Sound

Question 1

What are transverse waves?

Answer 1

Light and other types of electromagnetic radiation are transverse waves. Water waves and S waves ( a type of seismic ) are also transverse waves. In transverse waves , the vibrations are at right angles to the direction of travel

Question 2

What are longitudinal waves?

Answer 2

Sound waves and waves in a stretched spring are longitudinal waves. P waves ( relatively fast moving longitudinal seismic and travel through liquids and solids) are also longitudinal waves. in longitudinal waves, the vibrations are along the same direction of travel.

Question 3

What are waves?

Answer 3

Waves are vibrations that transfer energy from place to place without matter - solid, liquid or gas - being transferred

Question 4

What does amplitude mean?

Answer 4

The amplitude of a wave is its maximum disturbance from its undisturbed position.

Question 5

What is the wavelength?

Answer 5

The wavelength of a wave is the distance between a point on one wave to another

Question 6

What is the frequency?

Answer 6

The frequency of a wave is the number of waves produced by a source each second

Question 7

How do you work out the wave speed?

Answer 7

Frequency x wavelength

Question 8

Describe sound waves?

Answer 8

Sound waves are longitudinal waves and cause vibrations in a medium, which are detected as sounds. There are areas of compression where the particles in the medium bunch together and area of rarefaction where the particles in the medium spread out.

Question 9

What does the pitch of a sound determine by?

Answer 9

The pitch of sound is determined by its frequency and its amplitude.

Question 10

What is an echo?

Answer 10

Echoes are reflections of sounds

Question 11

Describe the Doppler effect?

Answer 11

When the source moves away from the observer the observed wavelength shortens and the frequency raises. When the source moves towards the observer the wavelength increases and the frequency shortens.