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Physics GCSE > Waves > Flashcards

Waves Flashcards

1
Q

What do waves transfer

A
  • energy
  • in the direction they are travelling
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2
Q

What happens when waves travel through a medium

A
  • The particles of the medium oscillate and transfer energy between each other
  • but overall the particles stay in the same place — only energy is transfered
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3
Q

What is the amplitude of a wave

A
  • the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position
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4
Q

What is the wavelength of a wave

A
  • the distance between the same point on two adjacent waves
  • (e.g. between the trough of one wave and the trough of the wave next to it)
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5
Q

What is the frequency of a wave

A
  • The number of complete waves passing a certain point per second
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6
Q

What is frequency measured in

A
  • hertz (Hz)
  • 1 Hz is 1 wave per second
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7
Q

What is the period of the wave

A
  • the amount of time it takes for a full cycle of the wave to pass a point
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8
Q
A
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9
Q

Describe a transverse wave

A

oscillates perpendicular (at 90’) to the direction of energy

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10
Q

Give some examples of transverse waves

A
  • All electromagnetic waves; e.g. light
  • Ripples and waves in water
  • Guitar strings
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11
Q

Describe longitudinal waves

A
  • the oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer
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12
Q

Give examples of longitudinal waves

A
  • sound waves in air
  • ultrasounds
  • shock waves; e.g. some seismic waves
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13
Q

What is the wave speed

A

The speed at which energy is being transferred (or the speed the wave is moving at)

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14
Q

What do you use to measure the speed of sound

A

Oscilloscope

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15
Q

How do you use an oscilloscope

A
  • By attaching a signal generator to a speaker you can generate sounds with a specific frequency
  • you can use 2 microphones and an oscilloscope to find the wavelength of the sound waves generated
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16
Q

What happened when a wave arrives at a boundary between 2 different materials

A

They can be:
- absorbed
- transmitted
- Reflected

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17
Q

What happens when a wave is absorbed by the second material

A
  • it transfers energy to the material’s energy stores
  • Often, the energy is transferred to a thermal energy store, which leads to heating
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18
Q

What happens when a wave is transmitted through the second material

A
  • the waves carry on travelling through the new material
  • this leads to refraction
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19
Q

What can rarefraction be used for

A
  • in communications
  • the lenses of glasses and cameras
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20
Q

What happens when a wave is reflected from the second material

A
  • the incoming wave is neither absorbed nor transmitted
  • but instead ‘sent back’ away from the second material
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21
Q

What contributes to what happens when a wave arrives at a boundary between 2 materials

A
  • the properties of the materials involved
  • the wavelength of the wave
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22
Q

Describe the process of rarefraction

A
  • wave crosses a boundary between 2 materials = changes speed
  • if wave is travelling along the normal it will change speed, but not be rarefracted
  • if the wave hits at an angle, it changes direction (rarefraction)
  • the wave bends towards the normal if it slows down and away the normal if it speeds up
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23
Q

What is the optical density of a material

A
  • a measure of how quickly light can travel through it — the higher the optical density, the slower light waves travels through it
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24
Q

What happens to the wavelength and frequency of a wave when it’s rarefracted

A
  • the wavelength changes
  • the frequency stays the same
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25
Q

What are rays

A
  • straight lines that are perpendicular to wave fronts
  • showing direction a wave is travelling in
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26
Q

What are electromagnetic waves

A
  • transverse waves
  • made up of oscillating electric and magnetic fields
  • transfer energy from the source of the waves to an absorber.
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27
Q

How do we remember the different types of electromagnetic waves

A
  • Red
  • Mice
  • Playing
  • In
  • Very
  • Unusual
  • X-ray
  • games
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28
Q

What does red mice playing in very unusual x ray games stand for

A
  • Radio waves
  • Micro waves
  • infra red
  • visible light
  • ultraviolet
  • x-rays
  • Gamma rays
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29
Q

What part of the electro magnetic spectrum can our eyes see

A
  • the visible light section
30
Q

What can affect the speed of an EM wave

A

The type of material it travels through (which can lead to refraction)

31
Q

What are alternating currents made up of

A
  • oscillating charges
  • As the charges oscillate, they produce oscillating electric and magnetic fields
  • i.e. electromagnetic waves
32
Q

How can you produce radio waves

A
  • using an alternating current in an electrical circuit
  • Using a transmitter the charges will then oscillate, producing the radio wave
33
Q

What happens when the transmitted radio waves reach a receiver

A
  • they are absorbed
  • energy is transferred from electrons of the material of the receiver
  • this causes the electrons to oscillate and produce an alternating current
34
Q

What controls the frequency of the current in a circuit

A
  • the radio waves that generated the current
35
Q

What are radio waves

A

EM radiation with wavelengths longer than about 10 cm

36
Q

What can radio waves be used for

A
  • communication
  • TV
  • Bluetooth
37
Q

Why can radio waves be used for communication

A
  • Long-wave radio waves (1-10km)
  • cab diffract around the curved surface when transmitted
  • making it possible for radio signals to be received, even if the receiver isn’t in line of the the sight if the transmitter
38
Q

