Waves Flashcards
Transverse Waves
A wave where the direction of the wave is perpendicular to the direction of vibration
Longitudinal Wave
A wave where the direction of the wave is parallel to the direction of vibration (e.g. Sound)
Reflection
The bouncing of waves off of an obstacle in their path
Refraction
The changing of direction of a wave as it enters a region where it’s speed is different
Diffraction
The sideways spreading of waves into the region beyond a gap or around an obstacle
Interference
When two waves from two sources meet, a new wave is produced. The displacement produced at any point by this wave is the algebraic sum of the displacements that each wave would produce on its own.
Constructive Interference
When waves from two sources meet and the amplitude of the resulting wave is greater than the amplitude of the individual waves
Destructive interference
When waves from two sources meet and the amplitude of the resulting wave is less than the amplitudes of the individual waves
Coherent Sources
Two sources of waves are said to be coherent if they are in phase or if there is a constant phase difference between waves from each of the sources. If this is so, the sources must also have the same frequency
Interference Pattern
The resulting pattern when waves from two or more coherent sources meet
Stationary Wave
When two periodic travelling waves of the same frequency and amplitude moving in opposite directions meet, they interfere with each other.
Doppler effect
The apparent change in frequency of waves due to the motion of the source or the observer
