Waves Basics

Question 1

What do waves do?

Answer 1

Transfer Energy and Information in the Direction they’re Travelling.

Question 2

What is the Amplitude?

Answer 2

The displacement from the rest position to a crest or trough.

Question 3

What is the Wavelength?

Answer 3

the length of a full cycle of the wave.
(e.g. crest to crest or compression to compression if longitudinal wave)

Question 4

What is the Frequency?

Answer 4

the number of complete cycles of the wave passing a certain point per second.
1Hz = 1 wave per second.

Question 5

What is the period of a wave?

Answer 5

the number of seconds it takes for one full cycle.
Period = 1 / frequency.

Question 6

What are the differences in a Transverse wave and a Longitudinal wave?

Answer 6

In tranverse waves, the vibrations are Perpendicular (90 degrees) to the direction the wave travels but in a Longitudinal wave, the vibrations are Parallel to the direction the wave travels.

Question 7

All electromagnetic waves are:

Answer 7

Transverse waves

Question 8

How do Longitudinal waves move?

Answer 8

they squash up and stretch out the arrangement of particles in the medium they pass through, making compressions and rarefactions

Question 9

What is the Formula for Wave speed?

Answer 9

Wave speed = Frequency * Wavelength

Question 10

What does Wave speed tell you?

Answer 10

tells you how quickly a wave moves through space.