Waves Flashcards
What does a wave do?
Transfers energy from one place to another
What is a transverse wave?
Give an example of one.
Particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
Any EM.
Moves like a water wave
What is a longitudinal wave?
Give an example of one.
Particles vibrate parallel to the direction of wave travel
Sound.
Travels in a straight line with some particles squished together and others pulled apart.
What is amplitude?
The distance between the top of the crest or bottom of a trough to the centre of the wave.
Gives us a measure of how much energy the wave is carrying.
I.e height of wave
How do you calculate amplitude in a longitudinal wave?
Half the total vibration distance
What is wavelength?
Distance between one crest/trough and the next
Represented by λ
How is wavelength measured?
In a transverse wave, measure between two highest points
In a longitudinal wave, measure between two densest points.
What is frequency?
The number of waves passing a given point in unit time (per second)
Represented as f
What are the units for frequency?
Hertz (Hz)
1 Hertz = one oscillation per second
Higher frequencies are measured in kHz (1,000Hz) or MHz (1,000,000Hz)
What is periodic time?
The time taken for one complete oscillation.
Represented as T
What is the relationship between frequency and periodic time?
f = 1/T
I.e
1
f T
What is a complete oscillation?
From the point a wave starts in the middle, past the peak, past the trough, and back to the point in the middle.
How is the speed of a wave calculated?
S = d/t
OR
v = f x λ
I.e
v
f λ
How is frequency calculated?
Number of waves
F= ————————
Time (s)
