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AQA GCSE Physics (Detailed Version) > P12 - Waves > Flashcards

P12 - Waves Flashcards

1
Q

What is an ultrasound wave?

A

Sound wave at a frequency greater than 20,000 Hz (the upper frequency of the human ear)

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2
Q

What is amplitude

A
  • Height of wave crest or trough from rest position (transverse wave)
  • Closeness of coils in compression (longitudinal wave)
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3
Q

What is compression?

A

Squeezing together

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4
Q

What is an echo?

A

A reflection of sound that can be heard

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5
Q

What are electromagnetic waves?

A

Electric and magnetic disturbances that transfer energy from one place to another

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6
Q

What is frequency?

A

The number of waves passing a fixed point every second

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7
Q

What are longitudinal waves?

A

Waves in which the vibrations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer

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8
Q

What are mechanical waves?

A

vibrations that travel through a substance

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9
Q

Define Oscillate:

A

move to and fro about a certain position along a line

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10
Q

What is a Primary Seismic Wave (P-wave)?

A

Longitudinal waves that push or pull on the material that they move through as they travel through the earth

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11
Q

What is rarefaction?

A

Stretched apart

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12
Q

What is reflection?

A

The change of direction of a light ray or wave at a boundary when the ray or wave stays in the incident medium

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13
Q

What is refraction?

A

The change of direction of a light ray when it passes across a boundary between 2 transparent substances at a non-zero angle

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14
Q

What is a Secondary Seismic Wave (S-wave)?

A

Transverse waves that shake the earth side to side as they pass through

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15
Q

What are seismic waves?

A

Seismic waves are waves that travel through the earth, they are produced in an earthquake and spread out from the epicentre

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16
Q

What is wave speed?

A

The distance travelled by a wave every second

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17
Q

What is transmission/transmitted?

A

A wave passing through a substance

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18
Q

What is a transverse wave?

A

A wave were the vibration is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

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19
Q

What is a vibration?

A

Oscillate rapidly about a certain position

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20
Q

What is a wavelength?

A

The distance from one wave crest to the next

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21
Q

What is the period of a wave?

A

The time taken for 2 successive crests (1 wavelength) to pass a fixed point

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22
Q

What is a wave?

A

A series of oscillations that travel from one place to another, transferring energy

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23
Q

What is a wave crest?

A

The highest point above the reset point

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24
Q

What is a wave trough?

A

The lowest point below the reset point

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25
Q

What is the unit for frequency?

A

Hertz (Hz)

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26
Q

What is the equation for the period of a wave?

A

T (period) = 1 / f (frequency)

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27
Q

What is the equation for the speed of a wave?

A

V (speed of wave) = f (frequency) × λ wavelength)

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28
Q

What is the normal line?

A

The normal is a dotted line drawn perpendicular (90°) to the surface of the material, at the point of entry of the light.

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29
Q

What is the law of reflection

A

The reflected waves move away from the flat barrier at an angle equal to the incident waves (The angle of incidence = the angle of reflection)

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30
Q

What is the angle of incidence?

A

The angle between the normal and the incident ray

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31
Q

What is the angle of reflection?

A

The angle between the normal and the reflected ray

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32
Q

What is the incident wave?

A

The wave travelling towards a barrier or boundary

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33
Q

What is a reflected ray?

A

A ray of light that has been reflected off a surface

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34
Q

What is a refracted ray?

A

A ray that travels in another medium and undergoes a change of velocity

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35
Q

What is the equation for the distance of an object detected using sound?

A

Distance (m) = 1/2 x speed of wave (m/s) × time (s)

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36
Q

Explain how a light wave will be refracted depending on the material that it enters

A
  • Light wave enters more dense medium:
    • Slows down (more resistance)
    • Bends towards the normal
  • Light wave enters less dense medium:
    • Speeds up (less resistance)
    • Bends away from the normal
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37
Q

How would you demonstrate a mechanical longitudinal wave?

A

Pulling a slinky forwards and backwards

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38
Q

How would you demonstrate a mechanical transverse wave?

A

tying 1 end of a rope to a fixed position and moving the other end up and down

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39
Q

What medium do mechanical waves travel through fastest?

A

Solids

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40
Q

What medium do electromagnetic waves travel through fastest?

A

a vacuum

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41
Q

What type of wave is a sound wave?

A

mechanical and longitudinal

42
Q

What is the pitch of a sound wave?

A

The frequency

43
Q

What is the volume (loudness) of a sound wave?

A

The amplitude

44
Q

What is an oscilloscope?

