Waves Flashcards
longitudinal wave
particles oscillation is parallel to direction of wave propagation
examples of longitudinal waves
sound waves, seismic waves
transverse wave
particle oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation, only transverse waves can be polarised
examples of a transverse wave
electromagnetic radiation
particle displacement
the distance of a particle from its equilibrium position in given direction
amplitude
the maximum displacement of a particle from its equilibrium position
wave speed
frequency x wavelength
phase
the position of a certain point along a wave cycle
phase difference
the amount one wave lags behind another in radians
frequency
number of oscillations of a particle per second
time period
the time taken for one complete oscillation
wavelength
shortest distance between two point in phase
wavelength for stationary wave
distance between alternate nodes or distance from peak to peak/ trough to trough
diffraction
the spreading out of a wave (when it passes through a gap or past the edge of an object
refraction
wave bends/ changes diffraction when entering a media with a different RI due to changing speed.
polarisation
when a transverse wave only oscillates in one plane
application of polarisation in sunglasses
- light reflected from surfaces is weakly polarised in one plane
- polaroid in sunglasses can be orientated at a certain angle to remove this reflected light reducing the glare
application of polarisation in tv transmitters and aerials
- signals from tv transmitter are polarised
- aerials need to be orientated so they are in the same plane as the transmitted signal for maximum strength
superposition
where two or more waves meet, the resultant displacement equals the vector sum of the individual displacements
conditions for formation of stationary waves
- two waves travelling past each other in opposite directions
- with the same wavelength and frequency
- similar amplitudes and oscillating in the same plane