Working with waves

Question 1

What are progressive waves?

Answer 1

Waves that transfer energy from one. place to another without transferring matter

Question 2

What are the key characteristics of progressive waves?

Answer 2

Amplitude
Wavelength
Frequency
Speed

Question 3

What are longitudinal waves?

Answer 3

where the particles oscillate parallel to the direction of the wave travel (and energy transfer)
Sound waves

Question 4

What are transverse waves?

Answer 4

where the particles oscillate perpendicular to the direction of the wave travel (and energy transfer)
Light waves

Question 5

What is the wave equation?

Answer 5

Speed= frequency x wavelength

Question 6

What is wave speed?

Answer 6

The speed at which a wave propagates through a medium

Question 7

What is phase difference?

Answer 7

The difference in phase between two points on a wave measured in degrees or radians

Question 8

What is the difference between In-phase and out-of-phase

Answer 8

Points in-phase are multiples of 360 degrees
Out-of-phase points differ by 180 degrees

Question 9

What is the key difference between Longitudinal and transverse waves?

Answer 9

Particle movement direction
Longitudinal waves require a medium
Transverse waves can travel in a vacuum

Question 10

What are stationary waves?

Answer 10

Waves that appear to stand still
Formed by two waves of the same frequency travelling in opposite directions

Question 11

What are Nodes?

Answer 11

Nodes are points of no displacement

Question 12

What are antinodes?

Answer 12

Points of maximum displacement

Question 13

What is the fundamental frequency?

Answer 13

The lowest frequency at which a stationary wave can form

Question 14

What are harmonics?

Answer 14

Higher frequencies at integer multiples of the fundamental frequency

Question 15

What are applications?

Answer 15

Used in musical instruments
Resonance phenomena

Question 16

What is the resonance of application of stationary waves?

Answer 16

Enhances amplitude at specific frequencies in systems
Tuning fork
Bridges

Question 17

What is the communication of application of a stationary wave?

Answer 17

Used in waveguides and antennas to transmit signals efficiency

Question 18

What is constructive interference?

Answer 18

When two waves meet up in phase
Amplitudes add up

Question 19

What is destructive interference?

Answer 19

When two waves meet outside of phase
They cancel each other out

Question 20

What is Youngs double-slit experiment?

Answer 20

Demonstrates wave interference using light
Producing an interference pattern of bright and dark fringes

Question 21

What is diffraction?

Answer 21

The bending of waves around obstacles or through narrow openings

Question 22

What are the factors of diffraction?

Answer 22

More pronounced when opening site is close to the wavelength

Question 23

How is diffraction applied?

Answer 23

Essential in sound and radio waves
They bend around corners

Question 24

What is diffraction gratings?

Answer 24

A tool with multiple slits to disperse light into its spectrum

Question 25

What is the equation for diffraction gratings?

Answer 25

Slit separation SIN(angle)= order x wavelength

Question 26

What is spectroscopy?

Answer 26

Allows precise measurements of light wavelengths
Used in chemical analysis

Question 27

What is astronomy?

Answer 27

Used in telescopes to analyse light from distant stars and galaxies

Question 28

What are optical devises?

Answer 28

Employed in lasers and various sensors for precise measurements