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ZZ Phys P2 > waves > Flashcards

waves Flashcards

1
Q

Name the two types of waves

A
  • Transverse
  • Longitudinal
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2
Q

Define transverse waves

A
  • The direction of oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer
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3
Q

Name examples of transverse waves

A
  • Electromagnetic waves like light and microwaves, ripples on a water surface
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4
Q

Define longitudinal waves

A
  • The direction of oscillation is parallel to the direction of energy transfer
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5
Q

Name examples of longitudinal waves

A
  • Sound waves travelling through air
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6
Q

What is the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves (medium)

A
  • All longitudinal waves require a medium to travel through (gas, liquid, solid) whereas some transverse waves can travel through a vacuum e.g., electromagnetic waves
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7
Q

What is the purpose of all waves?

A
  • They transfer energy from one place to another
    e.g., ripples transfer kinetic energy, sound waves transfer sound energy
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8
Q

Describe evidence that for ripples on a water surface, it is the wave and not the water itself that travels

A
  • If you place a floating duck on a water wave (transverse) the duck will bob up and down but will not move from side to side
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9
Q

Describe the evidence that for sound waves in air, it is the wave and not the air itself that travels

A
  • If you use a slinky to model a longitudinal wave and mark a fixed point on the slinky, it will move side to side but does not travel through the medium
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10
Q

What is the top of the wave called?

A
  • The peak or the crest
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11
Q

What is the bottom of the wave called?

A
  • The trough
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12
Q

Define the amplitude of a wave

A
  • The maximum displacement of a point on a wave away from its undisturbed position
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13
Q

Define the wavelength of a wave

A
  • The distance from a point on one wave to the equivalent point on the adjacent wave
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14
Q

Define the frequency of a wave

A
  • The number of waves passing a point each second
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15
Q

Define the wave speed of a wave

A
  • The speed at which the energy is transferred (or the wave moves) through the medium
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16
Q

Define the period of a wave

A
  • The time taken for one wave to pass a point
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17
Q

How can you measure the speed of sound waves in the air?

A

1) Person A has cymbals, person B has timer
2) Make them stand 500m apart
3) Person A crashes cymbals together; person B starts stopwatch when they see person A crash cymbals and stops stopwatch when they hear crash of cymbals
4) Calculate speed of sound waves by doing S=D/t

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18
Q

How can you use an oscilloscope to measure speed of sound?

A
  • Set up the scope sot he detected waves at each microphone are shown as separate waves
  • Start with both microphones next to the speaker, then slowly move one away until the two waves are aligned on the display but have moved exactly one wavelength apart
  • Measure distance between phones to find one wavelength
  • Use formula for wave speed
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19
Q

What are the problems with the experiment for measuring speed of sound waves in air? How to resolve them?

A
  • Different people have different reaction times, giving way for inaccuracies
    to overcome this
  • We can use a large number of observers with timers and calculating a mean
  • It is only a very short space of time between seeing cymbals crash and hearing them, making it very difficult to press stopwatch at correct times
  • Increasing distance between the people can reduce this problem
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20
Q

What happens to waves between two different materials (at the boundary)?

A
  • At the boundary, they can be reflected, absorbed or transmitted
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21
Q

What happens when a wave is absorbed?

A
  • Transfers energy to the material’s energy stores
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22
Q

What happens when a wave is transmitted?

A
  • Waves carry on travelling through the new material
  • Often leads to refraction
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23
Q

What does the activity of a wavelength depend on (absorb transmit reflect)?

A
  • Properties of the materials involed
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24
Q

Describe how you would draw a simple ray diagram for reflection

A
  • Angle of incidence = angle of reflection
  • Draw incoming ray, hitting the boundary and normal line (perpendicular
  • Draw reflected ray at the same angle
    |/
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25
Q

What can sound waves travel through?

A
  • Solids, causing vibrations in the solid
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26
Q

How are the limits of human hearing restricted?

A
  • Within the ear, sound waves cause the ear drum and other parts to vibrate which causes the sensation of sound
  • The conversion of sound waves to vibrations of solids works over a limited frequency range
  • Thus restricting the limits of human hearing
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27
Q

What is the range of normal human hearing?

A
  • 20Hz to 20kHz
  • Frequencies outside this range do not cause the ear drum to vibrate
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28
Q

How do microphones detect sound waves?

