Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Physics Paper 2 > Waves > Flashcards

Waves Flashcards

(63 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

what is a transverse wave?

A

The oscillations are perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer.
A spring wiggled side to side gives a transverse wave

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is a longitudinal wave?

A

The oscillations are parallel to the direction of energy transfer.
If you push the end of a spring, you get a longitudinal wave.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Examples of transverse waves?

A

-all electromagnetic waves
-ripples and waves in water
- wave on a string
{most waves}

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Examples of longitudinal waves?

A
  • sound waves in air, ultrasound

- shock waves, seismic waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

How do you calculate the wave speed?

A

Wave speed (m/s) = frequency (Hz) X wavelength (m)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the frequency of a wave?

A

The number of complete waves passing a certain point per second. Measured in hertz (Hz)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the amplitude of a wave?

A

The maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the wavelength?

A

The distance between the same point on two adjacent waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How do you calculate the period of a wave?

A

The amount of time it takes for a full cycle of waves to pass a point

Period = 1/ frequency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the angle of incidence?

A

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection

-the angle between the incoming wave and the normal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What is specular reflection?

A

When a wave is reflected in a single direction by a smooth surface (eg when lit is reflected by a mirror you get a clear reflection)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is diffuse reflection?

A

When a wave is reflected by a rough surface (eg paper) and the reflected rays are scattered in many different directions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is refraction?

A

When a wave crosses a boundary between materials at an angle, it changes direction and so it is refracted

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the frequency of a wave?

A

The number of complete waves passing a certain point per second. Measured in hertz (Hz)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What is the amplitude of a wave?

A

The maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the wavelength?

A

The distance between the same point on two adjacent waves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

How do you calculate the period of a wave?

A

The amount of time it takes for a full cycle of waves to pass a point

Period = 1/ frequency

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the angle of incidence?

A

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection

-the angle between the incoming wave and the normal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is specular reflection?

A

When a wave is reflected in a single direction by a smooth surface (eg when lit is reflected by a mirror you get a clear reflection)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is diffuse reflection?

A

When a wave is reflected by a rough surface (eg paper) and the reflected rays are scattered in many different directions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is refraction?

A

When a wave crosses a boundary between materials at an angle, it changes direction and so it is refracted

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Which rule applies to all reflections?

A

Angle of incidence = angle of reflection

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is an experiment you could do to investigate refraction?

A
  • place rectangular transparent block on a piece of paper and trace around it
  • use a ray box or laser to shine a ray of light at the middle of one side of block
  • trace the incident Ray and mark where light Ray emerges on the other side of block
  • remove block and join up incident Ray and emerging point to show the refracted Ray brought the block
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Why must you do light experiments in a dim room?

A
  • so you can clearly see the paths of the rays of light

- Ray box and laser means more accurate angle measurements as Ray’s can be traced more accurately

