General Wave Properties

Question 1

define wave

Answer 1

a disturbance that transfers energy from one place to another. it does not transfer matter during the energy transfer.

Question 2

what is the source of a wave?

Answer 2

vibration or oscillation

Question 3

how does vibration in ropes work?

Answer 3

1. kinetic energy from the moving hand is transferred to the rope
2. this forms a rope wave (a wave that travels within rope)
3. the rope wave moves from the hand to the wall (left to right)
4. as the wave moves through the rope, from left to right, the rope particles move up and down, about their rest positions
5. eventually, the kinetic energy is transferred from the hand to the wall

Question 4

how does vibration in ripple tanks work?

Answer 4

1. kinetic energy from the dipper is transferred to the water
2. this forms a water wave (e.g. water ripple)
3. water wave moves outwards from the dipper
4. in other words, kinetic energy transferred from dipper to edge of ripple tank
5. water particles move up and down, about their rest positions

Question 5

how does vibration in springs work?

Answer 5

1. the hand moves up and down (i.e. direction of vibration is up and down)
2. the coils move up and down, while the wave moves from left to right
3. the movement of the coils is perpendicular to the wave motion

OR

1. hand moves left and right (i.e. in direction of vibration is left and right)
2. coils move left and right, while wave moves from left to right
3. movement of the coils is parallel to wave motion

Question 6

what is meant by transverse waves?

Answer 6

waves that travel perpendicular to direction of medium’s particle vibration

Question 7

what is meant by longitudinal waves?

Answer 7

waves that travel parallel to direction of the medium’s particle vibration

Question 8

what is meant by amplitude of a wave?

Answer 8

the maximum displacement of a point from its rest position. the height of crest or depth of trough measured from rest position. SI unit is metre.

Question 9

what is meant by a wavelength?

Answer 9

the shortest distance between any two points in a wave that are in phase, such as two successive crests or troughs. SI unit is metre.

Question 10

what is meant by a period?

Answer 10

the time taken for a point of the wave to complete one oscillation. the time taken to produce one complete wave. SI unit is seconds.

Question 11

what is meant by frequency?

Answer 11

the number of complete waves produced per second. SI unit is hertz.

Question 12

what does wave speed mean?

Answer 12

the distance travelled by a wave per second. SI unit is m/s.

Question 13

what is a wavefront?

Answer 13

an imaginary line on a wave that joins all adjacent points that are in phase.

Question 14

what is frequency affected by?

Answer 14

source of wave

Question 15

what is speed and wavelength affected by?

Answer 15

medium that is transferring the wave