A
  • The sound waves cause the microphone to vibrate
  • Microphones transfer these vibrations into an electrical signal by detecting the sound waves’ frequency and amplitude as the waves hit the paper cone
  • Causing it to vibrate forwards and backwards
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29
Q

What do sound waves move faster in and why?

A
  • Sound waves move faster in solids than in gases
  • They are longitudinal mechanical waves rather than being electromagnetic, so because particles are closer together in solids
  • Vibrations can be passed on more easily between them
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30
Q

What happens when waves move from one medium to another?

A
  • Their speed can change; when wave speed changes as waves pass from one medium to another, wavelength must also change - that is because the frequency never changes (bc that would mean we’re not abiding by the law of conservation of energy)
    therefore increasing wave speed would increase wavelength, and decreasing wave speed would decrease wavelength
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31
Q

What does a cathode ray oscilloscope do and what’s an issue with using one?

A
  • It allows us to see the features of sound waves; the only issue is that it represents sound waves as transverse waves which is incorrect
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32
Q

What are the properties of a cathode ray oscilloscope wave?

A
  • Frequency controls pitch; high frequency means high pitch and vice versa
  • Amplitude controls volume; high amplitude means loud volume and vice versa
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33
Q

Define echo

A
  • A reflected sound wave
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34
Q

What is ultrasound?

A
  • Sound waves with a frequency higher than the upper limit of hearing for humans (i.e., >20kHz)
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35
Q

What happens to ultrasound waves at a boundary?

A
  • They are partially reflected when they meet a boundary between two different media (with different densities)
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36
Q

How can you determine how far away a boundary is?

A
  • Use the time taken for the reflections to reach a detector, and multiply it by the speed of the ultrasound wave (which is shown on the device)
  • This is the distance = speed x time equation
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37
Q

What are ultrasound waves used for?

A
  • Medical imaging; e.g., internal organs, prenatal scanning
  • Industrial imaging; e.g., detecting hidden defects like cracks or air bubbles
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38
Q

What are the condition for using ultrasound waves for producing images of internal organs

A
  • The organ cannot be surrounded by bone, otherwise it would absorb the ultrasound wave and wouldn’t be detected by the scanner
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39
Q

What are the pros of ultrasound waves over x-rays?

A
  • Ultrasound is much safer than x-rays because it is non-ionising unlike x-rays, therefore it doesn’t increase the risk of mutations and cancer
  • Ultrasound can distinguish between two different types of soft tissue, unlike x-rays which would just penetrate through both
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40
Q

Why can ultrasound be used for industrial imaging?

A
  • Because there is a difference in density between hidden defects like air bubbles and the rest of the material, so partial reflection takes place at the boundary
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41
Q

State of the layers of the Earth

A
  • Mantle - solid
  • Outer core - liquid
  • Inner core - solid
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42
Q

What did the study of seismic waves aid?

A
  • They provided new evidence that led to discoveries about the structure of the Earth which is not directly observable
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43
Q

How are seismic waves produced?

A
  • They’re produced by earthquakes; when an earthquake occurs due to a sudden movement between tectonic plates in the earth’s crust, seismic waves are emitted, which carry energy away from the earthquake
44
Q

What happens after seismic waves are emitted?

A
  • They can pass through the earth and be detected by seismometers; the patterns of these waves give us the information about the internal structure of the earth
45
Q

Name the types of seismic waves

A
  • P-waves (primary waves)
  • S-waves (secondary waves)
46
Q

What type of waves are the seismic waves?

A
  • P-waves are longitudinal seismic waves
  • S-waves are transverse seismic waves
47
Q

What can the seismic waves pass through?

A
  • P-waves can travel at different speeds through both solids and liquids
  • S-waves can only travel through solids
  • S- waves Solids (way to remember)
48
Q

What seismic wave travels faster?

A
  • P waves travel faster than s waves
49
Q

Define echo sounding

A
  • The use of high frequency sound waves to detect objects in deep water and measure water depth
50
Q

Define electromagnetic waves

A
  • Transverse waves that transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber
51
Q

What do electromagnetic waves form?

A
  • They form a continuous spectrum
52
Q

How do electromagnetic waves travel?

A
  • They travel at the same velocity through a vacuum (space) or air
53
Q

How are electromagnetic waves grouped?

A
  • In terms of their wavelength and their frequency
54
Q

Order of electromagnetic waves

A
  • Red - radio waves
  • Men - microwaves
  • Invaded - infrared
  • Venus - visible light
  • Using - ultraviolet
  • X-Ray - x-ray
  • Guns - gamma rays
55
Q

List the electromagnetic wave spectrum from short to long wavelength

A
  • Gamma rays, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, infrared, microwaves, radio waves
56
Q

List the electromagnetic wave spectrum from low to high frequency

A
  • Radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visible light, ultraviolet, x-rays, gamma rays
57
Q

What electromagnetic wave(s) do our eyes detect?

A
  • Our eyes only detect visible light and so detect a limited range of electromagnetic waves
58
Q

What are radio waves produced by?

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 radio wave itself, so radio waves can themselves induce oscillations in an electrical current
60
Q

What do gamma rays originate from?

A
  • Changes in the nucleus of an atom
61
Q

What do changes in atoms and the nuclei of atoms result in?

A
  • Electromagnetic waves being generated or absorbed over a wife frequency range
62
Q

What electromagnetic waves can have hazardous effects?

A
  • Ultraviolet waves, x-rays and gamma rays on human body tissue
63
Q

What do the hazardous effects from electromagnetic waves depend on?

A
  • The type of radiation and the size of the dose
64
Q

Define radiation dose

A
  • A measure of the risk of harm resulting from an exposure of the body to the radiation
65
Q

What is the unit of radiation + conversion?

A
  • Sieverts (Sv)
  • 1000 millisieverts (mSv) = 1 sievert (Sv)
66
Q

What are the effects of ultraviolet waves on the body?

A
  • They can cause skin to age prematurely and increase the risk of skin cancer
67
Q

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

A
  • They are ionising radiation that can cause the mutation of genes and cancer
68
Q

What are EM wavse made up of?

A
  • oscillating electric and magnetic fields
  • Alternating currents are made up of oscillating charges, producing oscillating electric and magnetic fields
  • Frequency of waves produced equal to frequency of A.c
69
Q

What are the practical applications of radio waves and how is it suitable?

A
  • Television and radio
  • They can easily pass through air
  • Alternating currents in an electric circuit, object which charges oscillate to create RW is a transmitted
  • When transmitted RW reach a receiver, radio waves are absorbed
  • Energy transferred by waves is energy transferred to electrons in the material of the receiver
  • Energy causes electrons to oscillate and if receiver is part of a complete circuit it generates a.c.
  • current has same frequency as RW
  • Long RW can be transmitted far because they bend around curved surfaces on the earth - can receive signals even if not in line of sight
  • Short wave RW are reflected into the ion sphere
70
Q

What are the practical applications of microwaves and how is it suitable?

A
  • Satellite communications, cooking food
  • Microwaves are absorbed by water molecules in the food; the energy carried by the waves turns into thermal energy in the food
71
Q

What are the practical applications of infrared waves and how is it suitable?

A
  • Electrical heaters, cooking food, infrared cameras
  • Camera detects IR radiation and turns it into an electrical signal which is displayed as a picture
  • The temp of food increases when it absorbs IR radiation
  • Heaters emit IR which is absorbed by objects into room, transferred to thermal energy stores
72
Q

What are the practical applications of visible light waves and how is it suitable?

A
  • Fibre optic communications
  • Work because of reflection, light rays bounced back and forth until reach end of fibre
  • Light not easily absorbed or scattered
73
Q

What are the practical applications of ultraviolet waves and how is it suitable?

A
  • Energy efficient lamps, sun tanning
  • Fluorescence - UV is absorbed and visible light is emitted
  • Under UV light ink glows, otherwise invisible
74
Q

What are the practical applications of x-rays and gamma rays and how is it suitable?

A
  • Medical imaging and treatments
  • Xray easily pass through flesh but not denser material
75
Q

How does a lens form an image?

A
  • By refracting light
76
Q

Describe how a convex lens works

A
  • Convex lenses bulges outwards
  • Parallel rays of light are brought to a focus a the principal focus (converge)
  • Principal focus of convex lens is where rays hitting the lens parallel to the axis all met
77
Q

Describe how a concave lens works

A
  • Caves inwards
  • Rays of light to diverge (spread out
  • Principal focus of a concave lens is the point where rays hitting the lens parallel to the axis appear to all com from
78
Q

Define the axis of a lens

A
  • Line passing through the middle of a lens
79
Q

Define the focal length

A
  • The distance from the lens to the principal focus
80
Q

What do ray diagrams show?

A
  • The formation of images by convex and concave lens
81
Q

What are the three rules for refraction in a convex lens?

