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Physics > Topic 6 - Waves > Flashcards

Topic 6 - Waves Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the two types of waves?

A

Transverse or longitudinal

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2
Q

Given example of a transverse wave

A

The ripples on the water surface

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3
Q

Give an example of a longitudinal wave

A

Sound waves travelling through air

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4
Q

What do longitudinal waves show?

A

Areas of compression and rarefraction

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5
Q

Describe transverse waves

A

The oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

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6
Q

What directions do transverse waves vibrate in?

A

Up-and-down

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7
Q

How does a transverse wave move?

A

Up-and-down

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8
Q

Describe longitudinal waves

A

The oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer

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9
Q

How does a longitudinal wave move?

A

Left and right

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10
Q

Give an example using a guitar string to show that the wave moves?

A

If you strum a guitar string and create sound waves, the sound waves don’t carry the air away from the guitar and create a vacuum

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11
Q

Give an example using ripples in the water to show that waves move

A

If you drop a twig into a calm pool of water, ripples fall on the water surface, the ripples don’t carry the water away with them

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12
Q

What is amplitude?

A

The maximum displacement of a point on the wave away from its undisturbed position

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13
Q

What is wavelength?

A

The distance from a point on one wave to the equivalent point on the adjacent wave

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14
Q

What is frequency?

A

The number of waves passing through a point each second

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15
Q

What is the equation to calculate a period?

A

Period (secondsw) = 1/frequency (hertz)

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16
Q

What is wave speed?

A

The speed at which the energy is transferred (or the wave moves) through the medium

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17
Q

What is the wave equation?

A

Wave speed (m/s) = frequency (hertz) x wavelength (m)

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18
Q

What are the three ways that you can measure the speed of a wave?

A
  • using oscilloscope to measure the speed of sound
  • Measure the speed of water ripples using a strobe light
  • use the wave equation for waves on strings
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19
Q

When are waves reflected?

A

At the boundary between two different materials

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20
Q

When can waves be absorbed or transmitted?

A

At the boundary between two different materials

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21
Q

What are the three things that can happen to waves at the boundary between two different materials?

A

Reflection, absorption and transmission

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22
Q

What is the equation for the angle of incidence and reflection?

A

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection

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23
Q

What happens when a wave is absorbed?

A

Energy is transferred to the materials energy stores

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24
Q

What happens when waves are transmitted?

A

They carry on travelling through the new material which often leads to refraction

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25
Q

When does specular reflection happen?

A

When a wave is reflected in a single direction by a smooth surface

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26
Q

What is diffuse reflection?

A

When a wave is reflected by a rough surface the reflected rays are scattered in lots of different directions

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27
Q

Why are rays reflected in lots of directions during diffuse reflection?

A

Because the normal is different for each incoming ray which means the angle of incidence is different

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28
Q

What happens when light is reflected by a rough surface?

A

The surface appears matte and there isn’t a clear reflection of objects

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29
Q

What happens when the soundwave travels through a solid?

A

It causes vibrations in the solid as it travels fast

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30
Q

What causes the sensation of sound in the ear?

A

Soundwaves cause the eardrum and other parts to vibrate

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31
Q

What restricts the limits of human hearing?

A

The conversion of soundwaves and vibrations in solids, works over a limited frequency range

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32
Q

What is the range of normal human hearing?

A

20 Hz to 20 kHz

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33
Q

What else limits human hearing?

A

This size and shape of our eardrum, the structure of all the other parts in our ear that vibrate to transfer energy

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34
Q

What happens when vibrations are felt in the ear?

A

They are passed on to tiny bones called ossicles through the semicircular canals and to the cochlea which turns them into electrical signals and sent to the brain

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35
Q

How do soundwaves pass through the surrounding medium?

A

As a series of compressions and rare fractions

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36
Q

Why can’t sound travel in space?

A

Because it’s mostly a vacuum so there are no particles to move or vibrate

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37
Q

Why can’t humans hear Ultrasound waves?

A

They have a higher frequency than the upper limit of hearing for humans

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38
Q

What happens to Ultrasound waves when they meet a boundary between two different media?

A

They are partially reflected

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39
Q

How do you determine how far away a Boundary is when ultrasound meets it?

A

The time taken for the reflections to reach a detector can be used to determine how far away such a Boundary is

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40
Q

What are the uses of ultrasound?

