Properties Of Waves Flashcards
What do waves do ?
Waves transfer energy without transferring matter
Describe longitudinal waves
- longitudinal waves vibrate perpendicular to the direction of wave
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- P-seismic wave
- sound wave
- shock wave
Describe transverse waves
- transverse waves vibrate parallel to the direction of travel
- /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
- electromagnetic waves
- S-seismic wave
- ocean surface wave
What is amplitude ?
The maximum value of the objects displacement from its normal position
What is wavelength?
The minimum distance between two points on the wave that are at the same point in the wave cycle
What is frequency?
The number of cycles of a wave that passes through a given point in one second
What is a period?
The time taken for a wave to complete one full cycle
Equation for frequency
1
Frequency = ——-
Period
Equation for speed of wave
Speed = frequency x wavelength
When does diffraction occur ?
When a wave meets a solid object
When a wave length diffracts what doesn’t change ?
It’s wavelength and frequency
When is diffraction greatest ?
When the width of the slit is about the same as the wavelength of the wave
When is diffraction the smallest ?
When the slit is much smaller than the wavelength
When is difraction average ?
When the slit is much larger than the wavelength
