Waves Flashcards
What a progressive wave
Carries energy from one place to another without transferring any material
What are some ways to tell a wave carries energy
-Electromagnetic waves cause things to heat up
-X rays and gamma rays knock electrons out of their orbits, causing ionisation
- Loud sounds cause large oscillations of air particles which can make things vibrate
- wave power can make things vibrate
Reflection
The wave is bounced back when it hits a boundary, e.g. you can see the reflection of light in mirrors
Refraction
The wave changes direction as it enters a different medium
Diffraction
The wave spreads out as it passes though a gap or round an obstacle, e.g. you can hear sound round a corner
Displacement
Measured in meters(m)
How far a point on the wave has moved from its undisturbed position
Amplitude
Measured in meters(m)
The maximum magnitude of displacement, I.e. the distance from the undisturbed position to the crest or the trough
Wavelength
Measured in meters(m)
The length of one whole wave oscillation or wave cycle, e.g. the distance between two crests, (or troughs)
Period
T, measured in seconds(s)
Time taken for one whole wave cycle
Frequency
F, measured in hertz(Hz)
The whole number of wave cycles(oscillations) per second passing a given point. Or the number of oscillations given out from a source per second
Phase
A measurement of the position of a certain point along a wave cycle
Measured in angles( degrees or radians)
Points in phase have the same displacement and velocity
Phase difference
The amount by which one wave lags behind another wave
Measured in angles( degrees or radians)
Frequency and period
F = 1/T
F = frequency (hertz)
T = period (seconds)
Calculating wave speed
c = d/t
c = wave speed in ms-1
d = distance in meters(m)
t = time in seconds (s)
C = f λ
λ = wavelength in meters(m)
f = frequency in hertz(Hz)
c = wave speed in ms-1
Electromagnetic wave speed in a vacuum
All electromagnetic waves, including light, travel at the speed of light in a. Vacuum
C = 3.00 x 10^8 ms-1 in a vacuum
Transverse waves
In transverse waves the displacement of particles or field is at right angles to the direction of energy propagation ( transfer).
All electromagnetic waves are transverse
Other examples are ripples on water, waves in strings, and some types of earthquake shock wave (S-waves)
Longitudinal waves
The diplacement of the particles or fields is along the direction of energy propagation
E.g. sound waves or P-waves
Polarised waves
A wave that oscillates in one direction
For example: ordinary light waves are a mixture of different of vibration. A polarising filter can be used to polarise light and other waves. It only transmits vibrations in one direction
Measuring the speed of sound with microphones
Use two microphones in a straight line a distance apart.
The microphones must have separate inputs so the signal from each can be recorded separately
Use the signal generator to produce a sound from the loudspeaker and use a computer to record the time between the first and second microphone
Then use speed = distance / time
Measuring wave speed in water
Use a ripple tank
Record the depth of water using a ruler
Use a ripple tank dipper to create vibrations with a regular frequency in the tank
Dim main lights in room and turn on the strobe light(a light that flashes periodically)
Increase the frequency of the strobe light from zero until the waves appear to be standing still
When this happens the frequency of the strobe light is equal to the frequency of the water waves
Use a ruler on white paper below tank to measure the
Polarising filter
Ordinary light waves are a mixture of different directions of vibration
A polarising filter can be used to polarise light and other waves. It only transmit vibrations in one direction.
Polarisation can only happen for transverse waves. It provides evidence for the nature of transverse waves
Two polarising filters
If you have two polarising filters at right angles to each other, then no light will get through
The second filter blocks out all of the light when the transmissions axis is at right angles to the plane of polarisation.
Otherwise, it just reduces the intensity of the light passing through it(but still allows some light through it)
Nature of electromagnetic waves
In 1808, Etienne-Louis Malus discovered that light was polarised by reflection
At that time light was thought as longitudinal wave, so polarisation was hard to explain. In 1817, Young suggested that light was a transverse wave consisting of vibrating electric and magnetic fields perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. This explained why light could be polarised
Polarisation in the real world
Most light you see is unpolarised - the vibrations are in all possible directions. But light reflected off some surfaces is partially polarised - some of it is made to vibrate in the same direction
The amount of polarisation depends on the angle of the incident light