waves Flashcards
wave interactions
What are reflected waves?
Occurs when a wave bounces from a surface back toward its source.
Examples include water waves hitting the shore, mirrors, and echoes.
What happens to waves when they reflect off surfaces?
Waves go up as they reflect back.
This is observable in phenomena such as echoes, where the flatter the surface, the better the echo.
What is wave refraction?
Occurs when a wave passes through different materials, resulting in a change in the speed of the wave.
It appears to bend, with greater speed changes causing more bending.
Give an example of wave refraction.
Light waves changing from air to water or sound waves moving through air then a solid.
This bending effect is crucial in various optical and acoustic applications.
What are diffracted waves?
When a wave encounters irregular surfaces causing the waves to change direction and be scattered.
This can include sound waves around a corner or light waves passing through a hole.
Define wave interference.
Interference is the addition of two or more waves, resulting in a new wave pattern.
Waves must come from different directions and be of the same type.
What is constructive wave interference?
When two waves come together and their crests and troughs match up, resulting in a greater amplitude.
Examples include two speakers emitting the same sound sounding louder than one speaker.
What occurs during destructive interference?
When the crest of one wave matches with the trough of another, decreasing the amplitude.
This can cause waves to cancel each other out temporarily.
What is resonance?
The tendency of a system to vibrate at maximum amplitude at certain frequencies.
This occurs when multiple systems vibrate at the same frequency, enhancing the wave’s amplitude.
Give an example of resonance in use.
Instruments use resonance to sound louder, and MRI machines use it to make images.
The natural frequency of an object plays a critical role in resonance.
