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A Level Physics > Waves > Flashcards

Waves Flashcards

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1
Q

Things that are particle like behaviour

A
  • having/ transferring kinetic energy
  • having/ transferring momentum
  • affected by forces such as gravity or electrostatic
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2
Q

Things that are wave- like behaviour

A
  • reflection
  • refraction
  • polarisation
  • Diffraction
  • interference
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3
Q

De Broglie wavelength equation

A

Wavelength = plank constant / the particles momentum

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4
Q

Momentum =

A

Mass x Velocity

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5
Q

What do particles with more momentum and kinetic energy have?

A

They have a smaller wavelength

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6
Q

How can we see particles acting like a wave?

A

By observing them diffract while passing between gaps in atoms of graphite

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7
Q

What is an interference pattern?

A
  • Where diffracted waves overlap when passing through 2 or more slits.
  • where the waves arrive in phase, they add up, and this is seen as areas of brighter light and vice verca for areas where waves are out of phase/ darker because they cancel each other out.
  • we call the patterns of bright spots/lines ‘fringes’
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8
Q

When does light give clearer interference patterns?

A

When the gaps it passes through are the same size as the wavelength

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9
Q

How can we see the de broglie equation in action?

A

Using an electron gun in an evacuated tube

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10
Q

When are standing waves formed?

A
  • when waves are trapped, if their wavelengths ‘suit’ the space.
    -this is because wavelengths interfere and constantly add up in some spaces (anti-nodes) and cancel out in other spaces (nodes)
    -e.g musical instruments with a vibrating string
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11
Q

When can electrons orbit?

A

in patterns where their orbital circumference is equal to a whole number of their de-broglie wavelengths, so they can only orbit with certain velocities and certain energies.

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12
Q

Change in energy of an atom when it is de-excited from energy level n1 to n2 equation.

A
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13
Q

What does it mean when a transverse wave is plane-polarised?

A

When the vibrations stay in one plane only

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14
Q

Sketch a rope model and diagram to show polarisation

A
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15
Q

What is the cycle of a wave

A

One complete cycle of a wave is from maximum displacement to the next maximum displacement

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16
Q

What is the phase of a vibrating particle

A

– The phase of a vibrating particle at a certain time is the fraction of a cycle it has completed since the start of the cycle
– the phase difference between particles vibrating at the same frequency is the fraction of a cycle between the vibrations of the two particles, measured either in degrees or radians
– one cycle = 360° = two pi radians

17
Q

Node def

A

Point at which the wave has no displacement

18
Q

Antinode def

A

Maximum amplitude

19
Q

What is pitch of a sound wave correlated to

A

Frequency

20
Q

First harmonic frequency

A

F= c/2L

21
Q

Second harmonic frequency

A

F=c/2L

22
Q

Third harmonic frequency

A

F= 3C/2L

23
Q

Why can only transverse waves be polarised

A

• in transverse waves the vibrations take place perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer • in longitudinal waves the vibrations take place in the same direction as the energy transfer
• polarisation restricts the vibrations to one plane by absorbing the vibrations at right angles to this plane
• longitudinal waves cannot be polarised because the vibrations have to take place for energy to be transmitted

24
Q

What is a coherent light source

A

A light source which emits light waves with a constant phase difference and frequency

25
Q

What are the three types of spectra in diffraction gratings

A
26
Q

Frequency vs time period

A

Frequency refers to how often something happens. Period refers to the time it takes something to happen.

27
Q

What is phase difference

A

Phase difference tells us how far apart the waves are when comparing their phases (you can think of this as their peaks and troughs).

28
Q

Which electromagnetic waves have the shortest wavelengths

A
29
Q

What do the different components of the fringe spacing equation mean?

A
30
Q

Coherent wave source def

A

A source that produces waves with a constant phase difference but same wavelength

A Level Physics (33 decks)

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