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GCSE Physics > 4) Waves > Flashcards

4) Waves Flashcards

1
Q

What do transverse waves cause particles in the medium to do?

A

Vibrate at right angles to the direction of the wave’s motion

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2
Q

What are real world examples of transverse waves?

A

Corks bobbing

Mexican wave

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3
Q

What do waves transfer?

A

Energy

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4
Q

What do longitudinal waves cause particles in the medium to do?

A

Vibrate in the same direction as the wave’s motion

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5
Q

What are examples of longitudinal waves?

A

P-waves

Sound waves

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6
Q

What do all waves have?

A

A frequency

A period of oscillation

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7
Q

What is a wave’s frequency?

A

Number of oscillations per second

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8
Q

What is an oscillation?

A

A vibration

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9
Q

What is frequency measured in?

A

Hertz (Hz)

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10
Q

What are the equations for frequency?

A 
frequency = number of oscillations / time
frequency = 1 / period
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11
Q

What is a period of a wave?

A

The time taken to complete one oscillation

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12
Q

What is equation for a wave’s period?

A

period = 1 / frequency

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13
Q

What is the period of a wave measured in?

A

Seconds (s)

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14
Q

What is the amplitude of wave?

A

The greatest distance a point on a wave moves from its rest position

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15
Q

What is the wavelength?

A

The distance between two peaks of adjacent waves

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16
Q

What are wavefronts?

A

Parallel lines at the peaks of ripples

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17
Q

What is the equation for wave speed?

A

wave speed = frequency x wavelength

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18
Q

What is the best way to observe water waves?

A

A ripple tank

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19
Q

What happens when a wave travels from one medium to another?

A

Speed changes
Wavelength changes
Frequency stays the same

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20
Q

What part of waves are directly proportional?

A

Speed and wavelength

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21
Q

Why is the frequency of a wave unchanged between mediums?

A

The source is still producing the same number of osciallations per seconds

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22
Q

When does reflection happen?

A

Wave hits a flat surface (plane) and bounces off

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23
Q

What can happen to waves at the boudnary of a medium?

A

Refraction
Reflection
Absorbtion
Transmission

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24
Q

Why does refraction happen?

A

If the wave crosses the medium at an angle the change in speed will cause the direction to change

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25
What is absorbtion?
When energy is absorbed by the material
26
What is transmission?
When waves catry on travelling through a new material
27
What does transmission often lead to?
Refraction
28
What is the angle of incidence?
The angle between the incident ray and the normal
29
What is the incident ray?
The incoming light ray to a medium
30
What is the normal line?
A line at 90 degrees to the plane
31
What is the angle of reflection?
The angle between the reflected ray and the normal
32
What does the law of reflection state?
The angle of incidence = the angle of reflection
33
What is the flat surface light rays hit called?
The plane
34
What happens to light when it enters a more optically dense medium?
It slows down
35
What happens to light when it enters a less optically dense medium?
It speeds up
36
How does light refract when entering a more optically dense medium?
It is refracted closer to the normal | Angle of refraction is smaller than angle of incidence
37
How does light refract when entering a less optically dense medium?
It is refracted further from the normal | Angle of refraction is larger than angle of incidence
38
What type of waves are sound?
Longitudinal waves
39
How is sound produced?
By the vibration of particles in a medium
40
What is a medium?
The subtance that waves travel through
41
What do waves travel in a series of?
Compressions and rarefractions
42
What are sound compressions?
Where the medium is squashed together?
43
What are sound rarefractions?
Where the medium is stretched apart
44
What sound range can we hear?
20Hz - 20,000 Hz
45
What is ultrasound?
Sound waves above 20,000 Hz
46
What is infrasound?
Sound waves below 20 Hz
47
What are seismic waves?
Infrasound
48
What do doctors use ultrasound for?
Scanning a developing foetus
49
How does a rigid medium affect the speed of sound?
More rigid = higher speed
50
How does a compressible medium affect the speed of sound?
More compressible = lower speed
51
How quick is sound in gases?
Very slow as gas is easily compressable
52
How quick is sound in solids?
Quicker than liquids or gases as more rigid
53
How quick is sound in gases?
Quicker than gas as more rigid
54
Why can sound waves not travel in space?
It is a vacuum No medium for sound waves to travel through No particles to vibrate
55
What are the stages of sound in the ear?
1) Sound waves make ear drum vibrate 2) Passed via small bones (anvil, hammer, stirrup) 3) Auditory nerve 4) Sends an electrical signal to brain
56
What can we use ultrasound waves for?
Medical imaging | Industrial imaging
57
How is ultrasound used in medicine?
1) Ultrasound waves pass through body 2) When reaching a boundary between two different materials, some will be reflected which we can detect 3) A computer processes the timing and distribution of these waves and develops a video image
58
How is ultrasound used in industry?
Can find flaws in materials Usuallly ultrasound is reflcted by the far side of a material Flaws reflect waves sooner telling us there is a problem
59
How is ultrasound useds to find water depth?
Echo sounding 1) Send ultrasound pulse into water 2) When pulse hits surface it is reflected back 3) We can work out distance travelled by recording time taken
60
What 2 types of seismic wave do earthquakes produce?
P-waves (primary) | S-waves (secondary)
61
What type of wave are P-waves?
Longitudinal seismic waves
62
What type of wave are S-waves?
Transverse, seismic waves
63
What can S-waves travel through?
Solids
64
What can P-waves travel through?
Solids | Liquids
65
What happens if the incident ray is at the critical angle?
The refracted light travels parallel to the boundary of two mediums

GCSE Physics (14 decks)

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