Waves Flashcards
what is amplitude
the size of the vibration, measured from equilibrium to the maximum displacement of the wave
what type of waves are electromagnetic waves
transverse
what types of waves are sound and ultrasound waves
longitudinal waves
what have all electromagnetic waves got in common
- all transverse
- travel at the same speed in a vacuum
- can all be reflected, refracted and diffracted
what is diffraction
the spreading of a wave through a gap
what property of an electromagnetic wave increases from radio to gamma
frequency and amount of energy
give one use for infrared waves
in remote controls for your TV etc
2 uses for microwaves
- communicating with satellites
- mainly communication, but also can be used for heating food
what are the conditions for the maximum diffraction of a wave through a gap
the gap size must be the same size as the wavelength
give a situation when a light wave moves from air to glass but no refraction occurs
when it travels along the normal
describe the image formed in a plane mirror
virtual as it is found behind the mirror
what is the reflection of a sound wave called
echo
what does the amplitude of a sound wave tell you
the volume of the sound
frequency tells us pitch
describe a longitudinal wave
particles vibrate parallel to the direction of energy transfer. The wave has areas of compression and rarefractions
describe how a light wave moves relative to the normal when going from air into glass
it bends towards the normal as it goes into the glass
It will bend away from the normal when going back into air
