Physics Waves

Question 1

What is a wave?

Answer 1

A disturbance that carries energy from one place to another.

Question 2

What is a transverse wave?

Answer 2

A wave where the direction of vibration is perpendicular to the propagation of the wave.

Question 3

What is a longitudinal wave?

Answer 3

A wave where the direction of vibration is parallel to the propagation of the wave.

Question 4

What is a mechanical wave?

Answer 4

A wave caused by the vibration of particles.

Question 5

What is an electromagnetic wave?

Answer 5

A wave caused by the vibration of electric and magnetic fields.

Question 6

What is wavelength?

Answer 6

The distance between two consecutive crests or troughs of a wave.

Question 7

What is frequency?

Answer 7

The number of waves passing a point per second.

Question 8

What is wave amplitude?

Answer 8

The maximum distance of a wave from its undisturbed position.

Question 9

What is wave velocity?

Answer 9

The product of wavelength and frequency.

Question 10

What is reflection?

Answer 10

The bouncing of waves off an obstacle.

Question 11

What is refraction?

Answer 11

The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another of different refractive index

Question 12

What is diffraction?

Answer 12

The sideways spreading of waves beyond a gap or around an obstacle.

Question 13

What is interference?

Answer 13

When two or more waves meet and produce a new wave whose displacement is the sum of the individual displacements.

Question 14

What is constructive interference?

Answer 14

When waves meet and the resulting wave has greater amplitude.

Question 15

What is destructive interference?

Answer 15

When waves meet and the resulting wave has reduced amplitude.

Question 16

What are coherent waves?

Answer 16

Waves that are in phase or have a constant phase difference, same frequency and amplitude.

Question 17

What is polarization?

Answer 17

When a wave vibrates in only one plane.

Question 18

What is the Doppler Effect?

Answer 18

The apparent change in frequency due to relative motion between source and observer.

Question 19

What does “in phase” mean?

Answer 19

When the crests from one source meet crests from another.

Question 20

What does “out of phase” mean?

Answer 20

When the crests from one source meet troughs from another.

Question 21

What is a stationary (standing) wave?

Answer 21

A wave where amplitude at any point is constant and there is no net energy transfer.

Question 22

What is an interference pattern?

Answer 22

A repeating pattern of constructive and destructive interference from two or more coherent sources.

Question 23

What is natural frequency?

Answer 23

The frequency at which a body oscillates when vibrating freely.

Question 24

What is resonance?

Answer 24

Energy transfer due to a periodic force between two systems of the same natural frequency.

Question 25

What are nodes?

Answer 25

Points on a stationary wave with zero amplitude.

Question 26

What are antinodes?

Answer 26

Points on a stationary wave with maximum amplitude.

Question 27

What is fundamental frequency?

Answer 27

The lowest natural frequency of a vibrating object.

Question 28

What are harmonics?

Answer 28

Multiples of the fundamental frequency.

Question 29

What is the quality of a note?

Answer 29

The shape of the sound wave, depending on number and amplitude of harmonics.

Question 30

What is sound intensity?

Answer 30

The rate at which sound energy passes through unit area perpendicular to wave direction.

Question 31

What is sound intensity level?

Answer 31

A scale comparing a sound intensity to the threshold of hearing.

Question 32

What is the threshold of hearing?

Answer 32

The smallest detectable sound intensity at 1kHz for the average human ear.

Question 33

What is a decibel adapted scale?

Answer 33

A scale adjusted for the human ear’s frequency response.

Question 34

What is diffuse reflection?

Answer 34

Light reflected in all directions from a rough surface.

Question 35

What is regular reflection?

Answer 35

Light reflected in one direction from a smooth surface.

Question 36

What is a real image?

Answer 36

Formed by actual intersection of light rays.

Question 37

What is a virtual image?

Answer 37

Formed by apparent intersection of light rays.

Question 38

What is refractive index?

Answer 38

Ratio of sine of incidence angle to sine of refraction angle from vacuum into a medium.

Question 39

What is total internal reflection?

Answer 39

When light is reflected entirely back into a denser medium if incidence angle > critical angle.

Question 40

What is the critical angle?

Answer 40

Incidence angle in denser medium that gives 90° refraction in the less dense medium.

Question 41

What is the power of a lens?

Answer 41

The inverse of the focal length.

Question 42

What are compound lenses?

Answer 42

A combination of two or more lenses in contact.

Question 43

What is accommodation (eye)?

Answer 43

Adjusting the focal length of the eye lens to focus near or distant objects.

Question 44

What is short-sightedness?

Answer 44

Inability to focus on distant objects clearly.

Question 45

What is long-sightedness?

Answer 45

Inability to focus on near objects clearly.

Question 46

What is dispersion?

Answer 46

Separation of light into its constituent wavelengths.

Question 47

What is light?

Answer 47

A form of energy that travels as electromagnetic waves.

Question 48

What is the greenhouse effect?

Answer 48

Wavelength of sunlight increases as it reflects off Earth, contributing to warming.