4.2 Wave Propagation 2/7 Flashcards
(19 cards)
What does wave “propagation” mean?
The way waves TRAVEL
Waves travel through different materials and mediums.
What type of wave is produced when one water droplet falls on the surface of a pond?
Circular wave
The energy travels outwards in all directions evenly.
Why are circular waves produced by a water droplet falling in a pond?
The disturbance happens at only at one point
And then the energy is free to move out in all directions
After a drop of water falls in a pond and the wave moves outward, what will happen at source point?
That spot in the pond will return to CALM WATER.
What type of wave is observed when waves are crashing on a beach?
Plane wave
These waves come from mutiple disturbances over a large area (not one small point).
How do plane waves differ from circular waves?
1) SOURCE: Plane waves come from multiple disturbances over a large area
2) DIRECTION OF TRAVEL: Plane waves travel in one direction
Circular waves come from one single point and travel out in every direction
What do the wavefronts of a plane wave look like?
- Straight lines
- Travelling in one direction
Each wavefront arrives at the beach at the same time.
Fill in the blank: Waves that travel outward in all directions are called _______.
circular waves
Fill in the blank: Waves that all travel in the same direction are called _______.
plane waves
What is a wavefront in physics?
Imaginary lines showing how a series of waves are travelling out from a source.
The wavefront shows points in a wave that are all the same distance from the source, moving together in phase.
Fill in the blank: A wavefront consists of points that are the same distance from the _______.
[source of the wave]
True or False: A wavefront can only be a straight line.
False
Wavefronts can also be circular
What shape are wavefronts for a plane wave?
Straight lines
Plane waves are characterized by their uniform wavefronts.
What type of wave is this?
A circular wave
What type of wave is this
A plane wave
What type of wavefront is this?
A circular wavefront
What type of wavefront is this?
A plane wavefront
Whare the two types of wave propagation we are studying in this chapter?
Circular waves
Plane waves
What shape are wavefronts depicting a circular wave?
Circular
