Waves AND Mediums Flashcards
What is a wave?
A wave is a disturbance that transmits energy through a medium
What is a medium? Give examples.
Mediums are any physical substances that help waves carry or propagate energy
Examples include tidal, sound and electromagnetic waves
What are the two main types of waves?
Mechanical waves and Electromagnetic waves
What are two main types of mechanical waves?
Transverse and Longitudinal Waves
What is a longitudinal wave? What about a transverse? What is the difference between the two?
A longitudinal wave is one in which the disturbance moves in the same direction as the wave. IT DOES NOT oscillate up and down, only left or right. In a way, the wave is compressed and looks like a slinky, which can be drawn as a diagram in an exam.
However, a transversal wave is a type of wave that oscillates up and down perpendicular to the motion. Transverse waves can be drawn as slinkys which move up and down or just a basic sin or cos graph
Give an example of a longitudinal wave. Same for transversal
A longitudinal wave includes Sound Waves.
A transverse wave would be any electromagnetic waves, light waves , radiowaves or water waves…etc.
Define mechanical waves and electromagnetic waves
A mechanical wave is basically any wave that requires a medium to travel or transfer energy.
An electromagnetic wave is a wave that does not require a medium to transmit energy and instead relies on electric or magnetic fields.
What are the main features of waves
Crest, amplitude, trough, wavelength, frequency, Period
What is a period in a wave? What about wavelengths and amplitudes?
The period is the total time it takes for a wave to complete one whole cycle.
Wavelength refers to the distance between a crest to a crest or a trough to a trough. It can also be one complete sin graph with a 360 degree maximum, ifukwim. The symbol for wavelength is lambda, which is an upside down y.
The amplitude is the maximum displacement from the equilibrium position.
What is frequency?
Frequency refers to how many wave cycles occur in one second. It is the number of waves which pass a certain location in a time interval of one second.
What is the symbol for period? What is the SI unit for its value?
Period is written as ‘T’
The SI unit for period is in seconds.
Formula for Period? (It is related to the frequency)
T = 1 / F
Period = 1 / Frequency
How do you calculate wavelength?
Wavelength is calculated using the formula:
Wavelength =
Velocity of the wave / Frequency of the wave
Lambda y = v / f
What is the formula regarding k, which is the wave number? What is ‘K’?
K stands for wavenumber, which is the number of waves occurring over a specified distance,
The formula for wavenumber or number of waves can also be expressed as:
K = 2π / Wavelength
K = 2π / λ
What is the refractive index? What does it tell us? What does a high refractive index suggest?
The refractive index tells us the density of a certain medium.
If a certain medium has a high density, then we can assume that the velocity of the wave travelling through this medium will decrease, meaning that it starts to move away from its original direction and thus closer to the norm. (THERE IS ALWAYS A NORM WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH WAVES AND MEDIUMS)
