Waves Flashcards
Wave
A succession of pulses
Rest position
The equilibrium position of the medium before a pulse is generated
Oscillation
One complete swing or vibration
Transverse wave
A pulse that moves in a perpendicular direction to the direction of the disturbance in a medium
Longitudinal wave
A pulse that moves in the same direction as the disturbance in the medium
Wavelength
The distance between two consecutive points on the wave that are in phase
Amplitude
The maximum displacement of a particle from its rest position
Period
The time taken for a wave to pass a point
Frequency
The number of waves passing a point in one second
Wave Speed
The product of frequency and wavelength of a wave
Compression
A point on a medium through which a longitudinal wave is travelling where the particles of the medium are closely packed
Rarefaction
A point on a medium through which a longitudinal wave is travelling where the particles of the medium spaced apart
Principle of superposition
It states that when two disturbances occupy the same space at the same time, the resulting disturbance is the sum of two disturbances
Photon
A particle without mass, which carries energy and it behaves like both a wave and a particle
The laws of reflection
- The incident ray, the reflected ray and the normal all lie in the same plane.
- The angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection.
