Waves Flashcards
What are waves?
Any disturbance that transmits energy through matter or empty space 
Energy is carried _______ from its source
Away
The material the wave moves through is ___ transmitted
Not
Medium
The material or substance a mechanical wave travels through
How do waves transfer energy through a medium?
When a particle vibrates, its energy is past to the next particle, which passes to the next particle like dominoes
Energy is transmitted through a medium
Two main groups of waves
Mechanical and electromagnetic
Must have a medium to travel
Mechanical
Does not need a medium to travel, and may go through empty space or matter, and all travel as a traverse wave.
Electromagnetic waves
- particles vibrate in an up-and-down motion
- Move at right angles relative to the direction of the wave
Transverse
- particles of the medium vibrate back-and-forth along the path of the wave
Longitudinal
- Combination of both transverse and longitudinal
- Forms convections underneath
Surface waves
What do seismic waves and sound waves have in common
They are mechanical waves
What does it mean when the waves amplitude increases?
It’s carrying more energy
What medium do seismic waves travel through?
The ground
What do waves carry from place to place?
Energy, but not matter.
In a wave, what happens to a molecule after it passes energy onto the next molecule in the chain?
It returns to its original resting position
How are electromagnetic waves different from mechanical waves?
Electromagnetic waves can travel through empty space; mechanical waves can’t
Which of the following are electromagnetic waves?
- Water waves
- radio waves
- sound waves
- Seismic waves
Radio waves
What type of waves carry energy at a right angle to the direction of the energy flow?
Transverse waves
How is a wavelength measured?
From crest to crest
What can you infer about a wave with a short wavelength?
It has a high frequency
How many waves pass a certain point in a second
Frequency
Waves that carry energy and matter back-and-forth in the same direction
Compressional/longitudinal
A form of energy that travels as waves in particles or photons
Light
The bending in spreading of waves usually around an obstacle
Diffraction
Example: wave spread out to form a single source not all going in a straight line; if a person is in a room at the sound spreads out, so you can hear it all around the room.
Diffraction
When light enters a new material it bends
Light changes fees as it goes through materials of different densities
Denser-> slower -> shift in direction
Refraction
Angle of refraction
The amount of the wave bends
Different colors of light have ____________ of refraction.
Different angles
__________ happen when all the colors in white light refract at different angles through water droplets.
Rainbows
If there is more than one hole, the waves overlap on the other side, making a predictable interference pattern
Diffraction
And effect that occurs when light hits, smooth, shiny surfaces
- The light changes direction in a minor image is reflected.
Reflection
Angle of incidence
The angle at which light hits a surface
Angle of reflection
The angle at which light bounces off a surface
When light hits, a smooth, shiny surface reflects at __________ angle at which it came in
The same
Smooth surfaces reflect most light
Rough Surfaces ________ light
Certain substances absorb light, resulting in different perceptive colors from different substances
Just know that
What kind of wave is a ripple in water an example of?
Surface waves
What kind of wave is a slinky an example of?
Longitudinal
Four types of wave interactions
Reflection, refraction, diffraction, resonance
Bouncing back
Reflection
Bending of a wave when it changes speed as it enters a new medium
Refraction
Wave speed equals
Frequency times wave length
Speed for mechanical waves
Move fastest in solids and slowest and gases
Speed for electromagnetic waves
Move fastest in empty space and slowest in solids
Two or more waves combine to make a single wave
Interference
Constructive interference
Build, larger amplitude
Destructive interference
Cancel out to make zero amplitude
Two ways with the same wavelength, traveling in opposite directions and overlap
Standing waves
Two objects naturally vibrate at the same frequency
Resonance
