Waves and Sound Unit Test Flashcards
What is periodic motion?
Motion that repeats itself at regular intervals, such as vibrations or oscillations.
How do you calculate frequency and period?
Frequency (f) = 1 / Period (T), where T is the time for one complete cycle.
What are the main features of a wave?
Crest, trough, amplitude, wavelength, phase shift.
How do you read amplitude from a graph?
Amplitude is the maximum displacement from the rest position.
What does wavelength represent?
The distance between two consecutive crests or troughs in a transverse wave.
What is a transverse wave?
A wave where particles move perpendicular to the wave’s direction of travel (e.g., light waves).
What is a longitudinal wave?
A wave where particles move parallel to the wave’s direction of travel (e.g., sound waves).
What is the difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves?
Mechanical waves require a medium (e.g., sound), while electromagnetic waves do not (e.g., light).
What is the principle of superposition?
When two waves overlap, the resultant wave is the sum of the individual wave displacements.
What happens when two waves interfere constructively?
The amplitudes add together, producing a larger wave.
What happens when two waves interfere destructively?
The amplitudes cancel out, producing a smaller or no wave.
What is the universal wave equation?
v = fλ (wave speed = frequency × wavelength).
What happens to the speed of a wave if frequency increases but wavelength stays the same?
The speed remains constant because it depends on the medium, not frequency.
What factors affect the speed of sound?
The medium (faster in solids, slower in gases) and temperature (higher temperature = faster speed).
What is the human audible range?
20 Hz to 20,000 Hz.
What is the Mach number?
The ratio of an object’s speed to the speed of sound (Mach 1 = speed of sound).
What are standing waves?
Waves that appear stationary due to interference of two waves traveling in opposite directions.
What are nodes and antinodes?
Nodes are points of no movement, and antinodes are points of maximum displacement.
How do you determine the fundamental frequency?
It’s the lowest frequency at which a standing wave forms in a system.
What is resonance?
When an object vibrates at its natural frequency due to an external force.
What is the Doppler Effect?
The change in frequency of a wave due to the relative motion of the source and observer.
How does the Doppler Effect affect pitch?
If a sound source moves toward an observer, the pitch increases; if it moves away, the pitch decreases.
What are standing waves?
Standing waves are produced when two identical waves travel in opposite directions and interfere constructively, creating a resultant wave that does not appear to move.
What conditions can produce a standing wave?
standing wave can form when multiple frequencies interfere constructively.