A
  • Oscilloscope shows wave shapes of electrical signals
  • Connected to a microphone, it shows wave shapes of sounds
45
Q

Explain how we are able to hear noise of people talking loudly in another room

A
  • Sound waves travel through air and walls to reach our ears.
  • Walls speed up sound due to their solid structure.
  • Air carries sound waves into our ears.
  • Eardrums vibrate when hit by sound waves.
  • Brain receives signals from small bones about the sound.
46
Q

Explain how ships are able to detect the depth of water.

A
  • Ships use echo sounding technique.
  • Transmit high frequency sound wave.
  • Wave reflects from ocean bottom, detected by ship.
  • Calculate depth: Distance (m) = 1/2 × speed of wave (m/s) × time (s).
47
Q

What is the speed of sound in water?

A

1500 m/s

48
Q

What are 2 medical imaging techniques?

A

Ultrasound, X-ray

49
Q

What is the range of human hearing?

A

20Hz - 20kHz

50
Q

What is an infrasound wave?

A

Sound wave at a frequency lower than 20 Hz (the lower frequency of the human ear)

51
Q

What is an ultrasound scanner?

A
  • Ultrasound scanner: electronic device
  • Uses a transducer
  • Transducer placed on a surface
  • Sends pulses of ultrasound waves
  • Detects returning waves
  • Results shown on a display screen
52
Q

What are the uses of an ultrasound scanner?

A

Medical Imaging:

• Looking at organs inside the body
• Looking at damaged ligaments
• Looking at damaged muscles
• Looking at babies inside the womb

Ultrasound scanners can also be used for industrial purposes such as inspecting metals for defects and damage

53
Q

Why can’t x-rays be used for a baby scan?

A
  • X-rays show only the baby’s bones, not body and limbs.
  • Cannot see development of important baby features.
  • Ionising radiation from X-rays can be damaging to the baby.
54
Q

What happens when an ultrasound wave hits organ tissue?

A

It is partially reflected

55
Q

What happens when x-rays hit organ tissue?

A

They pass straight through

56
Q

Explain exactly how an ultrasound scanner works

A
  • Ultrasound pulse reflected at medium boundaries.
  • Return time of reflected waves monitored.
  • Detected waves used to create point-by-point image.
  • Transducer moved for complete object image.
57
Q

What is non-ionising radiation?

A

A type of low-energy radiation that does not have enough energy to remove an electron from an atom

58
Q

What is the speed of sound in air?

A

330 m/s

59
Q

What is the inner core?

A

The inner core is the central part of the earth, it is very dense, hot, and it mostly made from solid iron and nickel

60
Q

What is the outer core?

A

The section of the earth after the inner core, made of iron and nickel, but liquid

61
Q

What is the crust?

A

The outer layer of the earth that is very thin and made mostly of silicon, oxygen, and aluminium

62
Q

What is the mantle?

A

A viscous semi-solid below the crust with convection currents circulating within it

63
Q

What is the atmosphere?

A

A layer of gases that envelope the crust and the entire earth

64
Q

What is the shadow zone?

A

the area of the Earth’s surface where waves are not detected following an earthquake

65
Q

What is an earthquake?

A
  • Earth’s internal forces from tectonic movement build up pressure.
  • Pressure causes rocks to fracture.
  • Fracture releases energy in seismic waves.
  • Seismic waves are shock waves from sudden rock movement.
66
Q

Describe the properties of P-Waves:

A

• The P stands for Primary.
• They are longitudinal waves (push-pull) and they are mechanical
• They can travel through liquid and solid so they can travel through the earths core
• They are the fastest seismic wave
• They are bent sharply by changing the density of the material that they’re travelling through

67
Q

What determines whether a wave requires a medium to travel?

A

Whether it is mechanical or electromagnetic:
• Mechanical waves require a medium
• Electromagnetic waves do not require a medium

68
Q

Describe the properties of S-Waves:

A

• The S stands for secondary
• They are transverse waves (up and down)
• They can only travel through solids
• They are slower than P-waves
• They are bent sharply by changing the density of the material that they are travelling through

69
Q

Describe the properties of L-Waves:

A
  • L-waves (Long Waves): Arrive last
  • Cause violent surface movements: Up-down, backward-forward
  • Travel slower than P and S waves
  • Restricted to Earth’s crust
70
Q

What type of seismic waves are detected first?

A

P-waves because they are the fastest form of seismic wave

71
Q

What type of seismic waves can travel through the earths mantle?

A

P-waves, S-waves

72
Q

What type of seismic waves can travel through the earths outer core?

