Chapter 11: Waves Flashcards
(14 cards)
What’s a transverse wave?
A transverse wave is a wave in which the oscillations of the perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave
What’s a longitudinal wave?
A longitudinal wave is a wave in which the oscillations of the parallel to the direction of propagation of the wave
Define displacement
Displacement is the position of an oscillating particle from its equilibrium position
Define amplitude
Amplitude is the maximum displacement from a of an oscillating particle from its equilibrium position
Define wavelength
Wavelength is the distance between any two consecutive points on a wave that are in phase
Define period
Period is defined as the time taken for a particle to undergo one complete cycle of oscillation. It is also the time taken for the wave to travel one wavelength
Define frequency
Frequency is defined as the number of oscillations performed by a particle per unit time
Define speed
Speed is defined as the distance travelled by the wave per unit time
Define wavefront
Wavefront is defined as the imaginary line joining all the points of the wave that have the same phase
Define ray
A ray is defined as the line drawn in the direction of the wave motion used to indicate the path taken by the wave
Define phase
The phase refers to the stage of an oscillation the particle is in at a particular instant
Define phase difference
The phase difference is a measure of how much one wave is out of step with another wave
Define intensity
The intensity of a wave is the rate of flow of energy per unit area perpendicular to the direction of the wave.
Define polarisation
Polarisation is a process by which a wave’s oscillations are made to occur in a single plane only.
