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Physics > Waves > Flashcards

Waves Flashcards

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AP® Physics flashcards Physics 101 flashcards
1
Q

Name three different types of wave.

A

any three from: light, sound, waves on water, seismic waves

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2
Q

What property of a wave does the wavelength describe?

A

the distance from one wave to the same place on the next wave

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3
Q

What are the units for wavelength?

A

metres

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4
Q

What property of a wave does the frequency describe?

A

the number of waves per second

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5
Q

What are the units for frequency?

A

hertz

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6
Q

What is transferred by a wave?

A

energy

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7
Q

What does amplitude mean?

A

the height of a wave – more correctly, the maximum displacement of a particle from its rest position

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8
Q

In which direction do the particles in a sound wave move compared to the direction the wave is travelling?

A

backwards and forwards in the same direction as the wave

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9
Q

What word is used to describe waves like sound waves?

A

longitudinal

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10
Q

What word is used to describe waves like the waves on water?

A

transverse

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11
Q

Name a type of transverse wave.

A

waves on water, some seismic waves, light waves

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12
Q

Name one thing that waves do not transfer.

A

matter

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13
Q

Name a type of longitudinal wave.

A

sound, some seismic waves

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14
Q

What word describes the time taken for one wave to pass?

A

period

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15
Q

Name two things that waves can transfer.

A

energy and information

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16
Q

What word describes the distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next wave?

A

wavelength

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17
Q

What is the difference between longitudinal and transverse waves?

A

the direction the particles move compared to the direction the wave is travelling

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18
Q

What is the difference between speed and velocity?

A

velocity has a direction as well as a magnitude

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19
Q

What word describes the number of waves per second?

A

frequency

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20
Q

What is the equation that links speed, distance and time?

A

speed = distance/time, or any rearrangements of it

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21
Q

What is the equation that links wave speed, frequency and wavelength?

A

wave speed = frequency × wavelength

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22
Q

What two things do you need to measure to find the speed of a wave?

A

either the time to cover a certain distance, or the wavelength and the frequency

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23
Q

Describe the path of light when you watch TV.

A

TV to eye

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24
Q

Describe the path of light when you sit underneath a lamp and read a book.

A

lamp to book to eye

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25
Q

What is the word that describes light bouncing off a material?

A

reflection

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26
Q

What does refraction mean?

A

changing the direction of a wave

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27
Q

When does refraction happen to light waves?

A

when light goes into or out of a material

28
Q

Name three materials that light can travel through.

A

any three transparent materials, such as air, glass, water, Perspex

29
Q

Why is it difficult to see the exact positions of objects on the bottom of a swimming pool?

A

light is refracted as it leaves the water

30
Q

What is an interface?

A

boundary between two materials

31
Q

What is a normal line?

A

a line at right angles to a surface/interface/boundary

32
Q

Describe the path of a light ray in air.

A

straight line

33
Q

What happens to light when it goes from air to glass?

A

refracts/changes direction/H changes speed

34
Q

When light goes from air to glass, which way does it bend?

A

towards the normal

35
Q

When light goes from water to air, which way does it bend?

A

away from the normal

36
Q

H In which material does light travel faster, water or air?

A

air

37
Q

What happens to the speed of waves as they go into shallower water?

A

slow down

38
Q

What does transmit mean?

A

when a wave passes through something

39
Q

What does reflect mean?

A

when a wave bounces off something

40
Q

What is the word used to describe a wave bouncing off a barrier?

A

reflection

41
Q

What is the word to describe a wave changing direction as it crosses a boundary?

A

refraction

42
Q

What is absorption?

A

when a wave disappears as it reaches a boundary

43
Q

What is transmission?

A

when a wave passes through a material

44
Q

Name a substance that is good at transmitting light.

A

air / glass

45
Q

Name a substance that is good at absorbing light.

A

anything black/dark coloured

46
Q

How can a prism split up white light into different colours?

A

Different colours are refracted by different amounts.

47
Q

What happens to the wavelength of light when it goes from air to glass?

A

it gets shorter

48
Q

Name three parts of the ear

A

any three from: ear canal, eardrum, bones, cochlea, auditory nerve

49
Q

What type of wave is a sound wave?

A

longitudinal

50
Q

How does a sound wave pass from air into a solid?

A

The wave causes pressure changes at the surface of the solid.

51
Q

What is the first part of the ear that sound waves go through?

A

ear canal

52
Q

What does the eardrum do?

A

It vibrates when sound waves reach it/passes on vibrations.

53
Q

What do the ear bones do?

A

They amplify vibrations and transmit them.

54
Q

Which part of the ear converts vibrations to nerve impulses?

A

cochlea

55
Q

State two things found within the cochlea.

A

two from: fluid, membrane, hair cells

56
Q

Why do different parts of the cochlea membrane detect different frequencies?

A

thickness of the membrane varies

57
Q

What is the highest frequency that most people can hear?

A

20 000 Hz

58
Q

What is the name for sound that is too high for humans to hear?

A

ultrasound

59
Q

What is ultrasound?

A

sound too high for humans to hear

60
Q

How do bats use ultrasound?

A

detect insects using ultrasound echoes/navigation

61
Q

What is sonar?

A

a way of measuring distance underwater using ultrasound

62
Q

Why is light not used to find the depth of water?

A

Water absorbs the light.

63
Q

What measurement does sonar equipment need to be able to work out the depth?

A

time between sending pulse and receiving echo

64
Q

What is the formula used to work out the depth from the timing of a sonar pulse?

A

distance = speed x time

65
Q

What is an ultrasound scan?

A

image of the inside of the body made using ultrasound

66
Q

Why can ultrasound be used to make images of the inside of the body?

A

Some ultrasound is reflected each time it goes into a different material.

67
Q

What is the name for sounds that are too low for humans to hear?

A

infrasound

Physics (6 decks)

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