Topic P5 - Waves in Matter Flashcards
Definition of waves:
Waves transfer energy from one place to another without transferring any matter.
What direction do waves transfer energy in?
The direction they are travelling in.
What happens when waves travel through a medium?
The particles of the medium vibrate and transfer energy between each other but overall, the particles stay in the same place.
Definition of amplitude:
The displacement from the rest position to a crest or trough.
Definition of wavelength:
The length of a full cycle of the wave, e.g. from crest to crest (or from compression to compresstion).
Definition of frequency:
The number of complete waves or cycles passing a certain point per second.
What is frequency measured in?
hertz (Hz)
1Hz =
1 wave per second =
Definition of transverse waves:
The vibrations are perpendicular to the direction the wave travels in.
Examples of transverse waves:
1) All electromagnetic waves, e.g. light
2) S waves
3) Ripples and waves in water
How would you use a spring to show a transverse wave?
Wiggle the spring up and down.
Can transverse waves travel through liquids?
They can travel on the surface of a liquid, but they can’t travel through liquids.
Definition of longitudinal waves:
The vibrations are parallel to the direction the wave travels.
Examples of longitudinal waves:
Sound waves and P waves.
What happens when longitudinal waves pass through a medium?
They squash up and stretch out the arrangement of particles in the medium they pass through making compressions (high pressure, lots of particles) and rarefractions (low pressure, fewer particles).
