waves Flashcards
what type of waves are p-waves
p-waves are longitudal
what type of waves are s-waves
s-waves are transverse
what is a progressive wave
an oscillation that travels through matter and transfers energy, not matter
what happens to particles when a progressive wave moves to a new mdian
they move from their original position to a new position
what happens to a displaced particle once a wave enters a nwe mdian
it experiences a restoring force from its neighbours that pull it back to its original position
what are peaks and troughs
this is when the oscillating particles are at a maximum displacement from their equillibrium position
what happens to particles as sound waves move through the air
air particles are displaced and bounce off their neighbours causing collisions which provide a restoring force
amplitude
maximum displacement from the equilibrium position
wavelength
minimum distance between two points in phase on adjacent waves
period
the time taken for one oscillation
frequency and period equation
f = 1/T
phase difference
phase difference describes the difference between the displacements of particles along a wave or the displacements of particles on different waves
measured in degrees or radians
what degree means particles are in antiphase
pi radians
equation for phase difference between two points on a wave
phi = (x(distance) / wavelength)*360
two types of graphs to show waves
-displacemet distance graphs
-displacement time graphs
what can be used to determine the frequency of a wave
oscilloscope
what does each horizontal square on an oscilloscope represent
timebase
what is reflection
reflection occurs when a wave changes direction at a boundery between two different media, while remaining in the same medium
law of angle of reflection
angle of incidence = angle of reflection
what is rarefraction
rarefraction occurs when a wave changes direction as it changes speed when it passes from one median to another
what happens when a rarefracted wave slows down
the wave bends towards the normal
what happens when a rarefracted wave speeds up
the wave bends away from the normal
what is affected when a wave rarefracts
wavelength and wave speed
what happens to the wavelength of a refracted wave when it speeds up
wavelength increases and vice versa
what is diffraction
the way a wave spreads out as it passes through a gap or goes around an obstacle