Waves 🌊 Flashcards
What happens when a wave travels through a medium?
The particles of the medium vibrate
In transverse waves what direction are the vibrations?
The vibrations are perpendicular (at right angles) to the direction of energy transfer
What are examples of transverse waves?
- light
- ripples on water
- waves on a string
In longitude waves what direction to the vibrations travel?
The vibrations are in the same direction as the energy transfer
What is compression?
Where the particles squish together
What are rarefactions?
Where particles spread out
An example of longitude waves
Sound wave
What is the amplitude?
Amplitude is the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its rest position (undisturbed position)
What is the wavelength?
The wavelength is the distance between one point on a wave and the same point on the next wave
What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of complete waves passing a certain point each second
What is frequency measured in?
Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz). 1 Hz is 1 wave per second
What is the period?
Period is the amount of time it takes for one complete wave to pass a certain point
What is displacement?
Displacement is how far a particle on the wave is from its rest position
