Waves Flashcards
What do waves transfer?
Energy and information
How do the particles in a wave move?
They oscillate to and fro about a point
What are the two different types of waves
Transverse and longitudinal
What is a transverse wave
A wave that oscillates perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer
Give an example of a transverse wave
Water wave
What is a longitudinal wave
Waves that oscillate parallel to the direction of energy transfer
Give an example of a longitudinal wave
Sound wave
What is a longitudinal wave made up of
Compressions and rarefactions
What is a mechanical wave
A wave that needs a medium to travel through
What is an electromagnetic wave
A wave that can travel through a vacuum
What type of wave are all electromagnetic waves
Transverse waves!!
What is the amplitude
The distance from the midpoint to the crest or trough of the wave
The greater The amplitude of a wave the more what?
The more energy it carries
What is the wavelength
Is the distance from one crest to the next crest.
What is the frequency of a wave
Is the number of wave crests that pass a point in one second.
What is the period of a wave
Is the time it takes for one wavelength to pass a point
What is the wavelength of a longitudinal wave
From one compression to the nest compression
What are incident waves
Waves travelling towards a barrier or a boundary
What happens to a wave that hits a straight barrier
It reflects at the same angle to the barrier as the incident wave
What is refraction
When a wave crosses a boundary between substances it changes speed and wavelength unless it hits it at 90 degrees
