Waves Flashcards
What are the 2 types of waves ?
Longitudinal
Transverse
What do longitudinal waves show ?
Compression
Rarefraction
What is an example of a longitudinal wave ?
Sound waves
What is an example of transverse wave ?
Ripples on the water
What is the amplitude of a wave ?
wave is the maximum displacement of a point on a wave away from its undisturbed position
What is the wavelength of a wave ?
the distance from a point on one wave to the equivalent point on the adjacent wave
What is the frequency of a wave ?
the number of waves passing a point each second
What is the wave speed of a wave ?
the speed at which the energy is transferred (or the wave moves) through the medium
What is frequency measure in ?
H or hertz
What type of waves are elctromagentic waves ?
Transverse
What do electromagnetic waves do ?
transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber
Do all electromagnetic waves travel at the same velocity through a vacuum ?
Yes
What is a vacuum ?
Space or air
What are the waves that form the electromagnetic spectrum grouped in ?
terms of their wavelength and their frequency
What does the em spec vary from ?
Long - short /wavelength
Low - high /frequency
In what order does the EM spec go in ?
Radio waves
‘
Microwaves
‘
Infrared
‘
Visible light
‘
Ultraviolet
‘
X-rays
‘
Gamma rays
What can our eyes only detect ?
Visible light
What causes refraction ?
due to the difference in velocity of the waves in different substances
What is a refraction ?
When light is bent when it goes through a medium
How are radio waves produced ?
oscillations in electrical circuits
What happens when radio waves are absorbed ?
they may create an alternating current with the same frequency as the radio wave itself
What can changes in the atom and the nuclei of the atom cause ?
Give an example
can result in electromagnetic waves being generated or absorbed over a wide frequency range
Gamma rays
What 3 EM waves can have hazardous effects on human body tissue ?
Ultraviolet waves, X-rays and gamma rays
For the 3 waves to have an effect on human tissue what does it depend on ?
type of radiation and the size of the dose