of wave speed?

A

v = frequency (Hz) x wavelength (m)

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16
Q

how can you investigate the speed of sound waves?

A

two people stand 500m apart, one is holding cymbals (person A) while the other is holding a timer (person B).
person B starts the timer when they see person A crash the cymbals and stop it when they can hear the sound.
then they divide the distance by the time taken to work out the speed

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17
Q

what are some problems with the method of investigating the speed of sound waves?

A

every person has a different reaction time - can be reduced with multiple observers with timers
time between seeing and then hearing the cymbals is very short - increase distance between people

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18
Q

what is the easiest way to measure different properties of a water wave?

A

the ripple tank using a phone so that you can watch it at different speeds or freeze the image

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19
Q

how do you measure the wavelength of water waves in a ripple tank?

A

freeze the image taken on a phone
measure the distance of 10 waves in total using a ruler
divide the result by 10 to get 1 wavelength

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20
Q

how do you calculate the frequency of water waves in a ripple tank?

A

use a time and count the number of waves passing a point in 10 seconds.
then divide the result by 10 to get the number of waves passing a point in 1 second

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21
Q

what is another way to work out the wave speed of water waves in a ripple tank?

A

select a wave and measure the time it takes for it to move the length of the tank.
then divide the distance travelled by the time taken to work out the speed

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22
Q

how do you measure the wavelength of a standing wave?

A

measure from the wooden bridge to the vbration generator

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23
Q

how do you know the frequency when investigating waves in a solid?

A

you know the frequency from the signal generator

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24
Q

what can you see from the investigation of wave speed in solids?

A

the wave speed is not dependent on the frequency or wavelength
it depends on the taughtness of the string and the mass/cm of the sting

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25
Q

what could happen when a wave hits a boundary with a different material?

A
  • it could be transmitted through the material
  • the energy of the wave could be absorbed by the material
  • it could be reflected off the surface of the material
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26
Q

what is the incident ray?

A

the ray of light which strikes the surface of the reflective material

27
Q

what is the normal?

A

the line drawn perpendicular to the surface of the mirror or other material

28
Q

what is the angle of incidence?

A

the angle between the incident ray and the normal

29
Q

what is the rule of reflection?

A

the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection

30
Q

what is used to investigate reflection and refraction of light rays?

A

a ray box, lens and slit

31
Q

in the investigation of reflection and refraction of different materials, what will you find about the angles of reflection and refraction of different materials?

A

the angles of incidence and reflection are the same for each material investigated
this is because these angles do not depend on the material

the angle of refraction will be different for each material
this is because the angle of refraction is different for different materials

32
Q

what can sound waves in air do to a solid?

A

trigger vibrations in a solid
this only works for a limited range of frequencies

33
Q

what is the frequency range of human hearing?

A

20 Hz to 20 000 Hz

34
Q

why can frequencies outside the human frequency range not be heard?

A

they may not be able to make the human ear drum vibrate

35
Q

what happens when waves move from one medium to another?

A

the speed can change
the wavelength also changes

36
Q

what does not change when a wave changes medium?

A

the frequency of the wave
this is because the wave would have to be destroyed or created at the boundary for the frequency to change and that is not possible

37
Q

what does the frequency mean about a sound wave?

A

the frequency is the pitch of the sound
a high frequency has a high pitch
a low frequency has a low pitch

38
Q

what does the amplitude mean about a sound wave?

A

the volume of the sound depends on the amplitude
a small amplitude has a quiet sound
a large amplitude has a loud sound

39
Q

why can sound waves not pass through a vacuum?

A

sound waves need a medium to travel as they move by vibrating particles
in a vacuum, there are no particles so the sound wave cannot pass through

40
Q

what is an echo?

A

a reflected sound wave

41
Q

what is ultrasound?

A

sound waves with a frequency higher than the upper limit of human hearing

42
Q

what do ultrasound waves do do at boundaries of two different densities?

A

they partially reflect

43
Q

what does ultrasound scanning work for?

A

organs not surrounded by bone

44
Q

what is the formula for distance when using ultrasound?

A

s (distance) = v (speed) x t

45
Q

what is the structure of the earth?

A

outer crust
solid mantle with some parts that can flow
liquid outer core
solid inner core

46
Q

when does an earthquake happen?

A

when there is a sudden movement of the earth’s tectonic plates

47
Q

what are the properties of P waves?

A

they are longitudinal
they can pass through liquids and solids
they are faster than S waves

48
Q

what are the properties of S waves?

A

they are transverse
they can only travel through solids

49
Q

why do seismic waves travel in curved paths?

A

the density changes in the earth

50
Q

what is the area of the earth where S waves cannot be detected?

A

the S wave shadow zone

51
Q

why is there an S wave shadow zone?

A

S waves cannot pass through liquids (the liquid outer core!)

52
Q

what causes the P wave shadow zone?

A

P waves travel faster in solids than they do in liquids
this means the P waves slow down as they enter the outer core and refract
they also refract when they leave the outer core

53
Q

how did scientists know there was a solid inner core?

A

faint P waves could be detected in the P wave shadow zones

54
Q

how can the amount of infrared radiation emitted from different surfaces be measured?

A

using a leslie’s cube

55
Q

how can you use a Leslie’s cube to investigate infrared radiation?

A

fill the cube with hot water
point the infrared detector at the four surfaces and record the amount of infrared radiation
keep the detector at the same distance for each measurement to keep it repeatable

56
Q

list the amount of infrared radiation the surfaces on a Leslie’s cube emit from most to least?

A

matt black
shiny black
white
shiny metallic

57
Q

how do you measure the absorbance of different surfaces of infrared radiation?

A

use an infrared heater with metal plates on either side
each plate has been painted with different surfaces (e.g. matte black on one and shiny on the other)
attach a drawing pin with vaseline on to each plate and turn on the heater
start timing
record the time it takes for the vaseline to melt and the pin to fall off

58
Q

what can happen when waves move from one medium to another?

A

they can change direction when the change speed

59
Q

what happens when waves slow down?

A

they bend towards the normal

60
Q

what happens when waves speed up?

A

they bend away from the normal

61
Q

when do waves not change direction through a medium?

A

when the waves enter or leave the medium at right angles to the surface

62
Q

what is a wavefront?

A

an imaginary line which connects the same points on a set of waves

63
Q

why do waves change direction when they enter another medium?

A

only part of the wavefronts slow down/speed up, causing them to bend towards or away from the normal

GCSE AQA Physics 9-1 (17 decks)

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