P5.1.1 - Waves And Their Properties Flashcards
What is a wave?
An oscillation that transfers energy
What type of waves are used to communicate between 2 phones?
Electromagnetic
What type of waves are sound and water waves?
Mechanical waves
What do mechanical waves require?
Matter to go through them
What are longitudinal waves?
Waves where the direction of vibration of individual air molecules is the same as the direction of the wave
What is a transverse wave?
Waves where the direction of vibration is at right angles to the direction of the wave
What is amplitude?
Distance from the middle to the top crest or bottom trough
What is wavelength?
The distance from one point on a wave to the same point on the next wave
What is the frequency of waves?
Number of waves or oscillations per second
What is time period?
The time for one wave to pass a specific point
What are the 2 ways to represent a wave?
Time trace
Snapshot
What does a time trace show?
How displacement varies with time at a specific position
What does a snapshot show?
How displacement varies with distance at a particular time
What do you use to model water waves?
Water ripples
