THE NATURE OF WAVES

Question 1

what do waves transfer?

Answer 1

they transfer energy without transferring matter and transfers information

Question 2

what are mechanical waves?

Answer 2

they are vibrations that travel through a median

Question 3

give examples of mechanical waves

Answer 3

sound waves, water waves, waves on springs and ropes , and seismic waves produced by earthquakes

Question 4

what are electromagnetic waves?

Answer 4

they can all travel through a vacuum at the same speed of 300 000 km per second without a medium

Question 5

give examples of electromagnetic waves

Answer 5

light waves, radio waves, and microwaves

Question 6

observing mechanical waves using a rope and a ribbon

Answer 6

• tie a ribbon to the middle of the rope
• move one end of the rope up and down
• waves move along the rope but the ribbon does not
• the ribbon just moves up and down - transverse wave
• the ribbon vibrates/oscillates, which means it moves repeatedly between 2 positions
• when the ribbon is at the top of the wave it’s at the peak/crest of the wave

Question 7

observing mechanical waves using a slinky

Answer 7

• the same effects are there if you move on end of the slinky up and down
• push and pull the end of the slinky instead - longitudinal wave
• areas of compression(coils squashed together) and areas of rarefaction(coils spread further apart) moving along the slinky
• handle the slinky carefully

Question 8

what type of wave is a mechanical wave?

Answer 8

it can be transverse or longitudinal

Question 9

what happens when a wave travels through a substance?

Answer 9

the substance itself doesn’t travel

Question 10

how do the waves react when an object is dropped in water?

Answer 10

the waves spread out on the water and travel across the surface but the water does not travel away from the object

Question 11

explain the travel of waves when a tuning fork vibrates and makes sound waves?

Answer 11

the sound waves travel through the air way from the tuning fork but the air itself doesn’t travel away from the vibrating object
-if it did a vacuum would be created

Question 12

what are transverse waves?

Answer 12

oscillations that move up and down or from side to side

• waves on a rope
• ripples on the surface of water
• all electromagnetic waves are transverse waves

Question 13

describe the oscillations of a transverse wave

Answer 13

the oscillations of a transverse wave are perpendicular(at right angles) to the direction in which the waves transfer energy/move

Question 14

what type of waves are sound waves when they travel through air?

Answer 14

longitudinal waves

Question 15

what happens when an object vibrates in air?

Answer 15

the air around it also vibrate as it pushes and pulls on the air
-oscillations that travel through the air are sound waves

Question 16

when one end of the slinky is pushed in and out repeatedly

Answer 16

vibrations travel along the spring

Question 17

describe the oscillations of longitudinal waves

Answer 17

the oscillations of a longitudinal wave are parallel to the direction in which the waves transfer energy