Science- Physics - Waves - P6 Flashcards
what is a wave ?
an oscillation that transfers energy without transferring any matter, making the particles of the substance that it is travelling through oscillate
what is an oscillation ?
a vibration
what are the 2 types of waves ?
transverse
longitudinal
what are transverse waves ?
where the oscillations are perpendicular ( at 90 degrees) to the direction of energy transfer of the wave
where do waves transfer energy ?
in the same direction they travel
give an example of a transverse wave ?
light
other electromagnetic waves
what are longitudinal waves ?
waves with oscillations along the same line they travel with areas of compression and rarefaction, the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer of the wave
what is rarefaction ?
where the particles are spread out
what is compression ?
where the particles are bunched together
give an example of longitudinal waves ?
sound waves
a spring when you push the end
do waves transfer matter ?
no
what happens in waves ?
they travel through a medium and the particles of the medium oscillate and transfer energy between each other but overall the particles stay in the same place, only energy is transferred
what are crests and troughs ?
points of maximum positive and maximum negative displacement from the particles rest position
what is the amplitude ?
the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position - the distance from the undisturbed position to a crest or trough
what is a wavelength ?
the distance between the same point on 2 adjacent waves
what is the frequency ?
the number of complete waves passing a certain point per second
what is frequency measured in ?
hertz
what is the period of a wave ?
the amount of time it takes for a full cycle of the wave to be completed - the length of time between 1 crest passing a point and the next crest passing the same point
what is wave speed ?
the speed at which energy is being transferred
how do you measure the speed of sound in air ?
find the frequency and the wavelength of a sound wave
how can you generate a sound wave ?
- using a specific frequency
- attach a signal generator to a speaker
- the sound wave can then be detected by microphones
- these convert it to a trace on an oscilloscope
describe the method of how to measure the speed of sound in air ?
- set equipment up with both microphones next to the speaker, the detected wave at each microphone can be seen as a separate wave on the oscilloscope
- slowly move the microphone away from the speaker, its wave will shift sideways on the oscilloscope keep moving until the 2 waves on the oscilloscope are aligned again, at this point the microphones will be exactly 1 wavelength apart so measure the distance between them
why are water ripples useful for investigating wave properties ?
they are visible
what do you use to produce waves ?
a signal generator