Waves - Properties Flashcards
What is a wave?
A wave is a travelling disturbance that transports energy from one location to another without transporting matter.
Types of Waves:
Electromagnetic Waves are the only waves that can travel through a vacuum.
Mechanical Waves require a substance to travel through, and are called mechanical waves.
Mechanical Waves can travel through large distances, but individual particles in the medium can never move that far from their original positions.
Mechanical Waves - Transverse/Longitudinal
In a transverse wave - Particles in the medium vibrate perpendicular to the direction the wave is travelling.
In longitudinal waves, particles vibrate parallel to the direction the wave is travelling. As the wave travels it creates regions of high pressure(compression) and low pressure (rarefaction) in the medium.
Wave Properties:
Amplitude - the Maximum displacement of the particles in the medium from their resting positions. Measured in meters.
Wavelength - The distance over which the wave’s shape repeats.
Frequency - the number of wave cycle per second.
Period = The amount of time it takes for 1 complete wavelength to pass a specific point. Measured in seconds. Frequency is the inverse of the period.
