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GCSE Physics > Unit 1: 5 - Waves > Flashcards

Unit 1: 5 - Waves Flashcards

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1
Q

In what direction is the oscillation of a transverse wave?

A

Perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels.

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2
Q

In what direction is the oscillation of a longitudinal wave?

A

Parallel to the direction in which the wave travels.

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3
Q

What is a longitudinal wave made up of?

A

Compressions and rarefactions.

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4
Q

What type of waves can travel through a vacuum?

A

Electromagnetic waves.

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5
Q

What type of waves must travel through a medium?

A

Mechanical waves.

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6
Q

How do we find the amplitude of a transverse wave?

A

The distance from the height of the wave crest/depth of the wave trough to the rest position.

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7
Q

How do we find the wavelength of a transverse wave?

A

The distance to one crest/trough to the next crest/trough respectively.

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8
Q

How do we find the frequency of a transverse wave?

A

The number of wave crests/troughs passing a point in 1 second, measured in Hz.

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9
Q

How do we work out the speed of a wave?

A

v (m/s) = f (Hz) * λ (m)

Speed = frequency * wavelength

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10
Q

How do we find the wavelength of a longitudinal wave?

A

It is the distance from the middle of 1 compression to the middle of the next (same applies to rarefactions).

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11
Q

How do we find the frequency of a longitudinal wave?

A

The number of compressions passing a point in 1 second.

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12
Q

What is the angle of incidence?

A

The angle between the incident ray and the normal.

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13
Q

What is the angle of reflection?

A

The angle between the reflected ray and the normal.

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14
Q

In a reflected ray (not refracted), what is the relationship between the angle of incidence and the angle of refraction?

A

They are equal.

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15
Q

The image in a plane mirror is… (give 4)

A
  • The same size as the object;
  • Upright;
  • The same distance behind the mirror as the object is in front;
  • Virtual.
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16
Q

What is a real image?

A

An image that can be projected onto a screen, because the rays of light that produce the image actually pass through it.

17
Q

What is a virtual image?

A

An image that cannot be projected onto a screen, because the rays of light that produce the image only appear to pass through it.

18
Q

When do waves change speed and refract?

A

When they pass through a boundary between different substances.

19
Q

What type of waves is refraction a property of?

A

All waves.

20
Q

How does the change in speed of waves affect the wave?

A

It changes direction.

21
Q

When entering a more dense substance, the ray _____ and the ray changes direction _____ the normal.

A

Slows down, towards.

22
Q

When entering a less dense substance, the ray _____ and the ray changes direction _____ the normal.

A

Speeds up, away.

23
Q

Why does white light split when directed into a triangular prism, and what is this called?

A

As white light contains different colours of light with different wavelenghts, they refract at a different rate, producing a spectrum. This is called dispersion.

24
Q

What colour of visible light is refracted the most?

A

Violet

25
Q

What colour of visible light is refracted the least?

A

Red.

26
Q

What type of waves is diffraction a property of?

A

All waves.

27
Q

When is diffraction most noticable?

A

When the wavelength of the waves is about the same size as the gap or the obstacle.

28
Q

What state of matter does sound travel the fastest?

The slowest?

A

Fastest: Solids;

Slowest: Gases.

29
Q

What is the hearing range of the human ear?

A

20Hz to 20,000Hz.

30
Q

What are echoes?

A

Reflected sound waves.

31
Q

What does the pitch of a musical note depend on?

A

The frequency of the sound waves.

32
Q

What does the volume of the sound depend on?

A

The amplitude of the waves.

33
Q

What is a waveform and how do we represent it on a graph?

A

A waveform is an image that represents an audio signal or recording. It shows the changes in amplitude over a certain amount of time. The amplitude of the signal is measured on the y-axis (vertically), while time is measured on the x-axis (horizontally).

34
Q

What devices produce “pure” waveforms?

A

Tuning forks and signal generators.

35
Q

What does the quality of the note depend on?

A

The waveform.

GCSE Physics (17 decks)

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