Waves Flashcards
(185 cards)
What happens when waves travel through a medium?
Particles of the medium oscillate and transfer energy between each other, overall the particles stay in the same place as only energy is transferred
What is the amplitude of a wave?
Maximum displacement of a point on the wave from its undisturbed position.
What is wavelength?
Distance between same point on two adjacent waves for example between trough of one wave on the trough of the wave next to it)
What is frequency?
Number of complete waves passing a certain point per second.
What is frequency measured in?
In Hertz Hz 1 Hz is one wave per second
From the freuqency what can you find?
The period of a wave. This is the amount of time it takes for a full cycle of the wave.
How to calculate the period of a wave.
T = 1/f t= period (s) F= frequency Hz
Describe a transverse wave
Oscillations (vibrations are perpendicula to direction of energy transfer
Give examples of transverse waves
1= all electromagnetic waves like light 2= ripples and waves in water 3= a wave on a string
On a graph what does amplitude look like?
From x axis to peak
On a graph what does wavelength look like?
Line between peaks
On a graph what does a crest look like?
The peak
On a graph what does undistrubed position look like?
A straight line
Give examples of mechanical waves
Water waves Shock waves Waves in springs ropes
Describe longitudinal waves
oscillations are parallel to direction of energy transfer.
Examples of longitudinal waves.
Sound waves in air like ultra sound shock waves likes some seismic waves
What is wave speed?
Speed at which energy is being transferred or the speed the wave moves at
Give the equation for wave speed
v = f x wavelength V= wavespeed in m/s F= hz Wavelength symbol upside down y = m
How to measure the speed of sound using an oscillioscope?
- Set up oscillioscope so the detected waves at each microphone are shon as seperate waves.
- Start with both microphones next to the speaker then slowly move one away until the two waves are aligned on the display but have moved on wavelength apart.
- Measure distance between microphones to find one wavelength.
- Use forumula v=fxwavlength to find speed of sound waves passing through air.
- The frequency is whatever you set signal generator to but around 1khz Speed of sound is around 330 m/s
How to measure the speed of water ripples through a lamp?
- Using a single generator attatched to the dipper of a ripple tank create water waves at a set frequency
- Use a lamp to see wave crests on a screen below the tank.
- Make sure size of waves shadows are the same size as the waves
- Dsitance between each shadow line is equal to one wavelength.
- Measure distance between shadow lines that are 10 wavelengths apart then divide distance by 10 to find average wavlength.
- If you struggle to measure distance take a photo fo shadows and ruler and find wavelength from photo
- use v=fλ to calculate waves speed of waves.
- This set up allows you to measure wavelenght without diturbing waves.
Describe experiment for how to use wave equation fro waves on strings.
- Turn on signal generator and vibration transducer.
- The string will start to vibrate
- Adjust frequency of signal generator until there is a clear wave on string.
- The frequency needed depends on length of string between pulley and transducer and the masses you have used.
- Measure wavelength of these waves
- To do this measure 4-5 half wavelenghts or as many as you can in one go, divide to get mean half wavelength then double this mean to get full wavelength.
- Frequency of wave is whatever the signal generator is set to.
- find wave speed with the formula v=fλ
When waves arrive at a boundary between two different materials what three things can happen?
- The waves are absorbed by the material the wave is trying to cross into this transfers energy to materials energy stores
- Waves are transmitted which means the waves carry on travelling through the new material.- this leads to refraction.
- Waves are reflected.
- Depends on wavelength of the wave and properties of materials involved.
What does the angle of incidence equal?
The angle of refelection
What is the angle of incidence?
Angle between the incoming wave and the normal
(to tell it is the incoming ray with the arrow going inwards)