Waves and Sound Flashcards
What is a wave?
A constant travelling disturbance that transfers and carries energy
What is the crest?
The highest point on a wave
What is the trough?
The lowest point on a wave
What is the medium?
The substance/object the wave is going through
What is hertz?
The unit of frequency per second
What is the wavelength?
How long the wave is (measurement) from crest to crest or trough to trough
What is the amplitude?
The distance between the crest/trough from the origin (middle of the wave)
How do you find frequency?
1/Period
What is the period?
How many seconds per wave
What is the wave speed?
How fast the wave is travelling
What is the frequency?
How many waves you get per second
How to find the period?
1/Frequency
How to find the wave speed?
Wavelength X Frequency (s=λ x f)
What are the two types of waves?
Transverse and Longitudinal
Longitudinal waves can go through __________, while transverse waves can only go through ______.
anything, solids
What type of wave is a sound wave?
Longitudinal
What do each of the wave types look like?
Transverse: Up and down, looks squiggly
Longitudinal: Straight, like a line
Sound waves require a…
medium
How does a smooth and rigid surface reflect?
It reflects very well. E.g. a cafeteria
How does a soft and irregular surface reflect?
It reflects very poorly. E.g. a movie theatre
What is refraction?
When the wave bends as it goes through a change in the medium
What is diffraction?
The bending of a wave as it goes around the edge of an object, or through a hole
What is the angle that sound comes in at when reflected called? (This was the graph that looks like a V)
It’s called incidence
What is the angle that sound comes out at when reflected called? (This was the graph that looks like a V)
It’s called reflection
The speed of sound depends on what? What substances is it faster or slower in?
The medium. It’s faster in water, and even faster through solid.