A

Medical and industrial imaging

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41
Q

Why can Ultrasound waves be used for medical and industrial imaging?

A

Because we can determine how far away a Boundary is

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42
Q

How are seismic waves produced?

A

earthquakes

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43
Q

What are P – waves?

A

Longitudinal seismic waves that travel at different speeds through solids and liquids

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44
Q

What are S – waves?

A

Transverse seismic waves that cannot travel through a liquid

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45
Q

What do you P – waves and S – waves provide evidence for?

A

The structure and size of the earths core

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46
Q

What is echo sounding and what is it used for?

A

Echo sounding, using high-frequency soundwaves is used to detect objects in deep water and measure water depth

47
Q

What did the study of seismic waves provide new evidence for?

A

It provided new evidence that led to discoveries about parts of the Earth which are not directly observable

48
Q

What are electromagnetic waves?

A

Transverse waves that transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber

49
Q

What do electromagnetic waves form?

A

A continuous spectrum and all types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same velocity through a vacuum or air

50
Q

How are waves in the electromagnetic spectrum grouped?

A

In terms of their wavelength and their frequency

51
Q

What is the order of the electromagnetic spectrum?

A

Radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays

52
Q

Which wave in the electromagnetic spectrum has the longest wavelength and lowest frequency?

A

Radio waves

53
Q

Which wave in the electromagnetic Spectrum has the shortest wavelength and the highest frequency?

A

Gamma rays

54
Q

Which waves can our eyes detect?

A

Visible light so we detect a limited range of electromagnetic waves

55
Q

Give an example to illustrate the transfer of energy by electromagnetic waves

A

A hot object transfers energy by emitting infrared radiation, which is absorbed by the surrounding air

56
Q

What does a varied wavelength cause?

A

Different substances may absorb, transmit, refract or reflect electromagnetic waves in different ways that vary with wavelength

57
Q

What is refraction caused by?

A

The difference in velocity of the waves in different substances

58
Q

How can radio waves be produced?

A

Oscillations in electrical circuits

59
Q

What happens when radio waves are absorbed?

A

They may create an alternating-current with the same frequency as the radiowave itself, so radio waves can induce oscillations in electrical circuit

60
Q

What can changes in atoms and the nuclei of atoms result in for electromagnetic waves?

A

Electromagnetic waves being generated or absorbed over a wide frequency range

61
Q

What do gamma rays originate from?

A

Changes in the nucleus of an atom

62
Q

What is the issue with ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays?

A

They can have a hazardous perfect on human body tissue

63
Q

What do the effects of ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays depend on?

A

The type of radiation and the size of the dose

64
Q

What is radiation dose measured in?

A

Sieverts

65
Q

What is radiation dose?

A

A measure of the risk of harm resulting from an exposure of the body to the radiation

66
Q

What is one sievert also equivalent to?

A

1000 millisieverts = 1 sievert

67
Q

What are the effects of ultraviolet waves?

A

They can cause skin to age prematurely and increase the risk of skin cancer

68
Q

What are the effects of x-rays and gamma rays?

A

They are ionising radiation that can cause the mutation of genes and cancer

69
Q

What are the practical applications of radio waves?

A

Television and radio

70
Q

What are the practical applications for microwaves?

A

Satellite communications and cooking food

71
Q

What are the practical applications for infrared radiation?

A

Electrical heaters, cooking food and infrared cameras

72
Q

What are the practical applications for visible light?

A

Fibre-optic communications

73
Q

What are the practical applications for UV light?

A

Energy-efficient lamps, suntanning

74
Q

What are the practical applications for x-rays and gamma rays?

A

Medical imaging and treatments

75
Q

How do satellites use microwaves?

A

For satellite TV, the signal from a transmitter is transmitted into space where it is picked up by the satellite receiver dish orbiting the Earth which then transmits the signal back to the Earth in a different direction where it’s received by satellite dish on the ground

76
Q

Why is there a slight time delay between the signal being sent and received using satellites?

A

Because of the long distance the signal has to travel

77
Q

How do microwave ovens use microwaves?

A

The microwaves need to be absorbed by water molecules in foods and penetrate up to a few centimetres into the food before being absorbed and transferring the energy they are carrying to the water molecules in the food causing the water to heat up

78
Q

Why can infrared radiation be used to increase monitor temperature?

