paper 2 : waves Flashcards
what does a wave transfer
waves transfer energy without transferring matter
what are the 2 types of waves
the 2 types of waves are:
- longitudinal
- transverse
give some examples of longitudinal and transverse waves
some examples of longitudinal and transverse waves are :
- longitudinal = sound and seismic push waves
- transverse waves = all electromagnetic waves and seismic shake waves
what is meant by the ‘frequency’ of a wave
the frequency of a wave is the number of waves passing a point each second
how can you calculate the frequency of a wave
you can calculate the frequency of a wave by using this equation :
period = 1/frequency
what is frequency measured in
frequency is measured in hertz, Hz
what is meant by ‘period’
a period is simply the time taken to complete 1 complete wave
what is the speed of sound in air
the speed of sound in air is 334m/s
what is the speed of light and all electromagnetic waves
the speed of light and all electromagnetic waves is 3x 10^8 m/s
what happens to wave speed in a constant medium
in a constant medium(the same substance), wave speed stays the same
what is the range for normal human hearing
the range for normal human hearing is 20Hz to 20KHz
why are there restrictions to human hearing
there are restrictions to human hearing as the conversion of sound waves to vibrations of the solid, works over a limited frequency range
describe the effect of sound waves on the ear drum
sound waves affect the ear drum by:
- differing pressures outside and inside the ear drum causes the ear drum to move
- the differing pressures are caused by the compressions and rare-fractions of longitudinal sound waves on the outside of the ear
- if the pressure is increasing, force in the ear must also increase as pressure is ∝ to force (F=pxA)
- as the area inside and outside the ear is the same, a greater force on the outside of the ear compared to the one in the ear, will cause the ear drum to move inwards and vice versa
what are rare-fractions
rare-fractions are when the waves are furthest apart
what is the angle of incidence
the angle of incidence is the angle at which the ray reflects at
what can happen when a wave passes through a boundary(the end of a material and the start of a new one)
at a boundary waves can be either :
- reflected
- absorbed
- transmitted without refraction
- transmitted with refraction
what is refraction
refraction is when light rays bend towards the normal when they enter a new material
how can ultrasounds be used for medical imagery
ultrasounds are used for medical imagery as :
- at the boundary between 2 different media (air and skin), the ultrasound waves are partially reflected
- doctors can then determine how far away each boundary is by recording the time taken for the reflections to reach the detector
what are 2 uses of ultrasounds
2 uses of ultrasounds are :
- unborn baby scans
- measuring the speed of blood flow in a vein or artery