Turning Points: Waves Flashcards
What were the differences in Newton’s theory of light and Huygens?
Newton believed that light was made out of particles (known as corpuscles) whereas Huygens believed that light is a longitudinal wave travelling through ether.
What is the corpuscular theory?
Light was made out of corpuscles that travelled in a straight line from the source.
What did the corpuscular theory prove?
the formation of sharp shadow when an opaque object intercepted sunlight.
What are the key features of Huygens’ theory?
Light acts as a wave, every point of waveform acts as a source of secondary wavelets
How does a dark and bright fringes on screen support Huygens’ theory?
each point at slit produces secondary wavelets. The wavelets overlap the screen. Path difference etc..
Describe the process of Fizeau’s experiment to determine speed of light?
He shone a light at a partially reflecting mirror which directed between the teeth of rotating toothed wheel. The distant mirror reflects back towards the wheel and observer.
What happened as soon as Fizeau started to rotate the wheel?
the teeth broke up the light beams and into pulses of light is observed.
What happened when Fizeau started to increase the frequency of wheel?
A speed was discovered as light leaving through one gap returned at an instant as the next tooth blocked it path.
What is Fizeau’s equation of speed? and meaning of each
c = 4DNf
D - distance from wheel to distant mirror
N- number of teeth
f - frequency
What did Maxwell predicted about electromagnetic wave?
Electromagnetic wave exist when a changing magnetic field creates a changing electric field and so on…
What is m0 (muu nought) and what it relates to?
Permeability of free space. (H - Henry)
It relates to the magnetic flux density of a magnetic field to the electric current that creates it.
What is E0 (epsilon nought) and what it relates to?
permittivity of free space (F - Farad)
It relates to the electric field strength to the charge that creates it
Why did Hertz’s transmitted included an induction coil and a capacitor?
These produced an alternating high voltage to create a spark, which kept reversing direction and created radio waves.
What did Hertz do to detect the electromagnetic waves?
He used a spark gap detector made up of wire loop, the ends made up of brash sphered and seperated by small gap.
What did Hertz finally discovered?
EM waves spreading from the sparks created by transmitter which induces emf hence a current, in wire loop, creates sparks between brass spheres.
What else did Hertz do and concluded?
He created stationary radio waves from superposition of the incident and reflected waves. He measured the wavelength by node to node distance and used c = f * wavelength
List all EM waves from lowest wavelength to highest
Gamma, x-rays, ultraviolet, visible light, microwaves, radiowaves
What is black body radiation?
It is an electromagnetic radiation. Spectrum with peak depending on temperature
What is Wein’s displacement law?
The peak wavelength was inversely proportional to the kelvin temperature.
What led to the ultraviolet catastrophe? (predictions)
The wave theory states as the wavelength of radiation decreases, the intensity increases leading to infinite amount of ultraviolet radiation
What was Planck’s solution to the catastrophe? and equation
suggested that EM waves was quantised, EM waves travelled in packets called quanta. Hence E=hf
Give 1 reason why photoelectric effect can’t explain the wave theory (about threshold frequency)
Wave theory suggest that any frequency of light should cause photoelectric emission because the energy absorbed by each electron gradually increases whereas opposes the idea of threshold frequency
Give 1 reason why photoelectric effect can’t explain the wave theory (about immediate)
photoelectric effect is immediate whereas wave theory suggest time needed for electrons to reach work function
Give 1 reason why photoelectric effect can’t explain the wave theory (about intensity)
increasing the intensity of light does not increase the speed of the photoelectric emission (where the theory states)