Waves - Properties Of Waves

Question 1

What is a wave

Answer 1

An oscillation that transfers energy without transferring matter

Question 2

What are transverse waves

Answer 2

Oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

Question 3

What type of waves are transverse waves

Answer 3

Ripples on water
Waves on strings and spings
Light and all other electromagnetic waves

Question 4

What are longitudinal waves

Answer 4

Oscillations parcel to direction of energy transfer

They have areas of pressure and rare rarefraction

Question 5

Name examples of logitudal waves

Answer 5

Sound waves and a spring when you push the end

Question 6

What is the amplitude

Answer 6

Maximum displacement from the rest point

Question 7

What is wave lenghth

Answer 7

The distance between the same point on 2 adjacent waves

Question 8

What is frequency

Answer 8

The nummber of complete waves passing a point per second

Measured in Hertz Hz

Question 9

What is the time period

Answer 9

The amount of time it takes for a complete cycle of one wave

Question 10

What is the equation that includes time period

Answer 10

1/frequency

Question 11

What is the equation for wave speed

Answer 11

Speed(m/s) =frequency x wavelength (m)

Question 12

how do u measure the speed of sound

Answer 12

play a speaker with a set frequency (use a signal generator)

get 2 microphones attached to an oscilloscope

slowly move one microphone away from the speaker until the waves alliin again. this is when they are one wavelength apart.

measure the distance between them

find the speed by doing frequency x wavelength

Question 13

what is the speed of sound in the air

Answer 13

330m/s

Question 14

what is a boundary

Answer 14

between 2 different materials

Question 15

what 3 things can happen to a wave at a boundary

Answer 15

absorption, reflection, transmission

Question 16

what is a ray

Answer 16

a straight line showing the path of a wave

Question 17

what is a normal

Answer 17

a straight line that is 90 degrees to the boundary

Question 18

what is the angle between the ray and the normal called

Answer 18

angle of incidence

Question 19

what is the angle between the normal and the refracted ray called

Answer 19

angle of refraction

Question 20

why does refraction occur

Answer 20

waves travel faster in some materials than others. when a wave refracts it changes speed, not frequency

Question 21

what are wavefronts

Answer 21

imaginary lines drawn through certain points on waves at right angles to the waves

Question 22

what are wavefronts useful for

Answer 22

explaining why waves refract across boundaries

Question 23

why does a wave change direction when it refracts

Answer 23

because its at an angle to the boundary, one end changes speed before the rest of the wave causing it to change direction

Question 24

where will a wave bend if it slows down at a boundary

Answer 24

towards the normal

Question 25

where will a wave bend if it speeds up at the boundary

Answer 25

away from the normal

Question 26

what is the correlation between the angle of incidence and the angle of reflection when a wave is reflected

Answer 26

angle of incidence = angle of reflection

Question 27

what is specular reflection

Answer 27

parallel waves reflected in a single direction by a smooth surface. e.g. when light is reflected by a mirror

Question 28

what is diffuse reflection

Answer 28

parallel waves reflected by a rough surface so reflected waves are scattered in lot of different directions. this is because the normal varies on rough surfaces