Light Flashcards
(6 cards)
Light waves always travel in a straight line- true or false
True
What type of waves are light waves?
Light waves are transverse waves.
State the speed of light in a vacuum.
The speed of light in a vacuum is
300, 000,000 m/s.
Describe the difference between how light waves travel compared to water waves.
Water waves travel by moving particles, whereas light waves don’t need particles to travel.
Describe two similarities between light waves and water waves
Similarities between light waves and water waves are:
- Both types of waves are transverse
- Both types of waves transfer energy from one place to another
- Both types of waves can be reflected
Explain why a light wave will travel faster in a vacuum than in the air.
Light waves are slowed down by particles because they get in the way.
In a vacuum, there are no particles at all whereas in air, there are loads of particles.
Therefore, a light wave will travel faster in a vacuum as there are no particles to slow them down.
