waves Flashcards
what is displacement?
the distance that a certain point in the medium has moved from its rest position
peak
the highest point above the rest position
trough is lowest
amplitude
the maximum displacement of a point of a wave from its rest position
wavelength
distance cocered by a fully cycle of the wave, usually from peak to peak or trough to trough
frequency
the number of waves passing a point each second
time period of a wave
1/frequency
wave speed
frequency x lamda (wavelength)
how does sound reach a persons ear drum?
the air is made up of many tiny particles. when sound is created, the air particles vibrate and collide with each ither, causing the vibrations to pass between air particles. the vibrating particles pass the sound through to a persons ear and vibrate the ear drum
what is the general name for waves that require a medium to vibrate?
mechanixal
what is the speed of sound in air and water?
330 m/s in air
1500 m/s in water
what are longitudinal waves?
in lonqitudinal waves, the vibrations are parallel to the direction of wave travel
what are some examples of longitudinal waves?
sound waves
ultrasound waves
seismic p-waves
longotudinal waves show areas of ______ and _________
compression
rarefaction
compressions
are regions of high pressure due to particles being close together
rarefactions
are regions of low pressure due to particles being spread further apart
what is a transverse wave?
the vibrations are perpendicular to the direction of wave travel
examples of transverse waves
- electromagnetic waves
ripples on water
seismic s-waves
what are electromagnetic waves
their vibrations or oscillations are changes in electrical and magnetic fields at right angles to the direction of wave travel
all electromagnetic waves can:
transfer energy as radiation from the source of the waves to an absorber
can travel through a vaccum
em spectrum from longest to shortest
radio, microsaves, infared, visible light, ultraviolet, xrays, gamma rays
red light has ___________. violet light has ________
red light has the lowest frequencies of visible light
violet has the highest
radio waves
do not cause damage when absorbed by the human body
used for communications
television
radio
microwaves
high frequency microwaves are absorbed easily into the food. the internal energy of the molecules increases when they absorb microwaves, which xauses heating
infared
used by electrical heaters, cookers for cooling food, infared cameras