Waves Flashcards
(11 cards)
What is the amplitude of a wave?
the maximum displacement of a point on the wave from it’s undisturbed position
What is the frequency of a wave?
the number of complete waves passing a certain point per second
What’s the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves?
transverse- the vibrations go up and down
longitudinal- vibrations in the same direction as the wave travels
What type of waves are transverse?
- all electromagnetic waves
- ripples and waves in water
- a wave on a string
What type of waves are longitudinal?
- sound waves in air
- shock waves
What is specular reflection?
happens when a wave is reflected in a single reflection by a smooth surface
What is diffuse reflection?
When a wave is reflected by a rough surface and he reflected rays are scattered in lots of different directions
What is the order of the EM waves?
- radio waves
- microwaves
- infrared radiation
- visible light
- ultra violet
- x-rays
- gamma rays
How are EM waves generated?
by a variety of changes in atoms and their nuclei
How long are radio waves wavelengths?
longer than 10cm