How are shortwave radio waves received at long distances

A

They are reflected form the ionosphere (an electrically charged layer in the Earth’s upper atmosphere
——> this is how Bluetooth works
——> happens at distances of (10m - 100m)

39
Q

How do medium-wave signals carry transmissions

A
  • same as short wave-length radio waves do
40
Q

Why uses short-wave radio waves

A
  • some transmissions need to be shorter
  • to get reception, you must be in direct sight of the transmitter
41
Q

What are microwaves used for

A
  • satellites for communication
  • Microwave ovens
42
Q

Why are microwaves used in satellite communication

A

They can pass easily through the Earth’s watery atmosphere

43
Q

How are microwaves used in satellite communication

A
  • the signal from a transmitter is transmitted into space
  • it’s picked up by the satellite receiver dish orbiting above the Earth
  • the satellite transmits the signal back to Earth in a different direction
  • where it’s received by a satellite dish on the ground
44
Q

How are microwaves used in microwave ovens

A
  • the microwaves are absorbed by the water molecules in food
  • the microwaves penetrate a few cm into the food and are then absorbed and transfer the energy they were carrying
  • energy is transferred to the water molecules in the food and this causes them to heat up
  • the water molecules then transfer this energy to the rest of the molecules in the food by heating — which cooks the food
45
Q

What can Infraed radiation be used for

A
  • Monitor temps
  • OR increase temps
  • remote controls for TVs
  • cooking
46
Q

How can infrared radiation monitor temps

A
  • IR radiation os given out by all objects
  • the hotter the object = the more it gives out
  • IR cameras can detect this and therefore monitor temp
47
Q

How to infrared cameras work

A
  • turn IR radiation into an electrical signal
  • which can be displayed on a screen as a picture
  • the hotter the object = the brighter it appears
48
Q

How can infrared radiation increase temps

A
  • absorbing IR causes objects to get hotter
  • Food can be cooked using IR (when food absorbs it; e.g. toasters)
  • electric heaters work in the same way
49
Q

How to electrical heaters work

A
  • they contain a long piece of wire that heats up when a current flows through it
  • the wire then emits lots of IR radiation (and a little visible light from the wire glowing)
  • The emitted IR radiation is absorbed by objects and the air in the room’s thermal energy stores
50
Q

What is reflection of a wave?

A

The bouncing back of a wave when it meets a surface or boundary that does not absorb it.

51
Q

What is refraction of a wave?

A

The bending of a wave as it passes from one medium to another with a different density.

52
Q

What is diffraction of a wave?

A

The spreading of a wave as it passes through a gap or around an obstacle.

53
Q

What is interference of waves?

A

The combination of two or more waves to form a resultant wave with a new amplitude and wavelength.

54
Q

What is the principle of superposition?

A

When two waves meet, the resultant displacement at any point is equal to the sum of the individual displacements at that point.

55
Q

What are the uses of ultra violet radiation

A
  • Used in tanning beds
  • sterilising equipment
  • fluorescent lights.
56
Q

What are the uses of x-rays

A
  • Used in medical imaging to see inside the body
  • in airport security scanners.
57
Q

What are the uses of Gamma rays

A
  • Used in medical treatment of cancer,
  • sterilization of medical equipment
  • in scientific research.
58
Q

What is the effects on your body of each type of radiation based on

A

How much energy the waves transfers

59
Q

What is the least harmful type of wave

A
  • low frequency waves (e.g. radio waves)
  • they don’t transfer much energy
  • so mostly pass through soft tissue without being absorbed
60
Q

What is the most harmful type of wave

A
  • High frequency waves (e.g. UV, X-rays, Gamma rays)
  • they transfer lots of energy
  • so they cause lots of damage
61
Q

Why is UV radiation dangerous

A
  • It damages surface cells, which can lead to sunburn and cause skin to age prematurely
  • some more serious effects: blindness, increased risk of cancer
62
Q

Why are X-rays and gamma rays dangerous

A
  • they are ionising radiation
  • this means they carry enough energy to knock electrons off atoms
  • this can cause gene mutations or cell destruction or cancer
63
Q

How can you measure risk of the radiation dose

A

In Siverts
—> total amount of radiation absorbed and type of radiation absorbed

64
Q

Which objects absorb and which emit infrared radiation

A

ALL OBJECTS
—> all are continuously emitting and absorbing IR radiation

65
Q

Where on the object is IR radiation emitted

A

The surface

66
Q

What cause an object to emit more or less radiation

A

The hotter = the more it radiates in a given time

67
Q

What happens when an object emits IR radiation

A

It starts to then cool down

68
Q

What does the levels of emitting IR radiation depend on in it’s surroundings

A
  • when it’s hotter than its surroundings = emits more IR radiation than it absorbs
  • when it’s cooler than it’s surroundings - absorbs more IR radiation than it emits
69
Q

What rate does objects at a constant temp absorb and emit radiation

A
  • the same rate as each other
70
Q

Which colours and surfaces emit and absorb radiation better than others

A
  • black is better at absorbing and emitting radiation than white
  • A Matt surface is better at absorbing and emitting radiation than a shiny one

Physics GCSE (8 decks)

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