Waves Flashcards
What is displacement of the medium?
Material a wave is travelling through. I.e. Up to down
What is a transverse wave?
A wave in which particulars in the medium vibrate PERPENDICULAR to the propagation
What is a longitudinal wave?
A wave in which the particles vibrate PARALLEL to the propagation
Point P is on the front end of a wave. Which direction is point P moving?
Up
What is propagation?
Direction of energy travel in a wave
What does the speed of a wave determined by?
The medium it travels through
What does higher frequency mean?
Shorter wave lengths because the speed is constant
If you change the medium, what does this change and not change?
Speed and wavelength -change
Frequency-don’t change
How do you work out the speed of a wave?
V = D/T
How do you work out the wavelength?
V=F X (wave length symbol)
What is amplitude?
Distance from the midpoint of the wave to the top
Properties of transverse waves?
Peaks + troughs
Vibrations perpendicular to propagation
Same speed through vacuum and space
E.g light waves
Properties of longitudinal waves?
Compressions and rarefactions
Particles vibrate parallel to the propagation
Usually through a medium
E.g sound
What is reflection?
The change in direction of a wave when it bounces off a surface
What is diffraction?
When a wave curves around a surface
What is refraction?
The change in direction of a wave when it passes into or out of a different medium
Is sound transverse or longitudinal?
Longitudinal
Is the speed of sound constant?
Hell yeah
What happens if the period stays the same?
The wave will have the same frequency
What is a period?
The time it takes from one crest to the next
What do waves transfer?
Energy
What don’t waves transfer?
Matter
Are electromagnetic waves transverse or longitudinal?
Transverse
Are mechanical waves transverse or longitudinal?
both
What is maximum curving?
When the gap is the same as the wavelength
How can you describe a wave?
By wavelength
Speed
Amplitude
Frequency
What do waves transfer?
Energy not matter
What is amplitude?
Maximum distance from undisturbed position
What is wavelength ?
Distance from crest to crest
What is frequency
Number of waves produced each second
What are seismic waves
Waves that must travel through a medium
Longitudinal
What do electromagnetic waves travel through?
Can travel through a medium
Also
Magnetic and electrical fields
And empty space.
(Transverse)
What are the laws of reflection?
Angle of incidence = angle of reflection
Normal line is drawn at right angles to reflector
Angle of incidence is between incoming ray and normal
Angle of reflection is between refracted ray and normal
What is maximum diffraction?
Gap is the same as the wavelength
What does diffraction depend on?
Width of the gap
Gap similar to the wavelength means?
Lots of spreading and no sharp shadow
Gap not similar to the wavelength means?
Not a lot of spreading, sharp shadows
What happens in refraction if the wave goes into a more dense medium?
It bends towards the normal
What does refraction not happen?
If the wave crosses at 90*c
What does laterally inverted mean?
Left side is on the right side of reflection
What does virtual mean?
Cannot be touched or projected
What does upright mean?
Stand infront of a mirror , you look all the way up
