Wave Motion Flashcards
Mechanical wave
A wave that is a series of vibrations passing from molecule to molecule in the medium
Electromagnetic wave
Wave that does not need a medium to travel through and travels at the speed of light in a vacuum
A travelling wave
A disturbance carrying energy through a medium without any overall motion of that medium
Transverse wave
A wave where the direction of vibration is perpendicular to the direction in which the wave travels
A longitudinal wave
A wave where the direction of vibration is parallel to the direction in which the wave travels
Reflection
The bouncing of waves of an obstacle in their path
Refraction
The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another
Diffraction
The spreading of waves into the space beyond a gap
Coherent sources
Sources which are in phase and have the same frequency
Interference
The addition of two or more waves to form a new wave
Constructive interference
When waves from two sources meet and the amplitude of the resulting wave is greater than the amplitude of each of the individual waves
Destructive interference
When waves from two sources meet and the amplitude of the resulting wave is less than the amplitude of each of the individual waves
Polarisation
When the vibrations of a wave are confined to one plane only
A stationary or standing wave
A wave where the amplitude at any point is constant.
Nodes
Points on a stationary wave that remain at rest
