Waves Flashcards
What is a wave?
Transfer of energy without matter
What makes a wave longitudinal and example?
Vibrations that are parallel to direction e.g sound waves
What makes a wave transverse and example?
Vibrations that are at right angles to direction e.g light
What is amplitude?
The maximum displacement of a point of a wave from its rest position
https://studymind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/1-3.png
What is wavelength?
Distance measured from peak to peak
https://keystagewiki.com/images/thumb/6/64/Wavelength.png/400px-Wavelength.png
What is frequency?
The number of waves passing a point per second
What is the unit for frequency?
Hertz
What is the only electromagnetic wave we can detect with our eyes?
Light
What is an application for radio waves?
TV, radio
What is an application for microwaves?
Satellites, cooking food
What is an application for infrared?
Electrical heaters, infrared cameras
What is an application for visible light?
Fibre optic
What is an application for ultraviolet?
Lamps, sun tanning
What are applications for x-rays and gamma rays?
Medical imaging, treatments
What happens when a wave crosses a boundary between two materials at an angle, and what is it called?
Speed up or slow and change directions - refraction
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What happens to the wavelength and frequency of a refracted wave?
Wavelength changes, frequency stays the same
How are EM waves related to atoms and nuclei?
Changes in atoms and nuclei can result in electromagnetic waves being generated or absorbed
Where do gamma rays originate from?
Changes in nucleus
What are the units for radiation dose?
Sieverts, Sv
How many millisieverts (mSv) make up 1 Sievert?
1000
What affect does ultraviolet have on skin?
increase risk of skin cancer, age prematurely
What EM waves are ionising?
X-Rays and gamma rays
What effects can ionising radiation have on the body?
Can cause mutation of genes and cancer
