Waves

Question 1

What are the two types of waves?

Answer 1

Transverse and longitudinal.

Question 2

What do waves do?

Answer 2

Transfer energy from one place to another.

Question 3

What do the particles that make up a wave do?

Answer 3

Oscillate (vibrate) around a fixed point, to pass energy onto the next particles.

Question 4

What are the oscillations like in a transverse wave?

Answer 4

Perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer.

Question 5

What are the oscillations like in a longitudinal wave?

Answer 5

Parallel to the direction of energy transfer.

Question 6

What is the frequency of a wave?

Answer 6

The number of waves passing a fixed point per second (Hz).

Question 7

What is the amplitude of a wave?

Answer 7

The maximum displacement that any particle achieves from its undisturbed position (m).

Question 8

What is wavelength?

Answer 8

The distance from one point on a wave to the equivalent point on the next wave (m).

Question 9

What is the period of a wave?

Answer 9

The time taken for one complete oscillation (s).

Question 10

With water waves, what are some useful observations?

Answer 10

Amplitude is seen as the wave height.

The period is the time taken for one complete wave to pass a fixed point.

Question 11

What can amplitude show?

Answer 11

It indicates the amount of energy a wave is carrying.

Question 12

What is the speed of a wave?

Answer 12

The speed at which energy is transferred/the wave moves.

Question 13

What type of waves are electromagnetic waves?

Answer 13

Transverse.

Question 14

What does the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave affect?

Answer 14

How it is absorbed, transmitted, reflected, or refracted.

Question 15

What are all the types of electromagnetic waves in order from low frequency?

Answer 15

Radio waves.
Microwaves.
Infrared rays.
Visible light.
Ultraviolet rays.
X-rays.
Gamma rays.

Question 16

How might a wave be refracted?

Answer 16

When is passes from one medium into another.

Question 17

What does the direction of refraction depend on?

Answer 17

The angle at which the wave hits the boundary.

The materials involved.

Question 18

What is the refractive index of a material?

Answer 18

The way in which the material affects refraction.

Question 19

How do light rays react when they pass from a material with a low refractive index into a material with a high refractive index?

Answer 19

It bends towards the normal.

Question 20

How do light rays react when they pass from a material with.a high refractive index into a material with a low refractive index?

Answer 20

It bends away from the normal.

Question 21

What is refraction the result of?

Answer 21

The difference in wave speed in the different media.

Question 22

What are ray diagrams used to show?

Answer 22

What happens when waves are refracted.

Question 23

What can radio waves be used for?

Answer 23

Television, radio, bluetooth.

Question 24

What can microwaves be used for?

Answer 24

Satellite communications, cooking food.

Question 25

What can infrared waves be used for?

Answer 25

Electrical heatings, cooking food, infrared cameras.

Question 26

What can visible light be used for?

Answer 26

Fibre optic communications.

Question 27

What can ultraviolet waves be used for?

Answer 27

Energy efficient light bulbs, security marking, sunbeds.

Question 28

What can X-rays be used for?

Answer 28

Medical imaging and treatments.

Question 29

What can gamma rays be used for?

Answer 29

Sterilising food, treatment of tumours.

Question 30

What can radio waves be caused by?

Answer 30

Oscillations in electrical circuits (like an alternating current).

Question 31

What happens when radio waves are absorbed by a conductor?

Answer 31

They may create an alternating current with the same frequency of the radio wave.

Question 32

What changes in atoms, and the nuclei of atoms, can generate waves?

Answer 32

Electrons moving between energy levels as a result of heat and electrical excitation.
Changes in the nucleus (such as an unstable one emitting gamma rays).

Question 33

What risks do ultraviolet waves hold?

Answer 33

Causes skin to age prematurely.

Increases the risk of cancer.

Question 34

What risks does ionising radiation cause?

Answer 34

Such as X-rays and gamma rays, they can damage cells by ionising atoms and cause gene mutations and cancer/