A

Infrared radiation is given out by all hot objects, the hotter the object, the more infrared radiation it gives out

79
Q

How do infrared cameras work?

A

The camera detect the infrared radiation and turns it into an electrical signal which is displayed on the screen as a picture, the hotter the object is, the brighter it appears

80
Q

What happens to objects when they absorb infrared radiation?

A

The temperature increases

81
Q

How do electrical heaters use infrared radiation?

A

They contain a long piece of wire that heats up when a current flows through it which then emits lots of infrared radiation which is absorbed by objects and the air in the room. Energy is transferred by the infrared waves to the thermal energy stores of the objects, causing the temperatures to increase

82
Q

How do fibre-optic cables use visible light to transmit data?

A

The light rays are reflected back and forth until they reach the end of the fibre to carry data

83
Q

What are optical fibres?

A

Thin glass or plastic fibres that can carry data over long distances as pulses of visible light

84
Q

Why do fluorescent colours look so bright?

A

Fluorescence is a property of certain chemicals where ultraviolet radiation is absorbed and visible light is emitted

85
Q

How do you fluorescent lights work?

A

They generate UV radiation which is absorbed and reemitted as visible light by a layer of phosphorus on the inside of the bulb so they are energy-efficient and a good use when light is needed for long periods

86
Q

How does ultraviolet give you a tan?

A
  • UV light is produced by the Sun and exposure to it gives you a tan
  • UV lamps can be used to give an artificial suntan however overexposure can be dangerous
87
Q

How are x-rays used?

A

Radiographers in hospitals take x-ray photographs to see if people have broken bones as x-rays pass easily through flesh but not as easyily through denser material like bones

88
Q

How are x-rays and gamma rays used to treat people with cancer?

A

High doses of these rays kill all living cells, so they are carefully directed towards cancer cells to avoid killing too many normal healthy cells

89
Q

How is gamma radiation used as a medical tracer?

A

A gamma emitting source is injected into the patient and its progress is followed around the body, gamma radiation is well suited to this because it can pass out through the body to be detected

90
Q

How does a lens form an image?

A

By refracting light

91
Q

How is light brought to focus in a convex lens?

A

Parallel rays of light are brought to a focus at the principal focus

92
Q

What is the focal length?

A

The distance from the lens to the principal focus

93
Q

What are ray diagrams used to show?

A

The formation of images by convex and concave lenses

94
Q

Describe the image produced by a convex lens?

A

It can be either real or virtual

95
Q

Describe the image produced by a concave lens?

A

It is always virtual

96
Q

How do you calculate magnification?

A

Magnification = Image height/objects height

97
Q

How will convex lenses be represented in ray diagrams?

A

With outward facing arrow heads

98
Q

How will concave lens is be represented in ray diagrams?

A

With inward facing arrow heads

99
Q

What are the 6 descriptions of an image in a ray diagrams?

A

Real or virtual
Upright or inverted
Magnified or diminished

100
Q

How is each colour within the visible light spectrum identified?

A

Each colour within the visible light spectrum has its own narrow band of wavelength and frequency

101
Q

How do colour filters work?

A

They work by absorbing certain wavelengths and transmitting other wavelengths

102
Q

How is the colour of an opaque object determined?

A

By which wavelengths are more strongly reflected

103
Q

What happens to wavelengths that are not reflected?

A

They are absorbed

104
Q

What happens if all wavelengths are reflected equally?

A

The object appears white

105
Q

What happens if all wavelengths are absorbed by the object?

A

The object appears black

106
Q

How can object that transmit light be described?

A

Transparent or translucent

107
Q

What do all bodies (object) do?

A

All bodies, no matter what temperature, emit and absorb infrared radiation

108
Q

What is a perfect black body?

A

An object that absorbs all of the radiation incident on it

109
Q

Does a black body reflect or transmit any radiation?

A

Neither

110
Q

Why would a perfect blackbody be the best possible emitter?

A

Because a good absorber is also a good emitter

111
Q

What is a body at constant temperature doing?

A

Absorbing radiation at the same rate as it is emitting radiation

112
Q

When does the temperature of a body increase?

A

When the body absorbs radiation faster than it emits radiation

113
Q

What does the temperature of the Earth depend on?

A
  • The rate of absorption and emission of radiation

- reflection of radiation into space

Physics (9 decks)

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