Waves Flashcards
Define a wave
A wave can be described as a disturbance that travels through a medium from one location to another location
Define displacement of a particle
Distance it travelled in a specific direction from its equilibrium position
Define amplitude if a wave
Magnitude of the maximum displacement of a particle in the wave from its equilibrium position
What is period of wave
Time taken for a particle to complete one oscillation
What is frequency of wave
Number of oscillations per unit time made by a particle of a wave
Wavelength of wave
Distance between 2 consecutive points that are in phase
What is phase of a wave
Phase of a wave is the angle that gives a measure of a fraction of a cycle that has been completed by a wave
Phase difference
Phase difference between 2 particles in a wave or 2 waves at a point is the
Fraction of a cycle by which one is ahead of the other
What is wavefront
Wavefront is a line or surface joining points on a wave that are in phase
Define the intensity of wave
The intensity of wave is defined as the rate of transfer of energy per unit area normal to the direction of the propagation of the wave
Define transverse wave
A traverse wave is one in which it’s particles oscillate in a direction perpendicular to direction of energy transfer
Define longitudinal wave
A longitudinal wave is one in which it’s particles oscillate parallel to the direction of energy transfer
What is polarisation
Polarisation is a phenomenal whereby the oscillations of transverse waves are restricted to a single plane
What is malus’s law
Malus’ law states that the intensity of a beam of plane-polarised light after passing through a polarised varies with the square of the cosine of the angle through which the polariser is rotated from the position that gives max intensity
