Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

AQA Physics GCSE > Waves > Flashcards

Waves Flashcards

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
GCSE Geography - AQA flashcards Physics 101 flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Edexcel Route B flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Eduqas Route A flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Edexcel Route A flashcards GCSE Religious Studies - Eduqas Route B flashcards AP® Physics flashcards
1
Q

properties of longitudinal waves

A
  • the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer
  • all longitudinal waves require a medium to travel in
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

examples of longitudinal waves

A

sound waves in air
- ultrasound
- P waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

properties of transverse waves

A
  • the oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer
  • not all transverse waves require a medium to travel in
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

examples of transverse waves

A
  • electromagnetic waves
  • ripples and waves in water
  • a wave on a string
  • S waves
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what is the amplitude of a wave

A

the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

what is the wavelength

A

the distance between the same point on two adjacent waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what is the frequency

A

the number of complete waves passing a certain point per second

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

period equation

A

1/frequency
- measured in seconds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

wavespeed calculation

A

frequency x wavelength

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

all waves transfer….

A

energy but not matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what can waves do at boundaries

A
  1. Be absorbed
  2. Be transmitted
  3. Be reflected
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what is the law of reflection

A

angle of incidence = angle of reflection

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

what types of waves are EM waves

A

transverse

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

properties of EM waves

A
  • all travel at the same velocity through a vacuum or air (300 million metres per second)
  • transfer energy as radiation from the source of the waves to an absorber
  • can travel through a vacuum such as in space
  • transverse waves
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

what are EM waves

A

transverse waves that transfer energy
from the source of the waves to an absorber

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

order of EM waves going from shortest wavelength/ frequency to longest

A

radio, microwave, infrared, visible light (red to violet), ultraviolet, Xrays and gamma rays

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

uses of radiowaves

A
  • used for communication such as television and radio.
  • terrestrial tv
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

properties of radiowaves that make it suitable for its uses

A
  • transmitted easily through air
  • do not cause damage if absorbed by the human body
  • they can be reflected to change their direction
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what happens when radiowaves are absorbed

A

When radio waves are absorbed 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
circuit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

microwaves uses

A

Microwaves are used for cooking food and for satellite communications.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

properties of microwaves that make it suitable for its uses

A
  • pass easily through the atmosphere without being reflected or refracted
  • so they can pass between stations on Earth and satellites in orbit
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

how do microwaves heat food

A

High frequency microwaves have frequencies which are easily absorbed by molecules in food. The internal energy of the molecules increases when they absorb microwaves, which causes heating

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

infared uses

A

electrical heaters, cookers for cooking food, and by infrared cameras which detect people in the dark

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

how does infared cause heating

A
  • infrared light has frequencies which are absorbed by some chemical bonds
  • the internal energy of the bonds increases when they absorb infrared light, which causes heating
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

visible light use

A

fibre optic communications

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Ultraviolet uses

A

– energy efficient lamps, sun tanning

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

what do waves do

A

they transfer energy from one place to another, but do not transfer any matter

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

what can happen to a wave at a boundary

A
  • can be reflected, absorbed or transmitted
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

how to find out the wavelength on a longitudinal wave

A

measure from one compression to another, or from one rarefaction to another

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

what is a period

A

the time for one wave to pass a point

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

what is the wavespeed

A

the speed at which the wave moves through the medium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

how to measure sound waves in air

A
  1. Get one person to hold cymbals and get the other to hold a timer
  2. Get the person to start timing when the other person clashes the cymbals together
  3. Stop timing when she hears the sound of the cymbals
    - calculate the speed of the sound waves by dividing distance travelled by the time taken
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

problems with measuring sound waves in air experiment and how they can be fixed

A
  • everyone has a different reaction time, can be reduced by having a large number of observers with timers, take all of their results and discard any anomalies
  • the time between seeing the cymbals clash and hearing the sound is very short, making it difficult to press the timer at the correct time, can b fixed by increasing the distance between the two people as the longer the distance, the longer the time
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

what happens when sound waves move through the air

A

the air particles vibrate from side to side, and these vibrations can pass through one medium to another

35
Q

how does a microphone work in terms of sound waves

A
  • when sound waves hit the paper cone, it vibrates
  • the microphone converts these vibrations to electrical signals
36
Q

how do sound waves in the ear work

A
  • sound waves are funnelled into the ear where they hit the eardrum (the eardrum is a thin membrane)
  • the sound waves cause the eardrum and other inner parts of the ear to vibrate and this causes the sensation of sound
37
Q

what is the frequency range of human hearing

A

20HZ to 20,000HZ

38
Q

why do sound waves travel faster in solids

A

because the particles in solids are much closer together, meaning vibrations can pass more easily between them

39
Q

what happens to the wavelength as the wavespeed changes from one medium to another

A

it changes also

40
Q

why doesnt the frequency change when a wave changes medium

A

because waves would have to be destroyed or created at a boundary, and this isnt possible

