Waves Flashcards
(36 cards)
Vibration or oscillation
Regular,repetitive to and fro up and down motion
Wave
Caused by a continuous series of pulses or vibrations
Particles in a medium are in phase if they are??????
Vibrating perfectly in step with one another i.e. if they are moving in the same direction and of the same distance away from rest position
Wavelength
The distance between two consecutive points which are in phase
Frequency
The number of complete waves passing a point in one second
Frequency formula
F =1/T
Period of a wave
The amount of time taken for one complete wave to pass a point
Period formula
T=1/f
Speed of a wave
The distance moved by any pulse and a wave in one second
Speed of a wave formula
V=🔺x/t
The wave equation
V=f x lambda
amplitude
Maximum displacement from the position of rest
Transverse wave
A wave in which the particles of the medium vibrate at 90° to the direction in which the wave moves
Longitudinal wave
A wave in which the particles of a medium vibrate parallel to the direction in which the waves move
crest
The maximum displacement above position of rest
Trough
The maximum position or displacement below rest position
Rest position or equilibrium position
Point at which there is no displacement
Compression
Area where particles are close together in a longitudinal wave
Rare faction
An area where particles are far apart and a longitudinal wave
Wavelength of a longitudinal wave
Measured from the centre of the compression to the centre of the next compression or from the centre of the rare faction to the centre of the next rare faction
pulse
A single disturbance in a medium
Does destructive interference result in a larger or smaller amplitude and explain the 2 types
Destructive interference occurs when a crest and trough meet this results in a smaller amplitude the first type of destructive interference is partial destructive interference when the weights have different amplitudes there is also total destructive interference when waves have the same attitude and they cancel each other out
Principle of superposition
When pulses cross the combine disturbance at any point is equal to the algebraic some of the disturbances
Interference
When two or more pulses interact with each other in the same space at the same time