waves and sound Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is frequency?
Frequency (f) is how many times something happens in a second, measured in Hz.
What is period?
Period (T) is how long something takes to happen once, measured in seconds.
How are frequency and period related?
1/f = T and f = 1/T.
What is wavelength?
Wavelength is the length of a single cycle of a wave, usually measured in meters.
What is amplitude?
Amplitude is a measurement that represents the amount of vibration in a wave.
What is wave speed?
Wave speed is the speed a wave is travelling, usually in m/s, calculated as wave speed = (wavelength)(frequency).
What is the difference between longitudinal and transverse waves?
Longitudinal waves have vibrations parallel to the direction of travel (e.g., sound), while transverse waves have vibrations perpendicular to the direction of travel (e.g., shaking a rope up and down).
What is the Doppler Effect?
The Doppler Effect is the apparent increase or decrease of a wave’s frequency depending on whether the source and observer are approaching or moving apart.
What is a standing wave?
A standing wave occurs when two waves of the same wavelength, frequency, and amplitude travel in opposite directions and interfere, creating nodes and antinodes.
What is interference in wave behavior?
Interference is when waves travel through the same medium at the same time, leading to the combination of their amplitudes.
What is reflection in the context of waves?
Reflection is when a wave bounces off of a boundary between two mediums.
What is refraction?
Refraction is when a wave passes through a boundary between two mediums and changes direction due to the angle of incidence and a change in speed and wavelength.
What is sound?
Sound is a longitudinal wave that is energy travelling as a vibration in a physical medium.
What is a sonic boom?
A sonic boom is a cone of constructive interference following behind any object moving faster than the speed of sound.
What is a wave?
A wave is energy travelling as a vibration that moves as time passes, caused by some sort of vibration.
What is an echo?
An echo is when sound reflects off of a boundary, often heard as a second noise due to this reflection.
Fill in the blank: Assuming constant wave speed, higher frequency means _______.
shorter wavelength.
Fill in the blank: Higher frequency is associated with _______ pitch and _______ energy.
higher; higher.
What is the speed of sound at room temperature?
~340 m/s, but varies with temperature and air composition.
What is the frequency of a beat created by a 200 Hz and 203 Hz sound?
3 Hz, calculated as 203 Hz - 200 Hz.