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
What is an experiment to investigate reflection and light?
- take piece of paper and draw a straight line across it. Place an object on the line - shine a ray of light at the objects surface and trace the incoming and reflected light beams - draw the normal at the point where the Ray hits the object - use protractor to measure angle of incidence and angle of reflection - repeat for a range of objects
26
What is an electromagnetic wave?
- transverse waves that transfer energy from a source to an absorber - they all travel at same speed through air or a vacuum (space) - they form a continuous spectrum over a wide range of frequencies - grouped into seven basic types depending on their wavelength and frequency
27
How are radio waves created?
- using an alternating current in an electrical circuit | - object in which charges (electrons) oscillate to create the radio waves is called a transmitter
28
What are uses of EM waves?
Long radio waves- can be transmitted from around the world even if the receiver isn't in sight of the transmitter Short wave radio waves-can be received at long distances from the transmitter Bluetooth-uses short wave radio waves TV/radio- very short wavelengths and you must be in sight of transmitter
29
What is infrared radiation?
Given out by all objects and the hotter the object, the more IR radiation it gives out
30
What do infrared cameras do?
- used to detect infrared radiation and monitor temperature - it detects IR radiation and turns it into an electrical signal which is displayed as a picture on a screen - the hotter an object is, the brighter it appears
31
What is an optical fibre?
Thin glass or plastic fibres that carry data over long distances as pulses of visible light - work because of reflection - light is not easily absorbed or scattered as it travels along a fibre
32
What is ultraviolet radiation?
Produced by the son and exposure to it is what gives people a sun tan. -present in sun beds in UV lamps to give artificial tan > overexposure can be dangerous
33
What is the purpose of X Ray's?
- To identify any broken bones in the body | - can treat people with cancers (radiotherapy)
34
How do X rays work?
It is the amount of radiation that is absorbed that gives you an X Ray image -the brightest bits are where fewer X Ray's get through so they aren't as accurate as the darker parts
35
How are X Ray's and gamma rays used in radiotherapy?
-high doses of these Ray's kills all living cells so they are directed to kill the cancer cells in a specific area
36
What are the dangers of X rays and gamma rays?
- types of ionising radiation which can causes gene mutation or cell destruction and cancer - radiographer swear lead aprons and stand behind a lead screen because it doesn't emit this radiation
37
How are TV signals transmitted from a transmitter on the ground to a house?
- transmitted through atmosphere into space - picked up by satellite receiver orbiting Earth - satellite transmits signal back to Earth in a different direction - then received by a satellite dish connected to the house
38
How do lenses form images?
They refract light and change its direction
39
What is a convex lens?
- bulges outwards | - causes rays of light parallel to the axis to be brought together at the principal focus
40
What is a concave lens?
- caves inwards - causes rays of light parallel to axis to spread out (diverge) - ALWAYS produces a virtual image that is upright and smaller than the object
41
What is a real image?
Where the light from an object comes together to form an image on a screen
42
What is a virtual image?
When the rays are spreading out so the light from the object appears to be coming from a completely different place Eg your face in a mirror and looking through a magnifying glass
43
How do you describe an image properly?
- how big it is compared to object - whether it's upright or inverted (upside down) - whether it's real or virtual
44
How do you calculate the magnification?
Magnification = image height / object height
45
What are opaque objects?
They do not transmit light. When visible waves hit them, they absorb some wavelengths of light and reflect others
46
What are transparent/translucent objects?
They transmit light. Not all light that hits the surface of the object is absorbed or reflected-some can pass through
47
What are colour filters used for?
To filter out different wavelengths of light so that only certain colours are transmitted, the rest are absorbed Eg red cellophane (red or black)-transparent object
48
What is a perfect black body?
An object that absorbs all of the radiation that hits it. No radiation is reflected or transmitted -the best possible emitters of radiation
49
What does the temperature of the earth depend on?
The amount of IR radiation it reflects, absorbs and emits
50
Why does the temperature of the earth stay fairly constant?
- during day lots of radiation (light) is transferred to Earth from sun and is absorbed-increase in local temp - at night less radiation is being absorbed than it is being emitted-decrease in local temp - overall temp of earth stays fairly constant
51
What causes a sound wave?
- vibrating objects. | - vibrations passed through the surrounding medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions
52
Why does a sound wave travel best in a solid and not in a gas, liquid or space?
- when a sound travels through a solid, it causes the particles to vibrate - sound can't travel in space because it's a vacuum (no particles to vibrate)
53
How do sound waves travel to the ear?
- vibrations passed to ossicles in ear, through semicircular canals and to the cochlea. - cochlea turns thee vibrations into electrical signals which are sent to the brain and so we hear the sound
54
What range of sound can humans hear? What affects this?
20Hz-20kHz | -hearing is limited by size and shape of our ear drum
55
What are echoes? How are they caused?
- sound waves are reflected by hard flat surfaces | - echoes are just reflected sound waves
56
What is an ultra sound?
- electrical device which produce electrical oscillations of any frequency - converted into mechanical vibrations to produce sound waves beyond range of human hearing
57
How do microphones work?
Sound waves cause diaphragm to vibrate and this movement is transferred into an electrical signal
58
How are ultrasounds used in the medical industry?
- ultrasound waves can pass through body - when they reach boundary between two different media (eg fluid and skin of foetus) some of the wave is reflected back and detected - the exact timing and distribution of these echoes are processed by a computer to produce a video image of foetus (scan)
59
What happens when there is an earth quake?
Seismic waves are created and travel through the earth. They are detected by seismometers
60
What happens when seismic waves reach a boundary?
When they reach a boundary between different layers of material inside the earth, some waves will be absorbed and some will be refracted
61
What usually happens if waves are refracted?
They change speed gradually, resulting in a curved path. But if properties change suddenly, the wave speed changes abruptly and the path has a kink
62
What are P-waves?
-longitudinal -travel through solids and liquids -travel faster than S-waves (Seismic wave)
63
What are S-waves?
-transverse -can't travel through liquids or gases -slower than P-waves (Seismic wave)

Physics Paper 2 (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions