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physics paper 1 > waves > Flashcards

waves Flashcards

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1
Q

define amplitude

A

a wave’s max displacement from its equilibrium position

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2
Q

define antinode

A

a position of max displacement in a stationary wave

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3
Q

define cladding

A

a protective layer on an optical fibre to improve the tensile strength of the fibre

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4
Q

what does cladding do?

A

prevents scratching and signal transfer between adjacent fibres

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5
Q

when are waves coherent?

A

when they have the same wavelength and frequency with a fixed phase difference between them

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5
Q

define diffraction grating

A

a grating with hundreds of slits per mm, resulting in sharper interference patterns

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5
Q

what are diffraction gratings used for?

A

calculating atomic spacing and to analyse elements

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6
Q

define diffraction

A

the spreading of waves as they pass through a gap of similar magnitude to their wavelength

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7
Q

define electromagnetic waves

A

waves that consist of perpenpendicular electric and magnetic oscillations

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8
Q

define frequency

A

the number of waves that pass a point in a time period

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9
Q

define fringe spacing

A

the distance between two adjacent bright or two adjacent dark fringes.

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10
Q

define interference

A

the superposition of waves that occurs when two waves meet

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11
Q

what interference occurs when waves are in phase?

A

constructive interference

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12
Q

what interference occurs when waves are out of phase?

A

destructive interference

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13
Q

define laser

A

a light source that produces a coherent monochromatic beam

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14
Q

define longitudinal wave

A

a wave with oscillations parallel to the direction of energy

15
Q

give an example of a longitudinal wave

A

sound waves

16
Q

define material dispersion

A

waves of different wavelengths travel at slightly different speeds through an optical fibre so they reach the end at different times

17
Q

what does material dispersion cause?

A

pulse broadening

18
Q

how would you fix material dispersion?

A

by using monochromatic light

19
Q

define modal dispersion

A

waves enter an optical fibre at slightly different angles, meaning the distance each beam has to travel is slightly different

20
Q

what does modal dispersion cause?

A

pulse broadening

21
Q

define node

A

a position of min displacement in a stationary wave

22
Q

define optical fibre

A

a thin glass fibre through which signals are passed through

23
Q

define path difference

A

a measure of how far ahead a wave is compared to another wave.

24
Q

define phase difference

A

the difference in phase between two points on a wave

25
Q

define phase

A

a measure of how far through the waves cycle a given point on the wave is

26
Q

define polarisation

A

the restriction of a wave so that it can oscilate in a single plane

27
Q

what type of wave can polarisation occur for?

A

transverse waves

28
Q

define pulse broadening

A

the elongation of a signal passed down an optical fibre

29
Q

define refractive index, n

A

the ratio of the speed of light in a vacuum and in a given material

30
Q

what is snell’s law

A

law linking the wave’s angle of incidence to the angle of refraction using the refractive indexes of the mediums involved.

31
Q

define stationary wave

A

a wave that stores but doesn’t transfer energy

32
Q

define total internal reflection

A

an effect that occurs in optical fibres, where full reflection occurs at the inside boundary of the fibre, so no radiation passes out.

33
Q

define transverse wave

A

a wave with oscillations that are perpendicular to the direction of energy propagation

34
Q

give an example of a transverse waves

A

electromagnetic waves

35
Q

how to measure wavelength?

A

from peak to peak, or trough to trough

36
Q

define wavelength

A

the distance between two identical positions on two adjacent waves.

physics paper 1 (6 decks)

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