Waves Flashcards
What is an electromagnetic wave?
An electromagnetic wave is something that does not need matter or medium to transfer waves. They don’t need a medium, but then can go through matter such as air, water and glass
What are waves?
Waves are rhythmic disturbances that carry energy without carrying matter.
What is the frequency of a wave?
Frequency is the number of times a soundwave repeats in a second.
What is pitch?
Pitches is the highness or lowness of sound.
What is a mechanical wave?
A mechanical wave is something that needs matter or medium to transfer energy. A medium is the substance through which a wave can travel. Examples are air, water, particles, strings, solids, liquids, gasses.
What are the two types of mechanical waves?
The two types of mechanical waves are transversal and compressional.
What are transverse waves?
Transverse waves move matter perpendicular to the direction of the wave. An example of this is a water wave, earthquakes and waves on a string. The energy flows in the way the displaces the medium either up or down.
What is a compressional/ longitudinal wave
I’ll compressional wave displaces matter in the same direction that the waves traveling. And example of this is sound waves
What are the parts of a transverse wave?
A transverse wave had high points called crests and low points troughs. The line in between that is called the rest position. The crest and troff represents the displacement of particles that a mechanical wave travels through. The distance from the crest to the rest position or the same to the trough is called the amplitude. Ways with higher amplitude carry more energy. The distance from one crest of a wave to the next crest is called the wavelength.
How do compressional waves work?
Compressional waves this place matter in the same direction that the waves traveling. As a sound travels particles of the air are pushed forward and push back to their original positions. This motion is similar to a spring.
The movement of particles causes places to have high density and low density areas. The high density area is called the compression where particles are close together. Rarefaction is where areas of low density are and particles are spread out. The denser the compression the more energy a wave carries
The amplitude of the compressional wave depends on the density of the compressions. A larger amplitude will yield a louder sound because the vibrations on your ear drum are longer.
The distance from the beginning of one compression to the beginning of another compression is the wavelength of a compressional wave.
What are some examples of electromagnetic waves?
Electromagnetic spectrum - this is the spectrum of all colors which extends far beyond visible light. All different types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed through a vacuum.
Gamma radiation - has very short wavelengths. This radiation is used to sterilize surgical instruments and to kill harmful bacteria and food. If used in the right way it can target and kill cancer cells but generally exposure to the radiation can make cells cancerous. These can not be seen or felt
X-rays - cannot be seen or felt but have a longer wavelength than gamma radiation. It is used to look at things inside of the body.
Ultraviolet radiation – this is something that we cannot see or feel and is naturally found in sunlight. However our skin response this by turning darker. This is used in fluorescent lightbulbs.
Visible light - all of the colors that we can see (colors of the rainbow)
Infrared radiation - is something that is absorbed by the skin and felt as heat. This is used in heaters toasters and grills
Microwaves - this has longer wavelengths and is used to be absorbed in food to gain heat
Radio waves - these have the longest wavelength and the lowest frequencies. It is used to transmit television and radio programs. Someway wings of radios are defective by the ground so they can be received behind hills and others can be reflected off a layer of the atmosphere called the ionosphere. This means that they can be sent around the world without satellites.
What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
This is the spectrum of all colors which extends far beyond visible light. All different types of electromagnetic waves travel at the same speed through a vacuum.
What is gamma radiation?
Gamma radiation has very short wavelengths. This radiation is used to sterilize surgical instruments and to kill harmful bacteria and food. If used in the right way it can target and kill cancer cells but generally exposure to the radiation can make cells cancerous. These can not be seen or felt.
What are x-rays?
X Rays cannot be seen or felt but have a longer wavelength than gamma radiation. It is used to look at things inside of the body.
What is ultraviolet radiation?
Ultra violet radiation is something that we cannot see or feel and is naturally found in sunlight. However our skin response this by turning darker. This is used in fluorescent lightbulbs.