41
Q

how can we view the features of sound waves

A

by connecting a microphone to a cathode ray oscilloscope

42
Q

problems with cathode ray oscilloscope

A

they represent sound waves as if they were transverse waves

43
Q

why do sound waves require a medium to travel through

A

because sound waves move by particles vibrating, they cant pass through a vacuum as there are no particles

44
Q

what is a reflected sound wave

A

an echo

45
Q

what is ultrasound

A

sound waves with a frequency higher than the upper limit of human hearing

46
Q

what do ultrasound do at a boundary

A

it partially reflects at the boundaries between two different densities

47
Q

uses of ultrasound

A

can produce images of internal organs such as a kidney and heart, or any organ that isnt surrounded by bone
- can produce images of foetus
- used in industrial imaging

48
Q

why is ultrasound safer than x rays

A
  • doesnt cause mutations
  • doesnt increase risk of cancer
49
Q

what equation would we use to determine distance using ultrasound

A

s (distance) = v (speed) x t (time)

50
Q

what is the speed of ultrasound in water

A

1600 m/s

51
Q

properties of the earths crust

A

thin, max depth 50km

52
Q

why do earthquakes happen

A

because of sudden movements between tectonic plates and the earths crust

53
Q

how can scientists study the internal structures

A
  • earthquakes cause seismic waves which carry energy away from the earthquake
  • these seismic waves then pass through the earth and they can be detected by seismometers in different countries
54
Q

properties of P waves

A
  • longitudinal
  • can pass through solids and liquids
  • travel faster than s waves
55
Q

properties of S waves

A
  • transverse waves
  • can only travel through solids
56
Q

why do seismic waves travel in curved paths

A

because of density changes in the earth

57
Q

what is the S wave shadow zone

A

the parts of the earth where no S waves can be detected

58
Q

why is the S wave shadow zone so big and what does it tell us

A

because S waves cant travel though liquids, so this tells scientists that the Earth must contain a liquid core

59
Q

why are there P wave shadow zones

A
  • because P waves travel faster in solids than in liquids, meaning that P waves slow down as they enter the liquid outer core, causing them to refract (change direction)
60
Q

what do faint p waves tell us

A

the inner core is solid

61
Q

colours of light going from low to high frequency

A

red,orange,yellow,green,blue,indigo,violet

62
Q

acronym to remember em spectrum

A

raw meat is very unsanitary except giraffe

63
Q

when do waves refract

A

when they change medium

64
Q

what happens when electromagnetic waves are generated or absorbed

A
  • changes take place in atoms or in the nuclei of atoms
  • eg electrons can change energy levels
65
Q

what happens when an atom emits gamma radiation

A

the nucleus has less energy than it had at the start

66
Q

risks of UV waves

A
  • increase risk of skin cancer
  • cause skin to age prematurely
67
Q

risks of X rays and gamma rays

A
  • ionising radiation
  • can cause the mutations of genes and increase the risk of cancer
68
Q

what dies the damage caused by radiation depend on

A

the type of radiation and the dose

69
Q

how are radiowaves produced

A
  • produced when electrons oscillate in electrical circuits
  1. these radiowaves can be absorbed
  2. when this happens, they now cause electrons in the circuit to oscillate
  3. This can create an alternating current with the same frequency as the radio waves
70
Q

properties of visible light that make it suitable for its uses

A
  • short wavelength to carry a great deal of info
71
Q

properties of UV that make it suitable for its uses

A

shorter wavelength than light, can carry more energy than light

72
Q

x rays and gamma rays uses

A

used for medical imaging
- x rays used to detect broken bones
- gamma used to detect cancers
- can be used in medical treatment

73
Q

properties of x and gamma rays that make them suitable for their uses

A

they can pass easily through body tissues
- x rays are absorbed by bone

74
Q

why does sound travel faster in solids

A

because sound travels via air particles vibrating and colliding, and because the particles in solids are close together and connected by bonds

75
Q

what are rarefactions

A

regions where the air particles are far apart

76
Q

how do longitudinal waves work

A

the compressions move from side to side and energy is transferred

no particles are transported along the wave

instead they move backwards and forwards between compressions as the wave in transmitted through a medium

77
Q

how are radiowaves produced

A
  • by oscillations in electrical circuits
  • when radiowaves are absorbed by a conductor, they create an alternating current, and this current has the same frequency as the radiowaves
  • information is coded in the wave before transmissions, which can then be decoded when the wave is received
78
Q

what are uv light, x rays and gamma rays all examples of

A

ionising radiation

79
Q

what is radiation dose

A

a measure of the risk of harm caused by exposing the body to ionising radiation

80
Q

examples of background radiation

A
  • radioactive rocks in the earths crust
  • cosmic rays from space
  • man made sources such as nuclear weapon fallouts and nuclear accidents
81
Q

compressions are what

A

regions where particles are close together

82
Q

what is a period

A

the time take for one wave to pass a point

83
Q

What happens when we heat atoms?

A

we cause electrons from one energy level to a higher one

84
Q

What happens when an electron returns to its original energy level

A

It generates an electromagnetic wave

AQA Physics GCSE (38 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions