Waves Flashcards
Equation for wave speed?
frequency x wavelength
What is a transverse wave? Give an example.
the oscillations (vibrations) are at right angles to the direction of travel and energy transfer. E.g. LIGHT WAVES
What is a longitudinal wave? and give an example
the oscillations are along the same direction (parallel) as the direction of travel and energy transfer. E.G SOUND WAVES
Why can you not hear in space?
Sound travels through the vibration of atoms and molecules in a medium (such as air or water). In space, where there is no air, sound has no way to travel.
What is the amplitude?
The highest point from top/bottom to the middle of the wave.
What is frequency and what is it measured in?
Frequency is the amount of complete waves per second in Hz.
What are waves?
Vibrations that transfer energy from place to place without matter(solid,liquid,gas)
What is wavelength?
The wavelength of a wave is the distance between a point on one wave and the same point on the next wave. Usually measured from the crest of one wave to the next.
What happens if a sound wave’s amplitude is greater?
Then the sound will be louder.
What happens if a sound wave’s frequency greater than another?
It will have a different pitch.
How is refraction caused?
By waves travelling at different speeds in different mediums.
When do waves bend toward the normal? When do they bend away?
Toward=When they slow down through the medium
Away=When they speed up through a medium.
Why can we hear the earth vibrate during an earthquake for example?
As seismic waves are vibrations, the same way that sound waves are we can hear this as a sound wave.
What is used by geophysicists to learn about the Earth’s interior?
The study of the reflection and refraction of the seismic waves can determine the material of the Earth’s interior.
What are P waves (primary waves)?
Longitudinal or compressional waves meaning that the ground is ultimately compressed in the direction of propogation.
In solids P waves travel…
In solids P waves travel twice as fast as S waves
What can P waves do?
P waves can travel through any kind of seismic material
In air what do the pressure waves take the form of?
In air the pressure waves take the form of sound waves
Why are P waves less destructive than S waves, and surface waves that follow?
As they have a smaller amplitude.
What type of wave is an S wave?
S waves are transverse waves this means that the ground is displaced perpendicular to the propogation (ground moves alternately from one side and then the other)
S waves can travel only through…
S-waves can only travel through solids.
What does the slower speed of the S-waves compared to the P-waves mean?
S-waves arrive after the P-waves due to their slower speed, but are several times larger in amplitude than P waves.
How do you measure the speed of sound?
Using an oscilloscope and 2 microphones to find the wavelength of the sound waves generated