A
  • An incident ray parallel to the axis refracts through the lens and passes through the principal focus ont he other side
  • An incident ray passing through the PF refracts thruogh the lens and travels parallel to the axis
  • An incident ray passing through teh center of the lens carries on in the same direction
82
Q

What are the three rules for refration in a concave lens?

A
  • An incident ray parallel to the axis refrats through the lens and travels in a line with the principal focus
  • An incident ray passing thruogh the lens towards the PF refracts through the lens and travels parallel to the axis
  • An incident ray passing through teh centre of the lens carries on in the same direction
83
Q

What images do convex lens produced?

A
  • Can either be real or virtual
84
Q

What images do concave lens produce?

A
  • Always virtual
85
Q

Define a real image

A
  • Where the light from an object comes together to form an image on the screen
86
Q

Define a virtual image

A
  • When the rays diverge so the light from the object appears to be coming from a different place
    e.g. mirror, or magnifying lens
87
Q

How would you describe an image?

A
  • How big it is compared to the object
  • Upright or inverted
  • Real or virtual
88
Q

Define specular reflection

A
  • Reflection from a smooth surface in a single direction
  • You get a clear reflection
89
Q

Define diffuse reflection

A
  • Reflection from a rough surface causes scattering in different directions
  • This is because the normal is different for each incoming ray, meaning the angle of incidence is different
  • You do not get a clear reflection of objects
90
Q

Describe refraction

A
  • When a wave crosses a boundary between materials at an angle it changes direction and is refracted
91
Q

What does refraction depend on?

A
  • How much he wave speeds up or slows down or he density of the materials
  • The higher the density the slower a wave travels
92
Q

What happens if a wave slows down/ speeds up when it crosses a boundary?

A
  • Slows down = bend towards normal
  • Speeds up = bends away from normal
93
Q

What happens when a wave is refracted?

A
  • Wavelength changes, frequency stays the same
94
Q

What happens if a light hits the boundary face on compared to if it meets a different medium?

A
  • Face on, carries on in the same direction, wave fronts closer to show change in wavelength (and velocity)
  • Different medium at an angle means wave changes direction, its been refracted
95
Q

Define optical density

A
  • Measure of how quickly light can travel through it
  • Higher the optical density the slower light waves travel
96
Q

How do colour filters work?

A
  • By absorbing certain wavelengths (and colour) and transmitting other wavelengths (and colour)
97
Q

How can you construct a ray diagram to show refraction?

A
  • Draw boundary and normal line
  • Draw incident ray, and angle of incidence
  • Draw refracted ray on the other side of the boundary
  • If second material is optically denser, bend towards
  • The angle between the refracted ray and normal is smaller
  • If second materially less optically dense, angle refraction is larger
98
Q

How is the colour of an opaque object determined?

A
  • It’s determined by which wavelengths of light are more strongly reflected
  • Wavelengths that are not reflected are absorbed.
  • If all wavelengths are reflected equally the object appears white
  • If all wavelengths are absorbed the object appears black
99
Q

What are colour filters used for

A
  • To filter out different wavelengths of light so that only certain colours are transmitted, rest are absorbed
100
Q

Define transparent or translucent objects

A
  • Objects that transmit light
101
Q

What objects absorb infrared radiation and under what conditions?

A
  • All bodies (objects), no matter what temperature, emit and absorb infrared radiation.
  • The hotter the body, the more infrared radiation it radiates in a given time
102
Q

Describe the emitting and absorption of radiation

A
  • An object that is hotter than its surroundings emit more IR than it absorbs and cools down
  • An object cooler than its surroundings absorbs more IR than it emits and warms up
  • Objects at a constant temp emit IR at the same rate it aborbs
103
Q

Define a perfect black body

A
  • An object that absorbs all of the radiation incident on it.
  • A black body does not reflect or transmit any radiation; since a good absorber is also a good emitter, a perfect black body would be the best possible emitter
104
Q

What does the intensity and distribution of wavelentghs emitted by an object depend on ?

A
  • Object’s temp
  • Intensity is power per unit area
  • As temp increases, intensity of every wavelength increases
  • Intensity increases more rapidly for shorter wavelength than longer
  • Causes the peak wavelength to decrease
105
Q

How are changes in velocity, frequency and wavelength are inter-related in the transmission of sound waves?

A
  • Velocity of sound is directly proportional to the wavelength, thus, if the velocity of sound doubles when it travels from one medium to another, its wavelength also doubles; the frequency of sound depends upon the source of sound, not the medium of propagation so it does not change.

ZZ Phys P2 (4 decks)

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