Wave Flashcards
(14 cards)
What do waves transfer without transferring any matter?
Energy and information
Waves transfer energy and information in the direction they are traveling.
What happens to the particles of a medium when a wave travels through it?
They vibrate and transfer energy and information between each other
Overall, the particles stay in the same place.
What is the amplitude of a wave?
The displacement from the rest position to a crest or trough
Amplitude indicates the height of the wave.
Define wavelength in relation to waves.
The length of a full cycle of the wave
Examples include the distance from crest to crest or compression to compression.
What is frequency and how is it measured?
The number of complete cycles of the wave passing a certain point per second, measured in hertz (Hz)
1 Hz equals 1 wave per second.
What is the period of a wave?
The number of seconds it takes for one full cycle
Period = 1 / frequency.
Describe transverse waves.
Waves with vibrations that are perpendicular (at 90°) to the direction the wave travels
Examples include electromagnetic waves, S-waves, and water ripples.
What are some examples of transverse waves?
- Electromagnetic waves (e.g., light)
- S-waves (a type of seismic wave)
- Water ripples
A spring wiggled up and down can also create a transverse wave.
What are longitudinal waves?
Waves with vibrations that are parallel to the direction the wave travels
Examples include sound waves and P-waves.
What do longitudinal waves create in a medium?
- Compressions (high pressure)
- Rarefactions (low pressure)
They affect the arrangement of particles in the medium.
How is wavelength defined in longitudinal waves?
One complete cycle, e.g., from the middle of one compression to the middle of another
It still represents the distance between similar points in the wave.
What is the wave speed equation?
Wave speed = Frequency × Wavelength
This equation indicates how quickly a wave moves through space.
What is the formula for calculating wave speed?
v = f × λ
Where v is wave speed, f is frequency, and λ is wavelength.
True or False: Waves do not carry matter with them.
True
Waves transfer energy without moving the medium.