A

P-waves

73
Q

What happens to s and p-waves as they travel deeper into the earths mantle?

A

Their speed and direction change as the medium they travel through is more dense

74
Q

What happens to P-waves as they travel across the boundary from the mantle to the outer core?

A

They refract away from the normal as the density of the medium they travel through is less dense

75
Q

Use the detection of different seismic waves to provide evidence for the presence of a liquid outer core in the earths surface

A
  • P-waves (longitudinal): Travel through solids and liquids.
  • S-waves (transverse): Travel through solids, not liquids.
  • Earthquake waves: P-waves and S-waves spread from the epicenter.
  • Detection: P-waves detected globally; S-waves detected near the epicenter.
  • Earth’s core: S-waves blocked by the liquid outer core, P-waves pass through.
  • Conclusion: Liquid outer core exists, allowing P-waves but not S-waves.
  • Shadow zone: Indicates P-waves are refracted by different density, confirming the liquid outer core.
76
Q

What is an optically denser medium?

A

A medium in which light travels comparatively slower than the other medium

77
Q

What is a rarer medium?

A

A medium in which light travels comparatively faster than the other medium

78
Q

Describe how sound waves are produced by a drum and then heard

A
  • Hitting the drum makes it vibrate.
  • Vibrating drum skin vibrates nearby air particles.
  • These vibrations form a longitudinal sound wave.
  • Sound wave travels through air to the ear.
  • It moves down the ear canal to the tympanic membrane, causing it to vibrate.
  • Vibrations are converted to signals sent to the brain, creating the sensation of sound.
79
Q

What is the tympanic membrane?

A

The ear drum

80
Q

Explain how the human ear can only hear over a certain range of frequencies

A
  • Human hearing limit: Eardrum maxes out around 20kHz
  • Hearing range limited by eardrum capacity
  • Ageing eardrum: Vibrates less, hearing range decreases
81
Q

Explain the method for investigating waves in a liquid

A
  • Gather apparatus: tray, water, ruler, stopwatch
  • Measure and note tray length
  • Fill tray with water to 5cm depth
  • Elevate one end of tray 3cm, let other end touch ground
  • Drop elevated end, time wave travel across tray
  • Calculate wave speed: Tray length ÷ Time for wave
  • Reduce water depth by 1cm, repeat steps 4-6
  • Continue reducing water depth by 1cm, repeating steps 4-6 each time
  • Time permitting, repeat entire process for mean average
  • Record data in table or graph
82
Q

What is are some examples of a mechanical wave?

A

Sound wave, Water waves, Seismic waves

83
Q

What are some examples of electromagnetic waves?

A

Light waves, radio waves, and microwaves

84
Q

What category of waves are electromagnetic waves?

A

All electromagnetic waves are transverse waves

85
Q

What category of waves are mechanical waves?

A

Mechanical waves can be transverse or longitudinal

86
Q

What type of waves can be transverse?

A

Both mechanical and electromagnetic waves can be transverse

87
Q

What type of waves can be electromagnetic?

A

Only transverse waves can be electromagnetic

88
Q

What is the direction of oscillations in a transverse wave?

A

In a transverse wave, the direction of oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer

89
Q

What is the direction of oscillations in a longitudinal wave?

A

The oscillations of a longitudinal wave are parallel to the direction energy transfer

90
Q

What happens if a wave has a larger amplitude?

A

It carries more energy

91
Q

What happens if a wave has a larger amplitude?

A

It carries more energy

92
Q

Why can you see lighting before you hear the thunder?

A

Because the speed of light is greater than the speed of sound

93
Q

What happens if a wave hits a barrier?

A
  • Reflection occurs at the barrier.
  • Reflected wave front moves away at the same angle as incident wave front.
  • No change in speed or wavelength.
94
Q

What happens when a wave meets a boundary with a different substance?

A

It may be:
• Totally or partially reflected
• Transmitted through the substance
• Absorbed by the substance

95
Q

What happens when a wave passes through a substance?

A

As waves travel through a substance, the amplitude of the waves decreases as the substance absorbs some of the waves’ energy

96
Q

What is used to detect seismic waves?

A

A seismometer

97
Q

What frequency of sound is most detectable to humans?

A

3kHz

98
Q

What can waves not transfer?

A

Matter

99
Q

What method is used to detect objects underwater?

A

echosounding

100
Q

Which seismic waves are transverse waves?

A

S-waves

101
Q

What changes during refraction?

A

change in speed, direction and wavelength of the waves

AQA GCSE Physics (Detailed Version) (27 decks)

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