PC1: RF Principles and Signal Characteristics

Question 1

What is static electricity?

Answer 1

• The separation of charges
• Opposite charges attract and like charges repel each other

Question 2

What is magnetism?

Answer 2

The force exerted by magnets when they attract or repel each other

Question 3

You cannot have a magnetic field without what?

Answer 3

An electric field

Question 4

An electric field must always create what?

Answer 4

A magnetic field

Question 5

Magnetic fields flow which way?

Answer 5

North to south

Question 6

Coulomb’s Law is also know as what?

Answer 6

Inverse Square Law

Question 7

What is Coulomb’s Law?

Answer 7

The force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges

Question 8

What is the bottom line between electricity and magnetism?

Answer 8

They are the same force operating in different ways

Question 9

What kind of current creates waves?

Answer 9

Alternating Current (AC)

Question 10

What is the flow of energy (photons) at the speed of light through free space or through a material medium in the form of electric and magnetic fields that make up electromagnetic waves?

Answer 10

Electromagnetic (EM) Radiation

Question 11

What produces an oscillating e-field and b-field?

Answer 11

Eletromagnetic (EM) Radiation

Question 12

What did Young’s Double Slit Experiment demonstrate?

Answer 12

Light’s constructive and destructive behaviors

Question 13

What did Young’s Double Slit Experiment prove?

Answer 13

Light exibits properties of waves

Question 14

What is a sine wave?

Answer 14

Simply a continuous, uniform wave with a constant frequency, amplitude, and phase

Question 15

How is amplitude measured?

Answer 15

From the zero point on an x-axis to the top of the highest point of the wave

Question 16

What does amplitude represent?

Answer 16

Power

Question 17

How is wavelength measured?

Answer 17

The distance between the two highest points between waves

Measured peak to peak or trough to trough

Question 18

How is frequency measured?

Answer 18

Number of cycles per second using Hertz (Hz)

Question 19

What is the relationship between wavelength and frequency?

Answer 19

Inversely proportional

Ex. the shorter the wavelength, the greater the frequency

Question 20

What is the relationship between energy and frequency?

Answer 20

Directly proportional

Ex. The greater the frequency, the higher the energy

Question 21

How is phase measured?

Answer 21

Offset from the baseline wave using degrees

Question 22

What is polarization?

Answer 22

Orientation of a wave, typically from the e-field perspective

Question 23

What are two types of polarization?

Answer 23

1. Linear
2. Circular

Question 24

What frequency is affected most by scintillation?

Answer 24

Low

Question 25

What is an atmospheric window?

Answer 25

Regions of the EM spectrum where energy can be fully transmitted without interference

Question 26

What band does the military like to operate in and why?

Answer 26

X band because of the balance between scintillation and atmospheric effects